COLUMBUS – The Ohio Department of Veterans Services (ODVS) has confirmed that eight residents at the Ohio Veterans Home (OVH) in Sandusky have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days and immediately have been moved to the Enhanced Care Unit (ECU) of the facility.
On the afternoon of Thursday, May 14, OVH-Sandusky received notification that four of its residents had tested positive for COVID-19. All residents in the area – 78 total – were then tested that evening including one other resident who also was showing symptoms. Although most of those results are still pending, four more positive residents were identified on Friday. All eight residents are receiving around-the-clock care and are in stable condition.
“Like so many in America, we are now faced with COVID-19 in our Homes,” said ODVS Director Deborah Ashenhurst. “Fortunately, our administrative staff, nurses, doctors, and other professionals have prepared for this for more than three months. Our Homes have cared for our veterans for more than 100 years. In the face of this new challenge, we are resolved to continue this mission.”
Prior to this development, the only confirmed case of coronavirus linked to either Home – the other state-run facility sits in southern Ohio in Georgetown – throughout this pandemic was a positive test result for an OVH-Sandusky staff member in mid-April. That person was hospitalized and has been recovering in self-quarantine ever since.
Through Friday evening, the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky had 85 residents who were tested, 76 with pending results, with eight positives and one negative. The facility had 18 residents in the ECU and 113 in quarantine. OVH-Georgetown has no cases of COVID-19.
At present, there are no deaths related to coronavirus in either of our Homes.
ODVS will be posting daily updates regarding COVID-19 testing in the Ohio Veterans Homes, with those figures available at Coronavirus.Ohio.gov. Also, you can find a full up-to-date chart on our website, OhioVets.gov.
ODVS operates two Ohio Veterans Homes: OVH-Sandusky, which has a bed capacity of 319 in its nursing home, 206 for domiciliary residents, and 108 in memory care; and OVH-Georgetown, which has a bed capacity of 126 in its nursing home and 42 in memory care. The Sandusky facility dates back to 1888 and is one of the largest nursing homes in the state. All of the residents at the Ohio Veterans Homes served in the U.S. Armed Forces during periods of recognized conflict.
Find more information on the Ohio Veterans Homes on our website.
OVH has been able to ramp up testing and quickly learn of results in Sandusky thanks to its partnerships with the Firelands Regional Medical Center (FRMC) and the Erie County Department of Health (ECDH).
Background on precautionary procedures: The Ohio Veterans Homes began preparing for the threat of COVID-19 in February 2020, when senior leaders participated in statewide discussions on how Ohio would respond. In the weeks that followed, ODVS began working with local healthcare leaders and inventoried all personal protective equipment (PPE) in order to establish needs and capabilities. … All staff and healthcare providers received refresher training on infectious disease protocols and on the proper use of PPE. … OVH offered regular training for all residents, too – using both video messaging and live classes to show our veterans the best ways to protect themselves through proper handwashing and social distancing. … As Ohio moved into full mobilization, ODVS worked to limit risk for the Homes by identifying staff who could work remotely, while carefully monitoring care providers every time they entered. As visitation was limited for safety, OVH worked to provide new ways for residents to connect with family and friends through telepresence, and we deployed new technology to make that contact possible. .. In the weeks that followed, the department added an emergency operations center so that all staff could get answers on operational questions when they needed them. ODVS also increased the number of times every resident was assessed for possible symptoms, extending such testing to three times per day. … Most important, we began, and then expanded, our Enhanced Care Units, which allow for any resident suffering from respiratory illness or experiencing signs of infectious disease to be assessed and cared for in a separate, secure setting.