Department Of Health Services Will Release Names Of Wisconsin Nursing Homes With COVID-19 Cases

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services will name the nursing facilities that have cases of COVID-19 as soon as Monday.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported DHS is releasing the information to help monitor the trends in infection rates, provide additional testing, and conduct contact tracing.

As of Saturday, the state has reported more than 600 cases of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities, including 169 deaths, according to the newspaper.

As of May 6, there are 52 facilities that have a single confirmed cases and 81 facilities that have less than five cases, according to DHS.

On Monday, DHS Secretary Andrea Palm said Wisconsin’s long-term care facilities are doing well compared to facilities in other states.

“Part of our work together with the long-term care stakeholder community is to ramp up testing, is to ramp up our ability to help them wrap around a positive case and stop the spread so that we are protecting these vulnerable populations,” Palm said during a media briefing.

But Wisconsin’s long-term care provider associations, the Wisconsin Health Care Association and the Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living (WHCA/WiCAL), and LeadingAge Wisconsin stress that if facilities are listed, it isn’t a measure of the quality of care.

John Sauer, CEO and president of LeadingAge Wisconsin, said in a press release that COVID-19 is a virus that is found in most areas in the state and that the best nursing homes can experience COVID-19.

“To be clear, the mere presence of COVID-19 does not indicate a poorly run facility, but more likely represents a facility that is actively aiding in the fight within this public health crisis. These facilities and their staff on the front lines should be commended and deserve our continued support,” Sauer explained. “The DHS list is just a list. It does not begin to tell the story behind the love and compassionate care provided by Wisconsin’s nursing facilities.”

The associations believe the presence of COVID-19 in facilities might be a result of facilities trying to admit people with the virus from the community, residents and faculty being asymptomatic, and an increase in COVID-19 testing access.

John Vander Meer, president and CEO of WHCA/WiCal, said in a statement that caregivers are working hard to protect the health and safety of Wisconsin’s vulnerable population.

“Their tireless work has gone on for months despite facing tremendous challenges, including 500 percent increases in the cost of personal protective equipment and double their workforce costs,” Vander Meer said.

Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Mary Kolar said in a statement that, as of Monday, no members or staff have tested positive for COVID-19 in their state veterans homes.