CORONAVIRUS: Deadly outbreak at Park West in North Admiral

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

We’ve learned of another local COVID-19 outbreak. Word of the outbreak at Park West Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in North Admiral came from relatives’ tips. Today a spokesperson for the center confirmed it, with this statement:

We grieve with all families who are dealing with loss. At Park West Nursing and Rehabilitation Center there are 4 residents whose recent deaths are attributed to Covid-19.

There are 34 residents on-site who have tested positive for Covid-19. Residents who have tested positive for Covid-19 are in cohort and resting in a designated area of our facility. There is a dedicated team of clinical care professionals and support staff tending to the group of residents who have Covid-19.

There are 8 staff members who have tested positive for Covid-19. The staff members who tested positive are off-site and in quarantine.

Updates about each resident’s health status are being provided by our nursing care leaders directly to each resident’s primary contact. …

In addition, we are in communication with Public Health – Seattle & King County, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), Washington State Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Our care teams participate in ongoing training. Since April, we have trained regularly to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 and we continue to apply infection control protocols. Our facility is supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE) and staff is trained in PPE usage for themselves and to help residents.

At this time, we have a No Visitors policy in place.

Park West is a rehab facility as well as a skilled-nursing center. It’s in the 98116 zip code, which has recorded 9 deaths so far in the pandemic.

Greg December 9, 2020 (5:30 pm)

Significant COVID outbreaks without telling the community increases exposure, downstream cases, and deaths. Why did Park West neglect to inform the community until so many deaths and staff infections?

Park West employee December 9, 2020 (7:24 pm)

Greg – I work at park west and up until this week, we weren’t seeing an outbreak. We were actually one of the few facilities in Seattle that kept covid19 out of our building. Don’t be quick to assume anything and make such a pathetic, heartless statement. Also, how about showing some gratitude for nursing facilities and their hard working staff who put their lives and their families lives at risk by showing up to care for those that most people neglect. The Mount had tons of cases and didn’t mention all of them to the public. No one has been allowed to visit park west since covid19 hit LCC of Kirkland in the beginning of the pandemic so why should the community worry? The hospitals kept telling us it’s not a matter of if we get hit but it’s a matter of when. This is our when. Show a little empathy.
- Lantern December 9, 2020 (8:23 pm)
  
  I can imagine residents and staff are probably very upset and concerned and shaken right now, and I understand your response.
  
  However, I also think Greg’s concern and upset over this tragic news is understandable as well. Empathy is a two way street.
  
  The news that 34 elders in a community home are currently sick with covid is heartbreaking.
  
  Wishing these unwell elders recovery and peace, and all others there, including staff, wellness, safety, and support.
  - LR December 9, 2020 (9:22 pm)
    
    I strongly disagree. Greg’s assumptions are way out of line and insulting/hurtful. I think he should apologize.
    - newnative December 9, 2020 (11:31 pm)
      
      Greg doesn’t make any assumptions. He’s giving his opinion on a horrifying reality.
- FamilyMember December 10, 2020 (3:29 pm)
  
  First, I would like to express how much I appreciate the work of all the staff at Park West. Families have not been allowed to visit since March 12 and they are our lifeline to our loved ones and responsible for whatever quality of life they have. But Covid infections there have been going on longer than the past week. My father is a resident and I’ve been getting calls notifying me of staff cases and then resident cases for much longer than the past week. I was notified today that my dad is positive. All I can do is hope that he survives because he’s certainly not getting a helicopter ride to Walter Reed for treatment at taxpayer expense…
Lantern December 10, 2020 (11:35 am)

@Greg, thank you for expressing concern for the community.

4 deaths, 34 current cases, including 8 staff members, do not all happen at once or overnight, so I do understand your point and concern.

I’m guessing, just because you didn’t include praise for the work of nursing homes, doesn’t mean you don’t also have empathy and respect for these workers, along with concern for this situation.

And as far as how to notify the community, I would think these facilities could email families as soon as there is a case and send daily updates or as more cases are known and perhaps also post on their website and social media pages. Then the information can be passed on to news outlets like WSB, by community members.

Maybe they did communicate at this level and it just didn’t reach the larger community sooner?

WSB, can you clarify when and what Park West communicated regarding the situation? How many cases were there before they notified families?

I understand this can’t be an easy situation to manage, and everyone is learning as they go. But, it’s important to recognize where we need to improve to protect more folks as these outbreaks arise.
- WSB December 10, 2020 (11:47 am)
  
  Updates via websites are fairly easy to do. When I contacted Park West, there was no current information on their website. One family that contacted us said they were having difficulty getting information. I hope this release helped with that. Remember as we have pointed out multiple times, businesses (etc.) are not required to notify anyone. Many will respond when we ask – but we are therefore reliant on tips. I’m trying to be more proactive about asking (in fact, I have an update on The Mount coming up next as a result) … TR
  - Lantern December 10, 2020 (5:05 pm)
    
    That is concerning to me, that families may be having a hard time getting information.
    
    I know if I had a loved one there, I would want to know all the details and quickly, to be able to make decisions about their safety, and bring them home if possible.
    
    I feel for all involved, it’s a very concerning situation.
    
