4th Death Reported At Peconic Landing Retirement Home

GREENPORT, NY — A fourth person died Friday of the new coronavirus within Greenport's Peconic Landing retirement community.

"We sadly report the death of a fourth member last evening in connection with COVID-19.
The member was an 89-year-old woman who has been on hospice in The Shores for
Skilled Nursing over the past several months," Peconic Landing said in a release.

"We also received notification from the New York State Department of Health that an additional member who was being hospitalized for a separate medical condition has tested positive for COVID-19. They were admitted to the hospital last week. This member also resided in The Shores for Skilled Nursing," the release said.

There are currently 13 members who reside in the Health Center who have tested positive for the virus at Peconic Landing: 10 are in stable condition and 2 are in the hospital. Of the 2 in the hospital, 1 is receiving treatment specifically for symptoms related to COVID19; the other is being treated for a separate medical condition in addition to symptoms of COVID-19.

To date, positive diagnoses have been reported in The Shores for Skilled Nursing and Harbor South for Memory Support. Harbor North for Assisted Living and the Bluffs for Short-Term Rehabilitation currently remain unaffected. Independent living, which is home to 301 members, also remains currently unaffected, officials said.

After news broke Friday that three people in their 90s at Peconic Landing retirement community had died within 48 hours in connection with the new coronavirus — and 12 others tested positive for the virus — officials from the facility spoke with Patch to address community concerns.

Robert J. Syron, president of Peconic Landing, said as of Friday afternoon, there were no additional confirmed cases. "But we believe there will be more," he said, adding 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.

"Pending approval for the release of information out of respect for loved ones, we report the following at this time," officials said in a release Friday: Those who died included a woman, 96, who lived at The Shores for Skilled Nursing; she died Wednesday and was diagnosed Thursday as having had COVID-19, officials said.

A second woman, 97, who lived at The Shores for Skilled Nursing, died Thursday, the release said, and a man, 96, of Harbor South for Memory Support, died Thursday in the hospital.

All three members had underlying medical conditions, and two were receiving comfort support at the time of diagnosis, officials said.

The three members were residents of the Health Center, where COVID-19 was first detected on campus March 10 in a per-diem employee who had unknowingly been exposed to the virus, Peconic Landing said.

Peconic Landing's Health Center is home to 86 persons residing in four care neighborhoods: 37 in The Shores for Skilled Nursing, 13 in Harbor South for Memory Support, 24 in Harbor North for Assisted Living, and 12 in The Bluffs for Short-Term Rehabilitation.

Twelve members in the Health Center have tested positive for the virus: 10 are in stable condition, one is in the hospital due to COVID 19 symptoms as of Friday morning, and one has been on hospice care since prior to diagnosis, and all are being monitored closely, officials said.

Although no cases have been reported in Peconic Landing's independent living facility, Syron said members are voluntarily self isolating.

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."

No across the board testing

Although some family members of seniors living at Peconic Landing have cried out for across the board testing for all who reside there, Syron said it's 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.

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. As of March 12, two additional employees of Peconic Landing also tested positive for coronavirus — bringing the previously reported total to 3, before the most recent March 17 update.

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

Since then, he said, six employees have tested positive; the three who were confirmed to have coronavirus most recently are out on mandatory quarantine, he said.

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

"At one point we had 20 employees out on mandatory quarantine," he said. So far, 3 have been cleared and 17 are still quarantined. Of that number, 14 have been tested and are waiting for results. Other staff members were put out on voluntary quarantine, Syron said.

Peconic Landing has 377 employees and Syron thanked his "remarkable" staff for caring for the members and filling in where needed.

"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 members, he said, have expressed concern for the staff.

Syron has been giving in-house television updates for members daily. Memorandums are delivered to them with their meals, he said.

Reflecting on the past days, Syron said there had been missteps. "Where I think we did fall down was with the families. We made a mistake today by missing an email group. We corrected that."

He adde that he'd wanted members to hear the news first. The process was for Garrett and Syron to go on the in-house TV, then call the families, then send out an email blast, letting team members know, and then, issuing a media release.The reason why a release to the public wasn't sent out sooner was that tests had been performed and they wanted to have an accurate assessment of the situation after the results came back, Syron said.

Syron said family members had been told that "several" members had tested positive.

"We are transparent, we always have been," Syron said.

He said the situation has had a deep impact on all involved. "It's personal," he said.

Still, he said, with things unfolding rapidly, there were "mistakes. . . Even today, we tripped and fell, with an individual family. This is brand new territory for us and it changes fluidly. In 24 hours we had 9 new cases and 3 deaths," Syron said. "But we will not miscommunicate again."

