GREENFIELD — Golden LivingCenter–Brandywine is reporting more than two-thirds of its residents and many of its employees have COVID-19.
The long-term care and skilled nursing facility, 745 N. Swope St., reported 65 of its 94 residents and 21 of its employees had COVID-19 as of Monday, Nov. 23, and that three residents have died from the novel coronavirus during the pandemic.
“Our Brandywine team has fought tirelessly for over eight months to keep the coronavirus out of our Brandywine LivingCenter,” a Golden LivingCenters–Indiana spokesperson told the Daily Reporter in an email. “We recently confirmed with widespread and frequent testing that this community is experiencing an outbreak.”
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Golden LivingCenters updates COVID-19 data for all of its facilities in a table on its website every weekday. As of Monday, 70 Brandywine residents were confirmed COVID-19 positive in the previous 14 days, one fewer than the facility’s cumulative total for the pandemic. No residents had new respiratory symptoms identified in the 24 hours before the latest update, according to the table.
The table also reported that two residents have recovered from COVID-19 and 157 have tested negative during the pandemic.
Among employees, 30 were confirmed COVID-19 positive within the 14 days before the latest update and four received a positive COVID-19 test result in the previous 24 hours. No employees had new respiratory symptoms in the prior 24 hours.
The Golden LivingCenters spokesperson said the staff is applying strategies that have been helpful in other outbreaks, including keeping residents who are COVID-19 positive away from residents who are negative.
Staff and residents continue to be screened and tested, the message continued, adding employees are following state and federal COVID-19 guidelines, as they have throughout the pandemic.
“Our staff continue to demonstrate incredible compassion and focus because they truly care for our residents,” the spokesperson said. “We are humbled by the support and patience that we have received from our community and families.”
Golden LivingCenters’ website states visitors at facilities are currently restricted to pre-screened essential personnel and visitors for residents nearing end of life.
The company did not directly respond to questions asking what may have caused the Brandywine outbreak, but did say there are “many uncertain and unpredictable factors related to the virus” in its statement. Golden LivingCenters also didn’t directly respond to questions asking how it’s coping with staff absences at Brandywine, but the statement did say the facility has had the onsite support of the Indiana National Guard since Monday, Nov. 16.
Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry, a media relations officer for the Indiana National Guard, said all he could provide was that airmen and soldiers with the Guard responded to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s call in helping to fight the pandemic at long-term care facilities throughout the state.
“Our Guardsmen are professionally prepared and trained to help those who help our most susceptible Hoosiers,” Lowry told the Daily Reporter in an email.
Families are being allowed to conduct outdoor window visits at the facility. Betty Wines visited her 80-year-old husband, Nick, through a closed window to his room at Golden LivingCenter-Brandywine on Monday afternoon. She said he tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 13 and was moved to a different room.
“He’s positive but isn’t showing any symptoms,” Wines said, adding her husband also has Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
She dropped off chocolate chip cookies and a note for him that a staff member helped deliver.
“He’s been over here a week,” she said of his new room. “After 14 days, they’ll test him and maybe he can then go back to his room where he’s used to it, which is a lot better.”
She said her husband was in good spirits and asked how the Indianapolis Colts were doing.
“He’s good today,” she said. “You just never know, some days. It makes me happy just to look in there at him and know.”
Wines noted how the facility’s COVID-19 numbers have been low throughout the pandemic until recently.
“They’re just in there taking good care of them, the best they can do,” she said. “It’s just a bad time for all the families. I feel bad for people everywhere.”
She waved at her husband before heading back to her car.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she told him through the window. “I love you.”
Dr. Sandra Aspy, Hancock County health officer, said she doesn’t know how the outbreak at the facility started. Generally, in long-term care settings, it’s due to infections among staff members, she added.
“The COVID-19 virus remains a real and devastating disease, especially to our most vulnerable,” she told the Daily Reporter in a statement, adding the virus “wreaks havoc in our long-term care facilities and in congregate living settings.”
Aspy urged people to wear face coverings, maintain social distance and stay home if they are sick or waiting for a COVID-19 test result. Close contacts should quarantine and not place importance on a negative test result, she added. People should also avoid groups and gatherings outside their own homes.
“That is how we protect our most vulnerable,” she said. “We need to all do this.”
The COVID-19 outbreak at Golden LivingCenter-Brandywine spread much more quickly than the first and only other of this size at a Hancock County long-term care facility. Greenfield Healthcare Center reported its first resident case in April and had more than 50 by mid-May. The facility’s cumulative residential case total hasn’t risen from 77 since June 15, according to the latest data from the Indiana State Department of Health.
Andrew Clark, executive director of Greenfield Healthcare Center, said Monday that no staff or residents were known to have COVID-19. All employees and residents are being tested twice a week, he added.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Golden LivingCenter and Brandywine. … It’s just an unfortunate situation, but we wish them the best and hopefully they can get them all recovered,” Clark said.
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Golden LivingCenter – Brandywine COVID-19 data as of Nov. 23
- Total employees COVID-19 positive: 21
- Employees confirmed COVID-19 positive within past 14 days: 30
- Employees COVID-19 positive test result received within past 24 hours: 4
- Employees with new respiratory symptoms identified within past 24 hours: 0
- Total residents: 94
- Total residents COVID-19 positive: 65
- Residents confirmed COVID-19 positive within past 14 days: 70
- Residents COVID-19 positive test results received within past 24 hours: 0
- Residents with new respiratory symptoms identified within past 24 hours: 0
- Cumulative total COVID-19 residents who tested positive during pandemic: 71
- Cumulative total COVID-19 residents who tested negative during pandemic: 157
- Cumulative total COVID-19 residents recovered during pandemic: 2
- Cumulative total COVID-19 resident deaths during pandemic: 3
Source: Golden LivingCenters
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COVID-19 data through early Monday, Nov. 23
Hancock County
- 388 new tests administered
- 48 new cases
- 9.5% seven-day (Nov. 10-16) positivity rate all tests, 5.6% cumulative rate
- 0 new deaths
- 41,314 total tests administered
- 24,777 total individuals tested
- 2,437 total positive cases
- 15.5% seven-day (Nov. 10-16) positivity rate unique individuals, 9.8% cumulative rate
- 49 total deaths
Indiana
- 42,237 new tests administered (Aug. 25-Nov. 22), 18,472 new individuals tested
- 5,606 new positive cases (Nov. 5-22)
- 11.6% seven-day (Nov. 10-16) positivity rate all tests, 7% cumulative rate
- 27 new deaths (Nov. 19-22)
- 3,939,645 total tests administered
- 2,090,728 total individuals tested
- 300,913 total positive cases
- 22.4% seven-day (Nov. 10-16) positivity rate unique individuals, 14.4% cumulative rate
- 5,067 total deaths
- 265 total probable deaths
- 33.3% ICU beds in use – non-COVID
- 42.4% ICU beds in use – COVID
- 24.3% ICU beds available
- 16.8% ventilators in use – non-COVID
- 11.3% ventilators in use – COVID
- 71.9% ventilators available
- Hospital census: 3,219 total COVID-19 patients (2,644 confirmed, 575 under investigation)
Source: Indiana State Department of Health
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