Coronavirus Claims Three More Victims at Southern Florida Nursing Home
Nursing homes from all over the United States are struggling to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, and Florida is no exception. The Atria Willow Wood assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale suffered another devastating blow yesterday in their fight against this deadly disease, when three more of its residents passed away after testing positive for the virus, bringing the death toll to six.
Reports from the Florida Health Department earlier this week indicated that 33 nursing home and assisted living residents have tested positive for the coronavirus. Other than the weekly briefings given to the media, government personnel including Gov. DeSantis himself has been tight-lipped about revealing the names of the specific institutions at which these outbreaks have occurred, citing resident confidentiality as his primary reason for withholding this information.
Although health officials have yet to make an official statement, a spokesperson for the ALF in question issued a press release; we’ve included an excerpt below:
“As of March 26, in total, our community has had sixteen residents who tested positive, including the six who passed, and eleven residents who tested negative. We are awaiting the results for two other residents who have also been tested. We remain in close communication with our residents and families and continue to provide our support as we navigate this unprecedented situation together.”
Family members who have relatives residing in these types of long-term care facilities are growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of communication and information being provided to them. The additional strain of not being able to see their loved ones face-to-face due to a statewide ban on visitations has left people feeling helpless, scared, and confused.
To give this all a little bit of perspective, the state of Florida provides licensing to 691 nursing homes and 3,081 assisted-living facilities, which have a combined bed capacity capable of housing nearly 200,00 residents. At the time of this writing, there are 2757 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Florida.
Sources:
- What you need to know now about COVID-19 in Florida
- 3 new deaths reported at Atria Willow Wood; brings total to 6
- 3 more Atria Willow Wood residents die amid coronavirus pandemic
- Florida won’t say which elder care homes have coronavirus
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.