To that end, he said, increased updates will be sent out and posted on the Peconic Landing website, with a focus on increased communication with families and the public.

"Tremendous challenges"

Racing to stop the spread, Syron said there have been "tremendous challenges," including the fear that staff would run out of personal protective equipment. But over the past. days, Eastern Long Island Hospital and Peconic Bay Medical Center "all chipped in" to help in a show of true hometown support.

Syron thanked New York State Senator Ken LaValle for his help — and he commended Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone for reaching out Thursday night with a promise of PPE supplies that brought great relief.

"My board of trustees are working very hard," he said. "We've all got a paddle in our hand to row."

When asked if any members would be moved, as some family members may have suggested, Syron said: "That's a mistake." With more cases of coronavirus spreading across Southold Town and the entire country, the safest place for members is to isolate in place, he said. He added that he understood the concerns expressed by loved ones for their family members. "How can you fault someone who is trying to help?" he asked.

Members concerned

Members who reside in the independent living facility, Syron said, are concerned. "How could you not be concerned?" he said.

But, he said, those who tested positive are isolated.

Life, he said, goes on: Isolated members, and those in independent living who are self-isolated, can still enjoy fitness programs on television and other entertainment; staff have also been doing social wellness calls, chatting with members.

"They love hearing familiar voices," Syron said.

In general, he said, the mood among members is one of resilience and concern for one another and staff. "Our members have been through a lot in their lifetimes. Some are 100-plus years old," he said. "There's a real feeling of, 'We're in this together.'"

Laurelle Scarpelli, Peconic Landing director of sales and marketing, added that she has been calling members. "The resounding comment, besides asking us how we are doing, is that they are keeping themselves busy." Independent living members, she said, are focused on doing all the things they've been putting off, including spring cleaning, reading and puzzles.

Syron said although independent living members can't be mandated to isolate without symptoms, they were strongly urged to cancel all non-essential appointments and have been asked to self-isolate; they are complying and cooperating, he said.

Some members, Garrett said, are even carrying a 6-foot rope down the street to maintain social distancing, and following guidelines, including hand washing and other advice, something all should be doing, Garrett said.

"As a community we need to come together and do the right thing, be good neighbors — and show the kind of community the North Fork is," Garrett said.

"We are just trying to do the very best we can. And we know we will do a better job with communication," Syron said.

Peconic Landing sent out a release about those who had died Friday morning.

"As Peconic Landing works to combat the spread of COVID-19 on our campus, we sadly report the deaths of three members in connection with this disease over the past 48 hours," a release said.

"On behalf of the entire Peconic Landing community, we offer our deepest thoughts and condolences to the families and loved ones these members leave behind," said Carol Hance, chair of Peconic Landing's Board of Trustees. "The detection and spread of COVID-19 on our campus has been unprecedented. Our team has acted swiftly, beginning planning for a possible response in February and implementing these enhanced precautions starting March 2. We will continue to implement and enhance all guidelines offered by officials at county, state and federal levels to secure and provide our members with the best response possible."

The New York State Department of Health has managed oversight and testing of all people at Peconic Landing, determining who meets the criteria for testing. They will continue to manage testing. The Suffolk County Health Department has assisted with quarantine best practices to help manage the containment of the illness on the campus, Peconic Landing said.

LaValle, Bellone, officials with Stony Brook Hospital, and PBMC Northwell Health have reached out to lend their support to help Peconic Landing to secure necessary resources, with Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital assisting with care as needed, the release said.

"Circumstances are changing day by day, minute by minute. Just yesterday we learned of the nine new cases and the three deaths being associated with the virus. Our focus remains on the health and well-being of our members. We ask you to provide us with the ability to focus our time on our members and the challenges that lie ahead," Syron said. "We must recognize our team for the dedication they have shown to our members during this challenging time. Our mission has never been more meaningful."

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.

"We feel it is our duty to communicate first to our members, to their families, and our team members as we work together to face this challenge as a community. We will then communicate updates and details of our response to the greater community. You can find these updates, available to all, prominently featured on the Peconic Landing website," Peconic Landing officials said.

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

On Thursday, news spread that "several" members of the Peconic Landing retirement community had tested positive for coronavirus — and the news had some with loved ones living at the facility feeling "unsettled" and concerned.

An update to Peconic Landing's website said that as of Tuesday, "Peconic Landing has been notified by the New York State Health Department that members of our community have tested positive for COVID-19. Affected members are in stable condition at this time."

The New York State Health Department has been providing testing for members believed to be in close contact with the confirmed members and precautionary quarantines are being instituted to assist with the containment of the illness on the campus, the update read.

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

Efforts have been underway to continue sanitizing the facility, Syron told Patch last week. All residents, he added, are being monitored closely.