Nursing homes account for at least one-third of coronavirus deaths in Tarrant County
Nursing homes account for at least 34% of COVID-19 deaths in Tarrant County, according to the latest data from federal health officials, but the number may be higher because the data includes only homes that receive direct funding from Medicare and Medicaid.
Elderly care centers, including nursing homes and long-term care facilities, where many residents suffering from underlying health conditions live in close quarters have become hot spots for the novel coronavirus.
As of June 7, 61 nursing home residents have died and 361 have been infected with COVID-19, according to the latest data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A total of 178 deaths and 6,150 cases were reported by county health officials as of the same date.
CMS, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, mandates all nursing homes that receive federal aid to report COVID-19 cases. The data also includes numbers reported to the U.S. Center for Disease Control.
Deadliest Homes
Keller Oaks Health Center in Keller reported the most deaths with 12 residents succumbing to the virus, followed by Kindered Transitional Care in Grapevine with 10 and Renaissance Park in Fort Worth with five.
A total of 413 nursing home residents have died of COVID-19 and 2,935 have been infected across Texas. The state ranks 17th in the United States for nursing home resident deaths, CMS data show.
Incomplete Data
On May 11, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered testing at all 1,225 nursing homes in Texas. The order came shortly after the White House recommended governors test all nursing home residents within two weeks. But the governor did not specify if the order included assisted living facilities.
There are 1,268 assisted living facilities in Texas and 141 are in Tarrant County, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The department denied a Star-Telegram request for COVID-19 cases and deaths at the state’s assisted living facilities.
In May, the Tarrant County Public Health Department released a list with the names of the 36 nursing homes and long-term care facilities that have had one or more cases of COVID-19, but would not break down the numbers by individual facility.
At the time 38%, or 36 out 95 COVID-19 related deaths in Tarrant County had been from residents or workers at all elderly care centers, including nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
The county had not replied to a request for an updated list at the time of this report.
