Western Pennsylvania nursing homes restrict access amid coronavirus fears

Visitor access to at least two nursing homes in the Pittsburgh region has been restricted as a precaution against the potential spread of the coronavirus, officials said Tuesday.

Wexford Healthcare Center in McCandless and Baldwin Health Center also are taking the temperatures of visitors who enter the home. A fever is one indicator the novel coronavirus that causes covid-19. Elderly people and those with underlying health conditions are most vulnerable to the virus, experts have said.

“Anyone who’s got an elevated temperature is going to be denied admission, sent home and encouraged to see a doctor, get tested,” said Fred Stratmann, spokesman for CommuniCare, which owns both facilities.

Stratmann said the decision to limit visitor access was made Tuesday. He said exceptions are being made for people with family members who suffer from mental ailments such as dementia or are in hospice care.

“As long as those people are screened, they are asymptomatic and it’s beneficial to the patient, we will allow them to stay in the facility during visiting hours,” Stratmann said.

He said the facilities are asking people to be understanding, and will work with families to ensure they can still see their loved ones through video conferencing options like Skype. Requests to see family members will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and decisions will be made based on what’s good for the patient and the facility as a whole.

CommuniCare and other regional nursing facilities have implemented policies to help stop the spread of covid-19. The state Department of Health said there were 12 presumed positive cases in Pennsylvania as of Tuesday afternoon. There were no known positive cases in Allegheny County, according to the Allegheny County Health Department.

The American Health Care Association on Monday recommended skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities limit non-essential visitors from entering their facilities.

Cristina Crawford, association spokeswoman, said the current priority is to prevent the virus from getting into long-term-care centers, and if it does get in, to prevent it from spreading.

“We believe providers must take dramatic action to limit non-essential individuals from entering our buildings and to ensure that employees who are sick stay home,” Crawford said. “The most important thing right now is getting the message to all providers about what they can do to prepare and respond.”

In addition to checking temperatures, Stratmann said CommuniCare facilities are cleaning handrails, doorknobs, high-touch equipment, electronic equipment and elevator knobs on a daily basis, disinfecting all non-dedicated health equipment between residents, and hanging signs in the front doors with symptom warnings.

“As of last Tuesday we sent notices to family members and to staff and volunteers, visitors, vendors, about the steps we were going to take to raise awareness and try and work in preventing covid-19 from getting into our centers at all,” Stratmann said. “We learned a lesson from what happened at Life Care Center of Kirkland about … how dangerous it is when it actually gets into the centers so we are working hard to keep it out.”

Matthew Tack, administrator with Platinum Ridge Center for Rehabilitation & Healing in Brackenridge, said the facility is encouraging people who may have recently traveled to an area where the virus is rampant not to visit.

They also are asking visitors to see only one resident, not multiple ones.

“We’ve been lucky. We’ve been spared,” he said. “No flu, nothing to report to the county department of health for flu-like symptoms. Knock on wood, we’ve been pretty lucky and staff’s doing a good job of taking precautions.”

St. Anne Home in Greensburg has taken several steps to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus, following guidelines established by the state Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the organization said via email.

“This guidance is rapidly changing and we have designated multiple individuals within our organization to review the Pennsylvania Department of Health and CDC websites on a daily basis in order to share new information with the rest of our team and take appropriate actions,” the statement said.

New residents are being assessed for respiratory symptoms, and existing residents who have symptoms are being given face masks.

Signs at the entrance ask visitors to keep out if they have fever, cough or shortness of breath, or if they have visited to foreign countries where the coronavirus is prevalent.

Dennis Biondo, the executive director of Allegheny County’s Kane Community Living Centers, said Tuesday that no restrictions had been imposed. Visitors are surveyed about their health when they come in, and are asked about travel and any possible coronavirus exposure. Visitors are asked about any respiratory illnesses. Staff is not taking temperatures at this point but could if the need arises, he said.

The Kane Centers are following advice and guidance from the CDC, county health department and others.

At the Jewish Association on Aging which runs Charles Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Squirrel Hill, AHAVA Memory Care, Weinberg Terrace Personal Care, The Residence at Weinberg Village, and The New Riverview they’ve created a three-tier system surrounding a response to the coronavirus.

They have been on high-alert since the beginning of flu season, said Tinsy Labrie, director of marketing and public relations of the Jewish Association on Aging.

The first level includes asking every visitor if he or she has been traveling to China, Japan, South Korea, Iran or Italy or have been in contact with someone who has or if they have a fever, cough or trouble breathing to not enter the facility. Visitors must sign a form consenting to a response to those questions.

Also, any employee who does not feel well will be asked to go home, Labrie said.

The second level of action will take place if a case is confirmed within Allegheny County. Visitors will be limited.

The third level would come into play if someone within one of the facilities is confirmed to have the virus. The Jewish Association on Aging will work with the Allegheny County Health Department to test for suspected viral infection, place the infected person in isolated quarters on the premises and coordinate transportation to the hospital for treatment. They will assist with tracking anyone that individual may have also infected.

The association will also restrict all visitors to the facility except in extreme situations such as hospice, Labrie said. Activities in group settings and communal dining will be suspended.

Administrators meet daily to receive updates and to formulate a plan of action. They’ve already ensured the food supply can accommodate residents and staff in case of quarantine.

“We aren’t ready to do that just yet,” Labrie said, referring to restricting all visitors except in extreme cases. “If we have to do that we will look at it on a case by case basis. We are ready to act immediately to any changes.”

If multiple cases arise, they will stop new admissions, utilize unoccupied rooms for staff to shower and rest. Management would remain on site.

Shadyside Heritage Nursing Home is affiliated with UPMC. Dr. David Nace, medical director of UPMC Senior Communities, said they have plans in place to detect a covid-19 case in their senior communities and quickly get testing performed.

“We have a long-standing and robust outbreak detection and management program in place,” said Nace. “Our staff are educated about covid-19 and the proper personal protective equipment to use in order to safely care for any covid-19 patients without spreading the infection.

“Caring for a resident with covid-19 would depend on their patient-centered care plans, the severity of illness, and could require transfer to a hospital for the level of care they may require. This would be done with public health officials and following proper infection control protocols.”

John Dickson, president and CEO of Redstone Presbyterian Senior Care which has three facilities in Westmoreland County, said they are regularly examining residents. If a resident shows symptoms they will be isolated within the facility unless Redstone is directed otherwise by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We are going to be implementing other measures that will start (Thursday) which will further restrict people coming into, not only nursing, but also our personal care locations at all three of our facilities,” said Dickson. “We’ll be taking temperatures and not allowing people, if they show any signs of any type of illness or if they’ve been out of the country, to enter the facility.”

Dickson said a Redstone employee who was recently out of the country on vacation was told to stay home as a precautionary measure and that they are also restricting large gatherings at their three campuses in Greenburg, North Huntington, and Murrysville.

Jacob Tierney, JoAnne Klimovich Harrop, Paul Guggenheimer and Aaron Aupperlee contributed to this report.