Coronavirus outbreak worsens at Vallejo nursing facility
KRON4 News, by Maureen Kelly, May 15, 2020VALLEJO, Calif. (KRON) — A coronavirus outbreak at an North Bay nursing facility is worsening.
Eleven patients are now dead at the Windsor Vallejo Care Center.
In total, 127 people, mostly residents of the nursing home, have been infected in the last two weeks.
“His suffering is over, his suffering is over.”
That is the aunt of William Bennett III who died Wednesday night at the Sutter Solano hospital. The 31-year-old stroke victim was the 11th resident of the Windsor Vallejo Care Center to die due to COVID-19 so far.
96 residents and 31 staff members there have tested positive for the virus.
Bennett’s aunt says she’s been trying to move the father of two out of the care center even before the virus took hold because of the conditions there.
“Personally I would like Windsor to be shut down,” she said. “That’s my prayer. As you walk up and down the hallways, the patients are sitting outside looking so nasty and so somber like it smelled like I can’t even explain to you.”
It’s a skilled nursing home that was already having problems. An April inspection by the department of health and human services found 23 health citations and gave it a rating of much below average.
“I’m praying she is still negative.”
That’s the granddaughter of Maria Goza, an 86-year-old resident of the nursing home who was tested again for the virus Thursday.
Her family says the Alzheimer’s patient has been neglected and mistreated there — and fear the care center has been understaffed and overwhelmed as COVID-19 has taken hold.
“Windsor needs to dig a little deeper into their pockets and bring in relief for these poor nursing staff,” she said. “I don’t believe that’s happening and I base that on my grandma being left in a soiled diaper for four hours.”
A statement from the Windsor Vallejo Care Center says they can’t address complaints made by residents or their families because of privacy concerns, but they say they are being hyper vigilant in taking every recommended safety measure to minimize the continued spread of the virus.
In addition to the Solano County Public Health having staff on the ground there, the state has also sent an infection control strike team to the care center to help assess for exposures and monitor the outbreak.