Henderson nursing home sees COVID-19 cases triple
A Henderson nursing home saw the number of residents with COVID-19 triple overnight this week, according to state data.
The number of positive patients at the Lake Mead Health and Rehabilitation Center, a skilled nursing home, jumped from 19 to 60 on Tuesday and again to 69 on Wednesday , according to data posted on the state Department of Health and Human Services’ nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website. Twelve staff members also have become ill from the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Overall, the total number of cases in the facility increased by 224 percent from Monday to Tuesday, according to the state data.
The reason for the apparent surge in cases was not clear, but company spokeswoman Annaliese Impink attributed it in a statement to “ongoing timely testing. Testing is an important step to control the virus.” Details of the facility’s testing regimen where not provided.
Meanwhile, she said the number of residents with COVID-19 had increased to 76 as of late Wednesday, with the additional cases not yet reported by the state.
“Many of the residents at the center are asymptomatic at this point,” Impink said. “We have been following reporting guidelines provided by the CDC and continue to be proactive with all information released to the authorities, family members and the wider public, while maintaining the dignity and privacy of each of our residents.”
Only 15 of the state’s nursing homes have more than 50 positive cases, including The Heights of Summerlin, which has had the most positive cases among residents and staff at 150. Twenty-eight residents have died.
In May, that facility reported 16 deaths in one day.
In an email, The Heights of Summerlin spokeswoman Lori Mayer said at the time that all but one of the deaths at the nursing home occurred in local hospitals and that the fact the deaths were reported on a single day was “a reporting delay due to the fact residents died at the hospital.”
Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE on Twitter.
