New report offers insight into deadly COVID-19 outbreak at NH Veterans Home
TILTON, N.H. — The staff at the New Hampshire Veterans Home didn't always follow the best-practice health precautions during the facility’s deadly COVID-19 outbreak, but the house now has the resources and protocols to limit the spread of COVID-19 within the future, consistent with a report released by the state in the week.
The report, conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, was supported by an in-person visit from health officials on March 12, nearly two months after the facility’s outbreak was officially deemed to be over.
“Overall, your facility features a good infection prevention and control infrastructure,” read a letter from Andria Scacheri, a member of the state’s Bureau of communicable disease control.
At a news conference Thursday, Gov. Chris Sununu hailed the report as a generally complementary portrait of the home.
“Overall it had been a really positive report,” he said. “But like many facilities across the country, there have been issues.”
The document acknowledged a couple of instances during which infection control protocols weren't properly followed.
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When a licensed nursing assistant was asked the way to properly begin personal protective equipment, there “were important steps missing also as discrepancies regarding the disposal of contaminated PPE.”
The assessment concluded that “staff compliance” was the best challenge with infection prevention and control.
The report also noted some delays in coronavirus testing, explaining the “NH Public Health Lab courier has been learning the specimens each day late, which creates a delay in response.”
The findings are largely in line with an email sent to Kevin Forrest, the center director at the Manchester VA center, by an inspector whose name has been redacted, that listed several recommendations that supported an infection control assessment conducted in early December. a replica of this email was obtained by the Concord Monitor.
These recommendations included bringing in additional housekeeping staff to thoroughly clean infected rooms before new residents are moved in, expediting the testing process, and making cleaning wipes more readily available.
The most glaring issue appeared to be the staff’s ability to properly follow procedures associated with hand hygiene, donning and doffing protective equipment, and wearing masks.
“I identified an outsized gap with employee adherence to infection control recommendations,” the e-mail read. “It is extremely possible this is often contributing to the continued transmission and increasing cases.”
The outbreak, which began in November, was the second-deadliest home outbreak within the state, killing 36 residents and infecting 102 more.
Since it began, the Veterans Home has been a fixture in local news.
Family members of residents within the home alleged neglect and said they heard staff was asked to wear an equivalent mask for every week straight. In December, they homemade a plea to the general public to use to figure at the power, as they faced a rampant coronavirus outbreak and staff shortages in nearly every position— security officers, food workers, maintenance crews, laundry workers, and nurses.
More than 90% of the residents at the home have now received their COVID-19 vaccine, consistent with the report, though but 50% of the staff are immunized. As of Jan. 25, The Veterans house is not in outbreak status.
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