Derry Twp. nursing home with coronavirus cases tests positive for Legionella bacteria

A Westmoreland County nursing home already infected with the coronavirus now has tested positive for the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ Disease.

Department of Health officials on Tuesday confirmed that a water sample recently tested at the Loyalhanna Care Center in Derry Township was positive for Legionella, a bacteria that causes the pneumonia-like illness.

“There have not been any cases of Legionnaires at the facility. They did have a water sample test positive and are taking appropriate steps to remediate,” said Nate Wardle, state health department spokesman. “When an infectious disease occurs in a congregate care facility, such as a nursing home, there are significant concerns as to how quickly it can spread among both residents and employees.”

Officials at the nursing home did not respond to calls seeking comment.

Daniel J. Wukich, managing general partner for Quest Healthcare Development Inc., the company that owns the nursing home, on Tuesday questioned the state’s findings.

“There’s a lot of skepticism right now. There will be additional tests, but we’re doing all the precautions recommended by the professionals,” Wukich said.

The facility’s administrator last month confirmed that a resident was diagnosed with the coronavirus. Wukich said that, as of two weeks ago, at least seven residents had tested positive for coronavirus.

Legionnaires’ Disease is a serious pneumonia-like ailment that can require hospitalization and can be fatal, according to the health department. The bacteria that causes the disease is found in water and spread through a facility’s distribution system.

Legionella was detected this year at Westmoreland Manor, the county-owned nursing home, and resulted in residents and staff having to use bottled water for drinking, cooking and cleaning for about three weeks as officials worked to eradicate the bacteria from the building’s water system.

According to government records, the Manor also is operated by Quest Healthcare Development.

A review of inspection records from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed that the Loyalhanna Care Center was fined twice in 2018 for numerous health and safety failures. According to federal records, more than $373,000 in fines were imposed on the facility in the last two years.

The most recent inspection, conducted in February by the state’s Department of Health, found additional violations including one in that “determined that the facility failed to maintain a safe and sanitary environment for residents and staff.”

Last month, it became the first nursing home in Westmoreland County to publicly confirm a coronavirus case.

As of Tuesday, state officials said the virus has infected 86 residents and 23 staffers at five nursing homes in the county. Most of the 25 deaths in the county attributed to covid-19 have been connected to the nursing homes, according to Coroner Ken Bacha.

Neither state nor county officials have identified the nursing homes were the coronavirus has been confirmed.

Data released Tuesday by the health department revealed 68 people who reside in the Latrobe area with the same ZIP code as the Loyalhanna Care Center have tested positive for the coronavirus.

“We have been working to push personal protective equipment to all of our long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania and sent that equipment to all facilities earlier this month. We have also been in constant communication with facilities of concern to assist them and check to see what potential needs they have, including PPE,” Wardle said.

He noted that the state has distributed nearly three million N95 masks, close to 231,000 gowns, about to 1.36 million procedure masks, more than 1,32 million gloves and 68,000 face shields, and more than 5,300 coveralls to nursing homes.

On Sunday, the federal government announced a new regulation that requires nursing homes to report all coronavirus cases to residents, their families and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.