Team Dedicated To Assist Long-Term Care Facilities During Pandemic

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – More than half of coronavirus-related deaths in Utah have come from long-term care facilities, according to state health officials.

COVID-19 cases can spread very quickly in those locations, and a new team has been created to help these facilities with coronavirus prevention, treatment and containing outbreaks.

“The main problem in these facilities usually is the space – you have to get a good location where you can put the patients,” said Dr. Allyn Nakashima, Healthcare-Associated Infections/Antibiotic Resistance (HAI/AR) Program Manager for the Utah Department of Health. “We set up an investigation team. The team consists of infection prevention, as these are nurses that specialize in infection control. Then we have epidemiologist people who do the contract-tracing.”

Nakashima has been on the job since before Utah saw any cases of COVID-19.

The former state epidemiologist is now serving as a liaison to nursing homes and assisted-living centers.

“Whenever we get one or more cases in a facility where there’s a concern, we can actually go into that facility and test everyone in there,” Nakashima said about the team’s mission.

Her team also helps those facilities with protective equipment and safely separates the infected from the healthy.

 She said only three long-term care facilities in Utah have had major outbreaks.

• Highland Cove, with a total of 28 cases.
• Pine Creek, which became a COVID-only facility after an outbreak. Patients who do not have the disease were moved to another location.
• The third facility has not been named.

“We work very closely with these facilities to get them to report to us very early,” she said.

Out of the 90 calls for her team help, 40 percent had a positive case.

There were a total of 70 cases in patients and residents, 37 cases in staff and a total of 19 deaths in facilities statewide. The average age was 73.

“You can see that 60 percent are just COVID-19 scares,” Nakashima said, adding that extra bit of caution is a good thing.

Only Medicare and Medicaid-funded nursing homes are required to notify family members of any COVID-19 cases where a family member is staying.

Assisted living facilities are typically private-pay, which means they are not bound to those same federal guidelines to notify families.

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Coronavirus Resources

• Have you or a family member been affected by coronavirus issues in Utah? KSL TV wants to hear from you. Contact KSL by emailing social@ksl.com.
• What is COVID-19? Here’s What You Need To Know To Stay Healthy
• What We Know And Don’t Know About The Coronavirus
• Four Common Coronavirus Questions Answered
• The latest coronavirus stories from KSL TV can be found at our Staying Safe: Coronavirus section.
• Your Life Your Health: How can parents prepare their home, children against coronavirus?

How Do I Prevent It?

The CDC has some simple recommendations, most of which are the same for preventing other respiratory illnesses or the flu:

• Avoid close contact with people who may be sick
• Avoid touching your face
• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

How To Get Help

If you’re worried you may have COVID-19, you can contact the Utah Coronavirus Information Line at 1-800-456-7707 to speak to trained healthcare professionals. You can also use telehealth services through your healthcare providers.

Additional Resources

If you see evidence of PRICE GOUGING, the Utah Attorney General’s Office wants you to report it. Common items in question include toilet paper, water, hand sanitizer, certain household cleaners, and even cold medicine and baby formula. Authorities are asking anyone who sees price gouging to report it to the Utah Division of Consumer Protection at 801-530-6601 or 800-721-7233. The division can also be reached by email at consumerprotection@utah.gov.