LI Retirement Home: 13 Employees Test Positive For Coronavirus

GREENPORT, NY — Officials at Peconic Landing, a retirement community in Greenport that has seen six members die in connection with the new coronavirus, spoke out on the number of staffers who have been confirmed positive to date.

As of Thursday, 13 Peconic Landing employees have been confirmed positive for coronavirus; six of those have since recovered, a release from the facility said. Initially, only three staff members were confirmed positive, but the increased number reflects a similar uptick in positive cases across the board countywide as testing ramps up.

Some concerned family and community members have called for testing every resident and staff member at Peconic Landing.

Peconic Landing President and CEO Robert Syron said that's just not possible. "We don't have the ability. We wish we could. There just aren't enough tests. I have no control over it. If I could write a check to have every person tested, I would have written it."

The New York State Department of Health determines who is tested, he added.

On Thursday, Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming said she had also asked about across the board testing at Peconic Landing and other assisted living and senior facilities, during a call with Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and others last week.

But, she said those facilities are already under such strict protocols that "they are acting as if everyone is potentially infected or can be — because of the vulnerable populations." Due to the fact that such strict protocols are in place, she said, the decision was made not to implement widespread testing.

And, she reminded, "We still face a critical shortage of tests. We started this testing behind the eight ball."

Family members, however, are still concerned: "I wish we could get some communication on who is being tested," said one man, who asked not to be identified to protect the identify of his parents, who live at Peconic Landing. "We still don't know that and if workers have had contact with infected members. Are they tested? Peconic Landing's answer is that they are following state protocol."

Syron thanked his team for their dedication in the face of coronavirus.

“I would like to commend the entire Peconic Landing team for their incredible commitment to our members and resilience during this challenging time," he said. "While we live and breathe the impacts of this virus every day, we must remember that we are all in this together. This global pandemic is bigger than all of us; we move forward working together to protect our members, our team and our local community. We thank all of the local community partners who have shown us great support through this trying time."

Precautions taken

Peconic Landing, Syron said, is "closely monitoring" all team members for exposure to COVID-19. Each team member is appropriately screened at the beginning and end of every shift. Personal protective equipment, a release said, is used by staff throughout the community.

"Any team member suspected of having exposure to an individual testing positive for COVID-19 is immediately placed on paid leave following guidelines provided by the Suffolk County Department of Health. All Peconic Landing team members have been instructed to stay home in the event they are sick, even if they have no traceable exposure to a positive case," the release said.

One Thursday, it was announced that a sixth member of the Peconic Landing retirement community has died in connection with the new coronavirus.

"Out of respect for the family, we provide the following information: The member was an 89-year-old man who tested positive on March 22," Peconic Landing wrote in a release. "He passed Tuesday evening and had been receiving treatment for symptoms of COVID-19 at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital since March 23."

The man lived in the East Apartments for Independent Living. He had no known pre-existing conditions, Peconic Landing said.

"During this period of great sadness, we want to express our deepest sympathies and support to the family and loved ones of our beloved member," said Syron.

Peconic Landing released information Wednesday about the current number of positive diagnoses amongst members, which stands at 13

Health Center:

The Shores for Skilled Nursing: 5 (+1 at Stony Brook ELIH, +1 Stony Brook Southampton
Hospital)

Harbor South for Memory Support: 5

Harbor North for Assisted Living: 0

The Bluffs for Short-Term Rehabilitation: 0

Independent Living:

East Apartments: 0 (as well as a man who died at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital)

West Apartments: 0

Cottages: 0

Six members have died, officials said.

Bellone said this week that nursing homes and assisted living facilities remained the "biggest concern."

Peconic Landing, he said, has been "incredibly responsive" to the New York State Department of Health, in "constant contact" and implementing all the measures the state has recommended; the facility, he said, was embracing enhanced measures even before its first confirmed case.

The county, Bellone added, "continues to monitor Peconic Landing closely" and other nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the region that are "caring for our most vulnerable to this virus."

Coronavirus continues has spread across areas where it had not been previously reported at the Peconic Landing retirement community. Peconic Landing was notified of its first positive diagnosis of the COVID-19 disease, as it's officially called, in a member of Independent Living community Sunday afternoon, officials said Monday. The section of Peconic Landing is home to 301 members.

