Springfield nursing home has confirmed coronavirus case

The Clark County Combined Health District has confirmed the county’s first COVID-19 case at a nursing home.

The Clark County Combined Health District has confirmed the county’s first COVID-19 case at a nursing home.

Clark County has its first confirmed case of COVID-19 at a nursing home, according to the Clark County Combined Health District.

Southbrook Care Center in Springfield confirmed the case on Tuesday, according to a statement on the care center’s website.

Ohio nursing homes, under new requirements from the state, began making information public Wednesday about whether they had coronavirus cases at their facilities.

“We had a resident that was sent to the hospital test positive for the coronavirus,” the Southbrook statement said. “We have been extremely transparent with all agencies involved. We have been in constant communication with our governmental and healthcare partners, the Clark County Combined Health Department as well as the Ohio Department of Health.”

Southbrook is both a long-term and post-acute care faculty. The care center offers 24-hour nursing care, “with a full range of rehabilitative service,” according to Southbrook’s website.

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According to Southbrook’s statement, the care center has been “transparent,” with all staff, residents and health care authorities.

“We have been extraordinarily responsive,” the statement said. “When spread occurs in a nursing facility, it doesn’t indicate that the facility has done anything wrong. Spread happens primarily due to asymptomatic employees, doctors, therapists, hospice caregivers and other necessary providers passing our screening process but who are nonetheless contagious.

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Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton said earlier this month that positive cases of the coronavirus in nursing homes “are not the fault of a nursing home.”

“Most nursing homes are doing an outstanding job, but it is the fact that this disease is so contagious and as even workers or caregivers come, even as doctors were visiting these nursing home, any one of us could asymptotically be carrying this virus,” Acton said.

Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Monday that the state would begin posting more data Wednesday to show confirmed coronavirus cases in nursing homes among residents and staff.

However, DeWine’s call for more transparency among nursing homes caused some confusion in the county.

The Springfield Masonic Community in Springfield posted on their website, and provided a statement to the Springfield News-Sun, saying that they had their first probable case of the coronavirus — but the CCCHD said that was incorrect.

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CCCHD spokesperson Emma Smales said the Springfield Masonic Community had what is referred to as “a suspected case.”

“To be a probable case you have to be a known contact of a confirmed case and showing symptoms,” Smales said. “For a suspected case, you could be showing symptoms, but you weren’t in contact with someone who tested positive.”

The Springfield News-Sun reached out to the Ohio Masonic Home about the confusion around the case and was told in a new statement that “this person will be longer be considered probable.”

“At this time, we still have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Springfield Masonic Community,” that statement said.

Clark County had 28 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and no deaths, as of Wednesday afternoon. Champaign County has seven confirmed cases and one death, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

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