Governor Lamont announced that his administration is collaborating with Connecticut’s long-term care facilities on a medical surge plan that will involve moving some residents and the creation of dedicated spaces for residents who are COVID-19 positive.
As the number of individuals who are diagnosed rises, the health care system will be stretched to extremes. Compounding this challenge is the fact that the elderly population will be at greater risk when diagnosed as being positive for the coronavirus.
Lamont said nursing homes are an essential component of the medical surge plan. It includes the following options:
- Separation of COVID-19 positive residents: Anyone diagnosed as COVID-19 positive in a hospital and later admitted to a nursing home will be monitored and assessed for 14 days in an area that only has other COVID-19 positive residents. Anyone admitted who is negative for COVID-19 will be housed with other residents who are negative, as a mitigation measure.
- Dedication of space: Existing nursing homes will dedicate specific units that will group together residents who have been diagnosed as being COVID-19 positive, where applicable.
- Conversion of existing nursing homes: Residents of some long-term care facilities who either test negative for COVID-19 or display no symptoms will be able to voluntarily transfer to facilities where there are no COVID-19 positive residents. At the same time, some facilities will be converted to only house individuals who are COVID-19 positive and dedicate their new admissions to individuals who have been diagnosed positive. This concept also includes a facility who has a dedicated entrance to a unit within the structure that can physically isolate all care and services from normal operations. For existing nursing home conversions, individuals who are not positive for COVID-19 and/or asymptomatic will all be voluntarily transferred to the receiving destination prior to that facility accepting any individuals who are COVID-19 positive.
- Development of new alternate care sites: New spaces are identified that are currently vacant and in several cases have been vacated through recent nursing home closures. These sites would be licensed as chronic and convalescent nursing homes and the request would be made to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) for an 1135 waiver for rapid certification. These alternate care sites, too, would be dedicated to the care of individuals positive for COVID-19. Alternate care sites developed will be inspected and approved by the Department of Public Health (DPH). DPH can also provide support regarding access to and moving of equipment, staffing and logistics.
The following is the list of nursing homes in Connecticut with residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 as of April 1, 2020.
| Town | Nursing Home |
| Bloomfield | Bloomfield Healthcare Center |
| Bloomfield | Caleb Hitchcock Health Center |
| Bloomfield | Touchpoints at Bloomfield |
| Bridgeport | Jewish Living Center |
| Canton | Cherry Brook Health Care Center |
| Danbury | Glen Hill Center |
| East Haven | Whispering Pines Rehabilitation and Nursing Center |
| Greenwich | Greenwich Woods Rehabilitation |
| Greenwich | Nathaniel Witherell |
| Guilford | Guilford House |
| Milford | Golden Hill Rehab Pavilion |
| Naugatuck | Glendale Center |
| New Haven | Grimes Center |
| New London | Harbor Village Health and Rehabilitation |
| Newington | Bel-Air Manor |
| Portland | Portland Care and Rehabilitation |
| Rocky Hill | Apple Rehab Rocky Hill |
| Seymour | Shady Knoll Health Center |
| Sharon | Sharon Health Care Center |
| Shelton | Apple Rehab Shelton Lakes |
| Shelton | Bishop Wicke Health and Rehabilitation |
| Shelton | Gardner Heights Health Care Center |
| Stafford Springs | Evergreen Health Care Center |
| Stamford | St. Camillus Center |
| Suffield | Suffield House |
| Torrington | RegalCare at Torrington |
| Torrington | Wolcott Hall |
| Trumbull | Maefair Health Care Center |
| Waterbury | Abbott Terrace Health Center |
| Waterbury | RegalCare at Waterbury |
| Waterbury | Waterbury Gardens Nursing and Rehabilitation |
| Waterford | Bayview Health Care |
| Wilton | Wilton Meadows |
| Windsor | Kimberly Hall North |
| Windsor | Windsor Health and Rehabilitation |
| Woodbridge | The Willows |
