ANDERSON, Ind. (WTHR) - “I’m praying he doesn’t have it,” said Bob Reed, talking about his older brother Bill.
By Tuesday, Reed should know for sure if Bill has COVID-19.
“With him having diabetes, lung problems, he’s a perfect candidate,” Reed said.
Bill was just admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. Reed is worried sick about him.
“It’s been devastating because he’s my older brother,” he said, choking up.
Last Thursday, Reed says Bill left Bethany Pointe Health Campus in Anderson, where he had been getting his strength back after a previous hospital stay.
The day before, Reed says the facility called to tell him they had four residents who tested positive for the virus.
“And in the same breath, told me they were going to release my brother home,” Reed said.
On Monday, the state announced 11 residents from Bethany Pointe had died from the virus, while three employees were hospitalized. Two of them are critically ill.
Now Reed isn’t sure if it’s better his brother was released or if he should have just stayed put.
“I was kind of torn with that, but they told me they would isolate him to another hall,” said Reed.
A few days later, though, Reed says the facility called to say they were sending Bill home.
“They said the reason they were sending him home, he wasn’t showing any symptoms,” he explained.
Less than a week after that, the symptoms have arrived.
“Me and my wife just looked at each other and got tears in our eyes ‘cause he hadn’t been showing symptoms the last couple of days, but no one knows this virus. No one has got a handle on it,” said Reed.
Right now, he’s just trying to stay positive. It’s hard though. His brother’s sick and Reed can’t help him.
“It’s horrible because without this virus, he still has all these other problems and I’m the one he counts on and I can’t do nothing for him,” he said.
Bethany Pointe Health Campus released this statement Monday:
With the continuing spread of the coronavirus in Indiana, the team at Bethany Pointe Health Campus has been working tirelessly to promote the health and safety of residents and staff and prepare for the possibility of COVID-19 reaching our campus. Despite our many precautions, within the past week there have been multiple cases of COVID-19 at Bethany Pointe. We deeply regret that 11 of our residents who contracted the virus have passed away, as presented by the Indiana Health Department during a recent press conference. This is an incredibly sad and difficult time for these families, and for our entire Bethany Pointe family and community. We express our sincerest condolences to these families, and to all loved ones of those affected by COVID-19. Our hearts go out to you during this incredibly difficult time. Seniors are among the most vulnerable to this virus, and we take very seriously our responsibility to our residents and families. We have been carefully following the precautions and guidelines set by the CDC, CMS and state health officials and our medical physicians to guard against the spread of viral infections. Residents with confirmed or suspected cases are being immediately isolated in a separate area of the campus, and we are transferring any residents with severe symptoms to a higher level of care. Staff members with symptoms or likely exposure are self-isolating at home. We continue to follow infection protocols that were put into place per the organizations stated above. These include:
- Screening individuals entering the building, including employees, pharmacy providers and other medically essential vendors. An individual that does not pass the screening will not be permitted to enter our campus and will be asked to immediately leave.
- Residents and employees will have their temperatures taken twice per day and will also be monitored for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
- The campus will be sanitized with the proper solutions on a daily basis.
- Personal protective equipment is available to team members.
- Food is being delivered to resident rooms.
- Group activities are cancelled within our campus, as well as community events.
Residents continue to receive the care they need. The health and well-being of our residents, employees, and team members remains our top priority. We are dedicated to supporting our staff, whose devotion to caring for those they serve is nothing less than heroic. We would like to personally thank every team member for their compassion and commitment during this difficult time. We recognize that this is difficult for everyone – our residents, their families, our staff and the broader community. We are coordinating closely with public health officials and doing everything in our power to ensure the protection, care and highest quality of life possible for our entire Bethany Pointe family. We want to thank our residents and families for their patience and understanding, and commend our incredible team, whose devotion to caring for those they serve is nothing less than heroic.