Nursing home, assisted living facility and rehab center employees and officials report different number of positive COVID-19 cases than DHEC’s report

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control released new numbers this week on the number of COVID-19 cases at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and rehab centers across South Carolina.

They said 46 facilities have confirmed cases with 241 total cases at these facilities. DHEC said the data has been collected since April 3 and reported the number of cases up until April 21, but the report might not be an accurate picture of how many cases are at these facilities.

On DHEC’s report, the Heritage at Lowman in Chapin only had three cases, but Lowman officials said those numbers were incorrect and they had reported 26 cases. Lowman officials aren’t the only ones saying that the number of cases at certain facilities is higher than what’s being reported. An employee at Encompass Health in Columbia also said they believed the numbers to be higher than what’s reported.

“It’s really disheartening. We feel like we’ve been abandoned. I feel like most employees I’ve talked to we feel like we’ve abandoned the patients we’ve sent out, that we have discharged home,” said one Encompass Health employee who asked to remain anonymous.

This employee at Encompass Health in Columbia said employees don’t feel like they were given enough information when the first cases of COVID-19 were discovered at the facility in March.

“We felt like it was being covered up. They weren’t giving us much information. They weren’t telling patients,” the employee said.

The employee said a letter was sent to a number of current and discharged patients on March 28 notifying them that several employees and patients tested positive and they had been exposed. From DHEC’s report, two of the top five facilities with the most cases were in the Midlands. Midlands Health and Rehabilitation Center was second on the list with 29 cases and Encompass Health and Rehab was fifth on the list with 18 cases.

“I think there’s more,” the Encompass Health employee said.

Encompass Health officials said they have tracked 20 cases, which is two more than what is listed from DHEC. Encompass officials said in a statement they are following the CDC’s guidelines for reporting positive cases, quarantining, and using PPE. Plus, officials said the facility frequently communicated with employees through in-person town halls and emails.

“We work very closely with those nursing home facilities and help them investigate the possibility of disease transmission so sometimes those investigations will identify additional individuals,” Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina’s leading epidemiologist, said.

DHEC said in a statement Thursday about the numbers reported that “this data is reviewed daily and updated as new information is determined through our investigations. While the information can change, the list we passed along yesterday is the most current to date.”

DHEC’s decision to release the numbers came four days after one Richland County resident filed a lawsuit against DHEC for denying a FOIA request for the information.

“He was greatly concerned that people out there who have their loved ones in assisted living facilities can’t find out if that facility has patients or staff that has tested positive. They need to know so they can act to protect themselves and their loved ones who may be in an infected facility or may not be,” Desa Ballard, the attorney representing Frank Heindel, who filed the lawsuit, said.

It's a concern shared with many employees at the facilities.

“It’s scary. I just don’t feel like they are being honest,” the Encompass Health employee said.

Midlands Health and Rehabilitation Center officials wouldn’t respond to a request on whether there are more than 29 cases at the facility. However, Midlands Health officials said they are taking measures to prevent the spread by only allowing essential personnel into the building and following the CDC’s guidelines for PPE and isolation.

DHEC said it will release numbers on cases in nursing homes twice a week. And early next week, the agency will release the number of COVID-19-related deaths at those facilities.

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