Several more people died this week of causes related to COVID-19 at senior living facilities in the villages of Elmwood Park and Oak Park, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
According to the state, eight people have now died of COVID-19 at Generations at Elmwood Park, 7733 W. Grand Ave. Last week, the state reported three deaths at the facility. The number of confirmed cases at the facility also increased from 30 up to 45 cases as of May 1.
According to the Cook County Department of Public Health, Elmwood Park has 242 reported cases of COVID-19 as of May 5, while River Grove has 56. Franklin Park has 179 cases, while Northlake has 108 and River Forest has 34 confirmed cases.
The village of Oak Park has also reported an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. On April 28, the village reported 159 confirmed cases of coronavirus, a number that’s jumped to 191 seven days later.
Last week, Oak Park officials announced two additional COVID-19-related deaths, both occurring at one of the village’s long-term care facilities. During his daily report May 1, village public health director Mike Charley said two residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 had died: a woman in her 50s and a man in his 70s.
The new cases brought Oak Park’s total number of coronavirus-related deaths to 11.
“Unfortunately, we have 11 deaths. Eight of these are from our long-term and assisted living facilities,” interim deputy fire chief Joseph Terry said. “As a health department, we follow up with these very closely. We continue tracking and tracing calls, not just calls to a long-term facility. We follow up with them on a daily basis.”
In her daily report, village manager Cara Pavlicek said both recent deaths were residents at the Oak Park Oasis facility, 625 N. Harlem Ave. In total, Oak Park Oasis has reported 18 resident cases and two staff member cases of COVID-19, with six resident deaths.
Brookdale Oak Park, 1111 Ontario St., and Berkeley Nursing Home & Rehabilitation Center, 6909 W. North Ave., have reported one COVID-19-related death each.
“All five of our long-term care facilities have been issued official orders through [Oak Park’s health department],” Terry said. “They provide additional guidance and requirements that long-term facilities are required to follow in hopes of stopping and slowing the spread of the disease.”
Terry said the village remains in contact with each facility and nursing homes to ensure they have enough personal protective equipment to care for those residents.
In a statement posted to its website, Oak Park Oasis says its staff are monitoring updates from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health department. Officials say Oak Park Oasis is also engaged in “regular contact” with these agencies.
“Oak Park Oasis has hired additional cleaning staff, garnered extra cleaning and isolation supplies [and] increased its cleaning schedules and protocols,” the statement reads. “Residents are sheltering in place and leaving only for essential medical treatment due to their age and health conditions that led them to reside in a skilled nursing facility.”
Oak Park Oasis officials said the facility has restricted visitors to only end-of-life situations, and notes staff is “regularly communicating” with family members regarding their loved ones.
Information about coronavirus cases and deaths at long-term care facilities are compiled and shared through the IDPH website.
sschering@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @steveschering
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