Tampa Bay Nursing Homes See Spike in Coronavirus Cases

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on April 23, 2020

On Saturday, April 18th, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott A. Rivkees released the names of elder care facilities throughout the state that have been affected by COVID-19, with the Tampa Bay area being deemed the latest “hot-spot” for outbreaks, especially within assisted living communities. This announcement comes as a reversal in stance by Governor Ron DeSantis, whose initial decision was to keep this type of information confidential and quiet from the public.

Within the past two weeks, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties have all seen a dramatic increase in the number of coronavirus cases at assisted living facilities. One nursing home in particular, St. Mark Village in Palm Harbor, has confirmed that 13 residents and 8 members of their staff have since tested positive for this deadly disease. These individuals are currently waiting to be transported to Mease Countryside Hospital for additional medical treatment.

After receiving reports of this specific coronavirus outbreak, Pinellas County Representative Chris Sprowls, in conjunction with the nursing home, was in immediate contact with the Florida Health Department and the state’s surgeon general in order to ensure that those affected would be provided with access to personal protection equipment (PPE). Additionally, the Florida National Guard has been called into the Tampa Bay area to aid in the distribution of test kits and other necessary medical devices. They are currently awaiting additional deployment details.

At the time of this writing, there have been over 2,000 positive cases of COVID-19 throughout 313 of Florida’s elder care facilities, with 200 of these resulting in death. Organizations and advocates for the elderly have been critical of the management of these types of long term care centers and nursing homes, citing that their alleged slow response to the pandemic was ultimately leading to many unnecessary deaths.

At the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A., we understand the difficult and incredibly challenging times that many Florida residents have been facing over the past few months, and we are here for you. If you would like to schedule a free initial consultation, please contact our law firm today at 877-FL-INJURY.

Sources:

• Second nursing home in Pinellas reports flare-up of coronavirus, county says
• Florida National Guard ready to respond to Tampa Bay area nursing homes with COVID-19 outbreaks

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.