22 long-term care facilities in Northeast Florida have positive COVID-19 tests

Florida released the names of all 303 Florida long-term care facilities that have been hit by the novel coronavirus.

 

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health on Saturday released the names of every Florida long-term care facility where a resident or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the Department of Health, 303 long-term care facilities in Florida have had positive tests for novel coronavirus, including 22 facilities in Northeast Florida. Duval and Clay Counties have the highest number of affected facilities, according to state data released Saturday evening.

Here’s a list of all the known facilities in Northeast Florida:

• Alachua: Oak Hammock at the University of Florida, Parklands Care Center
• Baker: Macclenny Nursing and Rehab Center, W Frank Wells Nursing Home
• Bradford: Riverwood Health & Rehabilitation Center, Windsor Health And Rehabilitation Center
• Clay: Brookdale Orange Park, Diamond Alf Llc, Governors Creek Health And Rehabilitation, Heartland Health Care Center - Orange Park, Isle Health And Rehabilitation Center, Seagrass Village Of Fleming Island
• Duval: Camellia At Deerwood, Cathedral Gerontology Center Inc., Fannie E. Taylor Home For The Aged- Taylor Manor, INC., Jacksonville Nursing And Rehab Center, Lanier Rehabilitation Center, Palm Garden Of Jacksonville, Wyndham Lakes Jacksonville
• Nassau: Life Care Center Of Hilliard
• Putnam: Vintage Care Senior Housing
• St. Johns: Starling At Nocatee

The complete list of affected long-term care facilities in the state can be viewed here.

Of the 1,694 cases of residents or staff in long-term care facilities in Florida, 169 have died.

Residents of elder care facilities in Florida have been dying for weeks, but Wednesday marked the first time the state disclosed the number of people tied to long-term care facilities who died from the virus in each county. As of Thursday morning, that total number stood at 126.

Since March 21, the numbers ballooned from 19 people sick in long-term care facilities across the state to nearly 1,700 cases among facilities’ residents and staff. The state previously published how many cases were in each county but declined to release the names of facilities with outbreaks and deaths.

Some facilities, like Jacksonville senior-living communities Camellia at Deerwood and Taylor Manor, and Clay County senior facility Heartland Healthcare at Orange Park, have confirmed having at least one or more cases of COVID-19. Those facilities declined to release the case and death totals.

Macclenny Nursing & Rehab Center in Baker County has reported multiple cases, as has Life Care Center of Hilliard in nearby Nassau County, which has confirmed three positives among two residents and one staffer.

At least two families have confirmed their loved ones, who were residents of Camellia at Deerwood, have died from COVID-19 complications.

As of Saturday evening, there were 89 COVID-19 cases in Clay County long-term facilities, 56 cases in Duval County, 28 cases in Bradford County, 21 in Alachua County, 12 in Baker County, seven in Putnam County, five in Columbia County, five in St. Johns County, three in Nassau County and two in Flagler County.

A total of 18 patients at Northeast Florida long-term care facilities, which includes nursing homes and assisted living facilities, have died.

On Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he has asked the Florida National Guard to expand its strike team that was put in place to test high-risk people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

“This is something that’s really important,” he said. “What we found is that you may have everyone doing everything right in one of these facilities, but you could have a staff member who’s not symptomatic, and it can go and it could spread throughout the staff and spread to the residents very, very quickly. So we, because of that, that’s why we did the National Guard strike teams. So we have them going to different facilities they’re doing spot testing or trying to if we identify an outbreak contain it so that doesn’t spread like wildfire throughout the facility.”

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22 long-term care facilities in Northeast Florida have positive COVID-19 tests