By the numbers
COVID-19 data as of 11:59 p.m. May 18

Hancock County

301 cases
24 deaths
2,793 tests (10.8% positive)
11 new cases between April 24 and May 18
1 new death on May 18
84 new tests between May 1 and May 17

Indiana

28,705 cases
1,678 deaths
189,330 tests
481 new cases between April 11 and May 18
57 new deaths between April 17 and May 18
5,512 new tests between April 6 and May 18

Source: Indiana State Department of Health
HANCOCK COUNTY — Five more residents of a Greenfield long-term care facility have died from COVID-19, and two more have tested positive for the disease.

The Hancock County Health Department released updated COVID-19 data for residents of the eight long-term care facilities in the county on Saturday, May 16. It reported Greenfield Healthcare Center had a total of 52 cases, 14 of which have resulted in deaths. The increases occurred after the health department’s previous release of data on May 11, which showed Greenfield Healthcare Center had 50 cases, 10 of which resulted in deaths.

Fred Stratmann, a spokesman for CommuniCare Family of Companies, of which Greenfield Healthcare Center is a part, said another resident died from COVID-19 on Monday. He said of the four other most recent fatalities, two were on May 12, one was on May 14 and one was on May 15.

The Greenfield Healthcare Center resident who died from COVID-19 on Monday was reflected in the Indiana State Department of Health’s updated data on Tuesday. According to the department’s online COVID-19 dashboard, the fatality was a woman age 80 or older. A total of 24 Hancock County residents are known to have died from the disease as of Tuesday. Sixteen of those were residents of long-term-care facilties.

The dashboard also reported 11 new COVID-19 cases in Hancock County between April 24 and May 18, raising that total to 301. More than 80 new tests for which results have been received between May 1 and May 17 brought that total to 2,793.

The Hancock County Health Department’s data on Saturday for the county’s seven other long-term care facilities did not change. Woodland Terrace of New Palestine remained at two cases, one of which resulted in the death of a resident in March who also had other health conditions.

Stratmann said seven Greenfield Healthcare Center employees were not working as of Monday due to testing positive for COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines dictate they’ll be able to return after they no longer have a fever without the use of fever suppressants; experience an improvement in respiratory symptoms; and have two negative COVID-19 test results collected more than 24 hours apart.

While they recover, their colleagues are filling in, Stratmann said.

“People are working a lot of hours,” he added.

Remaining at no cases or deaths after the county health department’s recent update were Greenfield-based Springhurst Health Campus, Golden LivingCenter-Brandywine, CrownPointe of Greenfield and Sugar Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation; and McCordsville-based Pleasant View Lodge and Traditions at Brookside.

Carmen Bowling, executive director of CrownPointe of Greenfield, credits cooperation from residents and staff for the success the facility’s had throughout the pandemic.

She said residents and staff get their temperatures taken daily and that staff also take a health screening questionnaire when they arrive for their shifts.

There’s no shortage of deep cleaning, sanitizing, masks and hand sanitizer, Bowling continued. Visitation remains restricted, and meals are delivered to residents’ rooms.

Bowling said residents’ spirits have remained high throughout the pandemic.

“They’re doing well, better than I anticipated, actually,” she said. “…We try to keep them as occupied as possible with activity handouts in their room. Little things like that really go a long way right now.”

Residents are also able to communicate with family through the video communication app FaceTime, and visitors are able to stop by to say hello outside residents’ windows, Bowling said.

Kelli Luneborg-Stern, a spokeswoman for Golden LivingCenter-Brandywine, told the Daily Reporter in an email that some residents have been tested for COVID-19 per physicians’ orders and that all of the results came back negative.

“Our LivingCenter is committed to providing daily updates, Monday-Friday, to our residents and their authorized contacts about the COVID-19 status of our residents and staff,” she added.
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