Nearly a dozen people at a nursing home in Washington died from COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Nursing homes throughout Ohio are being urged to take precautions to prevent coronavirus in their facilities so that doesn’t happen here.
Ohio Department of Aging Director Ursel McElroy says her department is making sure it is able to respond to the needs of nursing homes quickly.
“We also want to be sure that we can coordinate our workforce plan to be sure we have the right staffing, we have the right people in place should we need to make any adjustments," McElroy says.
McElroy says the department is communicating with nursing homes. Peter Van Runkle with the Ohio Health Care Association says nursing homes are heeding the warnings.
“Screening employees, staff members, families that come to visit or other visitors, or other people who come into the building and using appropriate precautions for residents who have a respiratory infection," McElroy says.
The state has set up a call center staffed daily by medical professionals to answer questions about coronavirus.
