COLUMBIA, S.C. — According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), a nursing home in northeast Columbia has 73 positive cases of coronavirus.
That's the most of any nursing home in the state.
We're taking a closer look at the list of these facilities reporting positive cases and what health experts are doing about it.
The updated list of nursing home, rehab and community residential care facilities reporting positive cases of COVID-19 was published Friday.
New federal guidelines call for more detailed reporting of coronavirus cases in these facilities. It's part of a national effort to better understand the impact of the virus on those most vulnerable.
In total, 56 facilities in South Carolina have reported positive cases of COVID-19, with 435 total cases among residents and staff.
Top 5 facilities with the most reported cases in South Carolina:
- Midlands Health and Rehabilitation Center (nursing home) - 1007 N. Kings Street, Columbia SC 29223 - 73 cases
- Heartland Health and Rehabilitation Care Center (nursing home) - 1800 Eagle Landing Blvd, Hanahan, SC 29410 - 62 cases
- Greer Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center (nursing home) - 401 Chandler Rd, Greer, SC 29651 - 40 cases
- Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN) Florence (community residential care facility) - 714 E. National Cemetery Rd, Florence, SC 29506 - 34 cases
- Heritage at Lowman Rehabilitation and Healthcare (nursing home) - 2101 Dutch Fork Rd, Chapin, SC 29036 - 30 cases
Top 5 in the Midlands:
- Midlands Health and Rehabilitation Center (nursing home) - 1007 N. Kings Street, Columbia SC 29223 - 73 cases
- Heritage at Lowman Rehabilitation and Healthcare (nursing home) - 2101 Dutch Fork Rd, Chapin, SC 29036 - 30 cases
- Encompass Health & Rehab - 2935 Colonial Dr, Columbia, SC 29203 - 24 cases
- DDSN Clarendon (community residential care facility) - 312 Pine St, Manning, SC 29102 - 17 cases
- Lake Marion Nursing Facility (nursing home) - 1527 Urbana Rd, Summerton, SC 29148 - 8 cases
- Lexington Medical Center Extended Care (nursing home) - 815 Old Cherokee Rd, Lexington, SC 29072 - 8 cases
All nursing homes are required to report COVID-19 infections to DHEC.
SCDHEC tells News 19, once they get a report:
- Frontline epidemiologists contact the facility to collect preliminary information about patients and staff.
- Frontline staff connect the facilities with DHEC Infection Preventionists who provide facility-specific consultations.
- Provide guidance about how to assess possible exposures, restriction of activities, isolation and quarantine measures, appropriate use of personal protective equipment and disease monitoring in staff and patients to rapidly detect additional cases.
In a statement, SCDHEC says, "We have been working closely with experts from the CDC staff to investigate the five nursing homes with greater than ten cases. These facilities have cooperated completely in following infection prevention and control measures. One (Hanahan) has proactively closed to new admissions to interrupt ongoing prevention of the virus. We’ve also performed widespread testing in the facility allowing them to identify residents with asymptomatic infection in order to cohort infected patients and further reduce the spread of COVID19 from patients with no signs of illness."
30 out of the 56 facilities on the list only have one case reported.
Data in the list reflects information available as of 10 a.m. on April 23, 2020.
*All data are provisional. Data reflects information being collected since April 3, 2020.