(WXYZ) — The Wayne County Public Health Division began compliance monitoring of nursing homes over the weekend after what they call "an alarming spike in the number of COVID-19 cases and related deaths."
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said the division will also hire temporary healthcare workers, as needed, to help with compliance monitoring. They will also reallocate public health nurses to prioritize site visits of the homes.
“Seniors are the most vulnerable population for getting infected with COVID-19, and we must take immediate steps to ensure the safety for our long-term care residents and the staff in those facilities,” Evans said in a release. “Wayne County continues to be a COVID-19 hotspot, and our nursing homes and long-term care facilities have been especially hard hit in this pandemic.”
According to the county, more than 1,400 of the county's 6,759 COVID-19 case are among the nursing home patients and staff. More than 326 deaths can be traced to long-term care facilities in Wayne County outside of the City of Detroit.
“Increased testing and better training for employees are what we need to reduce the number of COVID-19 infections in our nursing homes,” Evans added. “We are all in this fight together, and we are going to help nursing homes get the training, testing, and equipment they need to adequately protect their residents.
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