On Sunday, news was released that Peconic Landing had received notification of that first positive coronavirus diagnosis in Harbor North for Assisted Living, a care neighborhood previously unaffected by the disease. Peconic Landing received the notification Sunday afternoon from health officials at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital after the man, who later died, transferred Saturday evening had tested positive for the disease, a release said.

In accordance with quarantine and response efforts, all members in Harbor North have been isolated to their individual apartment residences since March 12, with all non-medical visitation suspended for the past 10 days.

"We are closely monitoring all members throughout the health center and continue our employee screenings at the beginning of each and every shift. We also continue to strongly urge our independent members to remain in their homes to prevent exposure from the virus in the greater community," the release said.

Independent members have been self-isolating voluntarily since March 12. Those seniors are aged 62 and over and have been "managing their own health and wellness — some with the support of Home Health Services as needed," Peconic Landing said.

Independent Living at Peconic Landing has 301 members residing across 108 single-family cottages and 187 apartments on campus; every Independent Living apartment and cottage at Peconic Landing uses a closed heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, or HVAC, system — meaning air circulating systems are not shared amongst private residences, officials said.

To help independent members that may test positive for COVID-19, Peconic Landing will be utilizing its case management team to provide individualized care plans similar to care planning provided in the health center, the release said.

Personalized care will include the support of Peconic Landing's medical director and in-house nurse practitioner, in consultation with the director of nursing, a social worker, case managers, the facility's home care coordinator, as well as representatives from member services. That team will coordinate with each member's family and private physicians to manage signs and symptoms, helping to direct any next steps as necessary; that includes daily contact with the nurse practitioner through phone calls to provide medical advice, who will visit the members as needed wearing the proper PPE, Peconic Landing said.

Members will also receive phone calls each day to check in and provide social connection. Mail, groceries, healthcare supplies, and other needs will be delivered outside of their homes to maintain quarantine protocols, with no contact made will be made within 6 feet without proper PPE to help in containing the spread of the disease.

In addition, all independent members at Peconic Landing have access to a personal emergency response device, a necklace/bracelet that provides them with direct access to the facility's safety and security team 24 hours a day; Peconic Landing also employs emergency medical technicians, with at least one EMT available on premises all the time, officials said.

That team will be available with access to full PPE within five minutes of the activation of any member PER across campus, officials said.

"Much care and planning have gone into preparing for the possible spread of COVID-19 on our
campus, something we hoped would be a worst-case scenario," said Syron. "We want to assure our members and their families that we are here to help you."

Over the weekend, Peconic Landing received a donation of N-95 masks from the East End Group of Yaphank and many others and is currently asking for additional donations of personal protective equipment.

Syron said he believed there would be more positive cases, and that he thinks at some point the virus would spread to all areas of the facility. "It's just like in the greater community —it's spreading," he said.

The news of the deaths left the North Fork community saddened.

When asked if any of the members who had confirmed positive would be moved, Gregory Garrett, Peconic Landing's chief operating officer, said the goal is to maintain the members at home "to the best of our ability and not move them to other hospitals."

Employees test positive

A per diem employee at Peconic Landing was the first confirmed to have coronavirus, just over a week before the three members died.

"This virus was introduced to our community," Syron said.

Each time staff members were confirmed as positive, they were put on quarantine, Syron said.

"The silver lining is our staff has really pulled together, caring for our members and for each other," Garrett said. "We truly are a big family."

Peconic Landing asked that neighbors and friends do all that they can to support their area seniors
and health care professionals by following the recommendations set forth by the CDC:

• Social distancing and staying home if possible.
• Washing hands for 20 seconds with soap and water.
• Self-isolating if showing any signs or symptoms of COVID-19.
• Seeking medical assistance as necessary.

Visitation to the campus remains suspended until further notice. All non-medical visitation continues to be suspended for the health center.

"We will continue to provide general community updates and assist our members with family connections through Skype calls," Peconic Landing said.

The losses are deep for all those on the front lines at Peconic Landing, where staff knows each member by name. "It's personal," Syron said.

To get more information or to schedule a Skype call with a family member, call the numbers below:
Health Center Members: 631-593-8288
Independent Living Members: 631-593-8210