Coronavirus: 9 Deaths At Burr Ridge Facility

BURR RIDGE, IL — As of Sunday, nine residents at Harvester Place, an assisted living facility in Burr Ridge, have died as the result of the coronavirus, according to the latest figures from the state. That's up from four deaths a week ago.

With the latest number, Harvester Place ranks fourth with coronavirus deaths among long-term care facilities in DuPage County. As of Sunday, the facility has had 37 cases of the coronarivus, up from 24 a week earlier, according to the state Department of Public Health.

Meanwhile, Brookdale Burr Ridge nursing home has had eight coronavirus cases and two deaths. Its case number was revised down from a dozen last week.

If the state's figures are correct, Harvester Place has the fourth highest number of deaths of any long-term care facility in DuPage County. Windsor Park Manor in Carol Stream, Chateau nursing home in Willowbrook and Lexington of Elmhurst nursing home have had 16, 11 and 10 coronavirus deaths, respectively, the state reports.

Harvester Place's cases have included at least four staff members. One of them is Carole Considine, its executive director.

Harvester Place may have been slow getting information to residents and their families about the coronavirus. At a Burr Ridge Village Board meeting two weeks ago, the grandson of a Harvester Place resident suggested the facility was not being open with the public about the extent of the virus. He said his grandmother had tested positive.

Two weeks ago, the home declined to release its numbers to Patch, saying it gave the information to families. But another source divulged the facility's letters to residents about the virus since early March. Just days later, the state released its first batch of coronavirus numbers for nursing homes, indicating that four people had died from the virus at Harvester Place. But the latest Harvester Place letter, dated just four days before the state's information, made no indication of deaths.

The Anthem Memory Care chain, which owns Harvester Place, said in a statement to Patch earlier last week that it notified families quickly of coronavirus cases.

"Within 12 hours of Harvester Place's first confirmed positive case, an all staff meeting took place to alert all caregiving and line staff along with the protective measures that needed to be applied per CDC and Illinois Public Health directives," spokesman Isaac Scott said in the statement. "Throughout the period, we have been truthful and transparent in disclosing case numbers, practices to protect their loved ones and any information regarding staffing when speaking or communicating to families directly. This practice will absolutely continue through the end of this pandemic."

Scott did not say whether Harvester Place had notified families of virus-related deaths, despite Patch's inquiry about whether it had. He couldn't be reached for immediate comment Tuesday.

Read more:

Illinois Coronavirus Update April 27: 43,903 Cases; 1,933 Deaths

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