Tennessee provides first list of senior care facilities with coronavirus outbreaks

Getty Images/ nursing home tile
Getty Images/ nursing home tile

Tennessee Department of Health officials released the names of 10 senior care facilities that have confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

The 10 facilities are in seven counties, with three of them in Williamson County and two in Sumner County.

The 10 facilities are:

- Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation and Healing LLC, Davidson County

- Williamsburg Villas, Knox County

- The White House Assisted Living, Macon County

- Signature HealthCARE of Putnam County, Putnam County

- Parkway Health and Rehabilitation Center, Shelby County

- Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing LLC, Sumner County

- NHC Place Sumner, Sumner County

- NHC HealthCare Franklin, Williamson County

- Fountains of Franklin, Williamson County

- NHC Place at Cool Springs, Williamson County

Shelley Walker, communications director with the Department of Health, said the list includes any long-term care facility where "at least two cases have been reported among staff members and/or residents."

Long-term care facilities across the country have been sources of COVID-19 outbreaks - sometimes called "clusters" or "hot spots" - drawing attention for large numbers of coronavirus- related fatalities. At least 40 coronavirus deaths are connected to a Life Care nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, which emerged as an early center of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

Long-term care facilities are susceptible to deadly outbreaks of the virus, because close quarters help the virus to spread quickly, and COVID-19 is more likely to cause serious illness in older, unhealthy people.

In Chattanooga, at least one COVID-19 case was confirmed in a resident at NHC HealthCare, in Glenwood, in late March. The patient tested positive for COVID-19 after being transported to the hospital, according to a letter sent from the nursing home administrator to families on March 24.

On Tuesday, more than 150 residents and staff at nursing homes in Tennessee had tested positive for COVID-19. State officials have not updated that number as of Friday afternoon. The state also did not specify how many cases were confirmed at each senior living center.

The total number of confirmed cases in the state rose to 4,862 Friday afternoon.

This is a developing story. Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.

Upcoming Events