Staffing Shortage Addressed At Stratford Assisted Living Facility

STRATFORD, CT — Town and state officials recently helped a Stratford assisted living facility obtain staff, tests and equipment amid the new coronavirus outbreak.

Spring Village at Stratford experienced a staffing shortage, with several employees falling ill at the same time that a number of residents were suffering from the virus and in need of additional nursing and monitoring, according to town Director of Health Andrea Boissevain. Spring Village also asked for assistance to test more residents.

“They were concerned at the rate at which they could test residents because the state was authorizing only 6 test kits a day for Assisted Living and Long-Term care facilities,” Boissevain said in an email.

Stratford provided Spring Village with two Medical Reserve Corps. volunteers to help test residents and process the accompanying paperwork, according to Boissevain, while state officials brought the facility additional test kits. The state health department also secured three nurses to staff Spring Village through last weekend and into the week.

Stratford gave the facility protective equipment such as gloves, gowns and masks, which Boissevain said were “much needed,” and the state provided equipment as well. Lack of proper equipment has been an issue for health care workers across Connecticut during the outbreak, which began its spread across the state last month, according to the Hartford Courant.

Boissevain earlier in the week could not provide a count of new coronavirus cases at Spring Village, although she did confirm several residents with the virus had been sent to the hospital. Officials at Spring Village to not respond to calls seeking additional information.

As of Thursday, there were 29 virus-associated deaths in Stratford and 468 confirmed cases. Statewide Thursday, there was a total of 23,100 confirmed cases, 1,639 of which had resulted in a fatality.