    Thank you WSB, for all your hard work and good reporting.

Al King December 9, 2020 (6:40 pm)

Didn’t another care facility in 98116 have resident death’s? I do know of another facility that had a death early on. It appears all 9 deaths in 98116 are in care facilities?

WSB December 9, 2020 (6:47 pm)

I don’t know that all 9 are at care facilities, but we did report in September that Aegis Living in west Admiral had reported three deaths.
https://westseattleblog.com/2020/09/coronavirus-monday-9-28-roundup/
Donna December 10, 2020 (5:23 am)

I have a family member in a nursing home in New Mexico. They started off early last spring with the same precautions as here in WA, following both the CMS and NM directives as well as those from their own company as they are part of a large corporation. Initially, with no cases, they had a weekly Zoom call with family members (as well as their standard calls with individual families). In April they had their first COVID case, so they switched to daily Zoom calls with families. Until they have gone at least 2 consecutive weeks with no cases they maintain the daily calls. And I’m here to say that I have been on daily calls almost every week since then. Usually it was one or two residents or staff at a time. Based on all those daily calls with the administrator and director of nursing I have learned a tremendous amount about COVID and preventive measures. But about 6 weeks ago community cases in NM began increasing, so nursing homes also began reporting spikes brought in by employees. Those employees are tested twice a week, wear full PPE at all times, and have ongoing training. The nursing home my family member is in escaped that surge until about 10 days ago, when suddenly virtually overnight there were several staff and several residents. It can happen that quickly.I’m not sure it is Park West’s job to notify “the community.” Family members and employees, yes. But I’m unclear how you think they should notify the community? Facebook? An ad in the newspaper? Contact WSB and ask them to announce it? Most nursing homes here in WA are not doing that, nor are the ones in NM either. If it’s anybody’s responsibility it is DOH or Seattle King Public Health.I so feel for all the residents and employees of nursing homes. Between 9 months of daily Zoom calls and daily contact with my family member I’ve probably had more experience with what they are facing than most people. I’ve seen the determination, the tears, the exhaustion, the efforts, the full gamut of emotions. And in NM they said it wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when, and definitely the same is true here.Park West and all the other nursing homes in our community, thank you. You are heroes. And I think responding and notification is a team effort and it’s the responsibility of DOH to inform the community or inform the media. We might hear about it by other ways, such as family members or residents themselves, but if facilities themselves are expected to do it then every single day nearly all the nursing homes and Assisted Living facilities in WS and Burien (and throughout the city) will be making announcements.
- Ashley December 12, 2020 (9:21 am)
  
  Agreed. Nursing home workers are under -appreciated heroes in this pandemic. They’re dealing with a highly infectious disease with a very vulnerable population. They also are less prioritized for PPE, etc. than other healthcare workers. Vast majority are doing their best in an extremely stressful situation with limited resources. Prayers for Park West during this trying time and all of the nursing homes in our community .

Diane December 9, 2020 (7:17 pm)

yikes, I totally missed that little blurb about 3 deaths at Aegis in the daily Sept counts; thanks for that info and the link

Smittytheclown December 10, 2020 (5:50 am)

When will the FDA get off their butt and approve the vaccine like so many other countries have? Also, is our governor really adding two additional days for the state to review and approve before distributing? Any deaths from people infected over that pointless two day period are on his head! Get the vulnerable vaccinated!

WSB December 10, 2020 (2:03 pm)

https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-announces-western-states-workgroup-ensure-safety-and-efficacy-covid-vaccines

momof3boys December 10, 2020 (8:42 am)

I am so sorry for all the families impacted by these losses, it is so heartbreaking. Thank you to all of those who work diligently in our elder-care facilities, I think they are our forgotten heroes. They become family to the residents – and are hurt by these losses as well.My son works at such a facility, and although they have been very “lucky” so far with no covid-related deaths, it is always on his (and our) mind. He is trying to be careful, even away from work, so as not to bring covid into the facility. We can’t see him, because of that – we are all making sacrifices, or should be, as a society, so we can put this pandemic in the rear-view mirror.

Concerned relative December 10, 2020 (10:46 am)

Thanks for covering this outbreak, Tracy. We really appreciate it. There is some truth to Greg’s comment. Park West should have been more upfront as soon as this happened–with families and the community. We have a relative there who has COVID and we’re not hearing as much as we’d like. We haven’t been given the chance to do a video call with our relative, even after asking multiple times. Park West had 10 months to prepare for this happening. The lack of communication is frustrating, especially when somebody who works there says they knew it was only a matter of time until you had an outbreak.

DDT December 10, 2020 (11:01 am)

Thank you for your kind words, Mom of 3 boys. I too work in a retirement facility and we have held the pandemic at bay. If it weren’t for our staff sacrificing seeing their own family members, outside of their homes, to keep our residents safe we would not be where we are in our building. I thank the staff members on a daily basis for sacrificing so much to keep our senior community safe and healthy. This is a thankless, tireless job. Our residents are extended family and a loss is always a heartbreak. We are personally involved with our residents on a daily basis and to have such unkind words said about any senior community is completely un called for. Please keep all senior communities in your thoughts and be kind.

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