GREENFIELD — Buckley HealthCare Center has confirmed that a total of 68 residents and staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March, and 12 have died.
A spokesperson for National HealthCare Corporation, the company that owns Buckley HealthCare Center on Laurel Street, as well as 74 other skilled-nursing centers and 24 assisted living communities, said there are still 12 residents who are being treated at the center in “designated transitional care areas.” She said five employees that tested positive for COVID-19 are currently “following (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines and will not return to work until fully recovered.” No residents are currently hospitalized because of the virus.
“We have experienced many tears of joy for our residents and partners who have recovered, as well as many tears of sadness for our residents who have passed during this unprecedented time,” Michelle Garrity, administrator of Buckley HealthCare Center, said in a written statement. “I am very proud and admire the partners at Buckley HealthCare Center who have put their personal lives on hold without hesitation to care for our residents during this difficult time. As we continue to fight to protect our residents from this devastating virus, we appreciate the guidance and support of Melissa Cummings with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) epidemiologist team, Jennifer Hoffman with the Greenfield Health Department and Marie Kelley Calderone with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.”
Approximately 55 percent of those confirmed with COVID-19 at the 120-bed nursing home have recovered — 28 residents and 10 employees.
Garrity said all residents at Buckley have been tested, and 60 have tested negative. She said the 12 deaths have been reported to the Department of Public Health.
She added that Buckley continues to follow infection control guidelines from the CDC and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Those include hand-washing techniques, extensive cleaning, social distancing and staff wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.
“We continue to screen partners before their shift starts, including temperature checks,” she said.
This week, National HealthCare Corporation will begin publishing a new dashboard on Buckley’s website sharing its COVID-19 status.
“This will be a great tool for the community to help provide status information to the public, in addition to our family communications,” she said.
National HealthCare Corporation also provides a podcast, Day by Day, at: bit.ly/3dhGVUb. The company will be talking with medical and other experts about COVID-19, as well as senior activities, diet, exercise, therapy, nursing and more.
Garrity said the outpouring of support from the families of Buckley’s residents continues to bring hope to residents and staff members.
“We encourage all of our community to rally together and recognize long-term care nurses on National Nurses’ Day on May 6,” she said. “My team at Buckley HealthCare Center and all long-term care workers are truly the unsung, unrecognized heroes of this pandemic.”
Steve Flatt, CEO of National HealthCare Corporation, writes on Buckley’s website that the company will continue to work with the CDC, DPH, CMS and the Greenfield Health Department until the pandemic is over.
He also said Buckley and the company’s other facilities are helping their residents use digital communication like cellphones, Facetime, Facebook, Zoom and more so they have contact with their friends and family.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.