Feds launch coronavirus probe at Washington facility owned by Cleveland, Tennessee-based Life Care

A patient is removed from Life Care Center, a nursing home, in Kirkland, Wash., on Feb. 29, 2020. At least four residents of the nursing center have died in Washington State and four others in the center and an employee have also learned they have the virus. (Grant Hindsley/The New York Times)
A patient is removed from Life Care Center, a nursing home, in Kirkland, Wash., on Feb. 29, 2020. At least four residents of the nursing center have died in Washington State and four others in the center and an employee have also learned they have the virus. (Grant Hindsley/The New York Times)

Federal officials have announced an investigation of the Washington State nursing care facility owned by Cleveland, Tennessee-based Life Care Centers of America in connection with the coronavirus outbreak.

Seema Verma, head of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the agency is sending inspectors to the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, along with experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to figure out what happened and determine whether the nursing home followed guidelines for preventing infections.

The Life Care Center has had the most deaths from the coronavirus of any single U.S. site, according to the Associated Press. NBC News said Friday that the nationwide death toll in the United States from the virus outbreak had risen to 14, with more than 225 cases confirmed across the country.

The president of the nursing home company that owns the Kirkland facility said its team is making one-on-one telephone calls with family members of residents at the nursing home to share information and respond to questions.

"Communication is vital in the care-giving process and for keeping families abreast of developments in dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19)," said Beecher Hunter, president of Life Care Centers of America, in a statement.

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“Current residents and associates continue to be monitored closely.” — Beecher Hunter, president of Life Care Centers of America

Hunter said that Life Care has been working on-site with representatives from the King County Health Department, Washington State Department of Public Health and the CDC.

"Current residents and associates continue to be monitored closely," he said.

Hunter said the Washington nursing facility's associates are screened prior to beginning work and upon leaving with a specific protocol. Any associate who exhibits symptoms is self-quarantined at home, the company CEO said.

"Our associates are the true heroes in this fight, overcoming their own fears and concerns about the disease to faithfully show up and work sacrificially for our residents," he said. "They are working tirelessly day after day and are calling in to check on their residents even when at home."

Hunter, who heads the nation's biggest privately held nursing home operator, said that Life Care is grieving with the families who have lost loved ones.

"Life is sacred and precious, and when it is lost, a little bit of those in their circle of friends dies with them. We extend our sympathies and our prayers for peace and comfort in such time of sorrow," he said.

King County reported Friday that its official case count of the coronavirus is at 51, with 13 deaths. The county said that evidence currently available is that the vast majority of children and most adults are not at risk for severe illness.

But, the county said, the risk is higher for people 60 and older, those with underlying health conditions including heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes or a weakened immune system along with women who are pregnant.

Life Care has more than 200 skilled nursing home facilities in 28 states.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.

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