Guilford Coronavirus Updates: New Details On Nursing Homes

GUILFORD, CT — Guilford Health Department officials said they are working proactively with nursing homes as they face challenges maintaining infection control practices during COVID-19 pandemic.

Although licensure, inspection and oversight of nursing homes is the responsibility of the State
Health Department (DPH), Local Health Departments have now been asked to assist nursing
facilities with enhancing infection control measures and emergency response planning.

Dennis Johnson, Director of Health has reached out to support the community’s nursing homes through frequent communication with nursing home infection control officers. Extending guidance and resources to the nursing homes has helped accomplish:

• Review and implementation of best infection control practices in an attempt to establish
separate cohorts of infected and non-infected patients within the facility.

• Establish safe and hot zones within the nursing facility to allow Town emergency medical
response teams to safely pick up and transfer patients to the emergency room. These
zones are best located near a facility exit so that emergency staff do not have to enter
deep into the facility, potentially spreading more infection among staff or patients.

• Local health departments can now obtain and provide COVID-19 test kits to nursing
homes through the DPH laboratory for patient testing.

• The local health department has provided personnel protective equipment to nursing
facility staff from regional asset stockpiles.

The two nursing homes located in Guilford, Apple Rehab, 10 Boston Post Road, and The Guilford
House, 109 West Lake Avenue, are implementing full infection protection protocols to protect
both residents and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the same time, they are challenged with limited resources in staffing and personnel protective equipment while caring for a population at great risk for morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19. According to the April 16, 2020 DPH COVID-19 surveillance report, there are 108 nursing homes who have collectively reported 1713 positive COVID-19 cases and 375 related deaths.

The Guilford House convalescent home has reported one positive case of COVID-19 and Apple Rehab has had nine COVID-19 infections.

The ability of local health department to assist local nursing homes with implementing infection
control protocols will hopefully prove to be beneficial with reducing the spread of COVID-19
through one of our the most vulnerable populations and the staff who tend to them.