Washington plans COVID-19 isolation sites for infected patients of long-term care centers
The state is working to set up COVID-19 specific sites in Whatcom, Pierce and one other county, to offer more space for isolation for patients who may not be able to isolate well in their existing long-term care facilities.
Chris Wright, public information officer with the Department of Social and Health Services, shared early details in response to questions from McClatchy about the sites late Tuesday.
Shuksan Healthcare Center in Bellingham announced April 22 that it would begin accepting patients that had previously tested positive for COVID-19. So far the nursing home has accepted three COVID-19 patients, according to previous releases from the facility.
One of those three new residents at Shuksan died on Monday, April 27, the facility reported on Tuesday.
According to Wright, the Pierce County site “will be a wing of an existing Pierce County nursing home that will be cordoned off from the rest of facility only for COVID-19 patients.”
The sites will provide an alternative to hospital recovery or a direct return to a care facility in cases where they may not be able to safely isolate the patient from other residents.
Wright added, “There will be dedicated entrance, dedicated staff and the ability to separate the ventilation from the rest of the system.”
“There will be a total of 135-150 beds for COVID-positive patients between the three facilities,” Wright wrote. “Patients could be transferred there from hospitals, other long-term care facilities or the non-COVID section of the facility.”
Depending on the need, he noted, the project could expand.
“In addition to these three, we are also talking to other facilities throughout the state and may eventually expand this to a half dozen more,” Wright said.
He noted that to date, “there have been reported positive cases at 233 long-term care facilities in Washington state.”
Shuksan accepts patients
Whatcom County Health Department officials announced an outbreak of new coronavirus at Shuksan on March 22, almost two weeks after the first Whatcom County case was confirmed March 10. The Bellingham nursing home has since had 54 people associated with the facility diagnosed with COVID-19 — 31 residents and 23 staff members.
Hyatt Family Facilities, which owns and operates the 52-bed facility in the York neighborhood, announced the decision in a statement sent to The Bellingham Herald last week.
“We know that hospitals in particular are looking for homes for their patients who are COVID-19 positive and who need skilled nursing but don’t require hospitalization,” said Dave Kiefer, regional director of operations for Hyatt Family Facilities.
Last week’s announcement takes into account the staffing levels required for accepting new patients, Kiefer said, and existing residents and their families were notified of the decision.
“This decision has not been made lightly, but ultimately we believe there is a great need for skilled nursing services for the vulnerable, COVID-19 positive population in our community, and our staff is ready to help,” he said. “With our recent experience, we are in a position to effectively provide these services while mitigating the risk.”
Shuksan has converted an entire wing of its facility into a ward where only residents who are COVID-19 positive will be allowed.
Kiefer said officials at Shuksan have been coordinating the move with the Whatcom County Health Department and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
“We will continue to follow CDC guidelines and direction from the Whatcom County Health Department for all of our residents throughout the entire facility,” he said.
This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Washington plans COVID-19 isolation sites for infected patients of long-term care centers."
