Families' concern grows after data shows rise in COVID-19 deaths at nursing homes
Long Island family members, still grieving the loss of loved ones in nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic, reacted with shock and concern Tuesday as the state released new data showing a major uptick in COVID-19 deaths reported by elder care facilities.
Cathy Leone said she pleaded for weeks with the management of Fulton Commons nursing home in East Meadow to test her father, Anthony Rizzo, for COVID-19. Even as Rizzo, 87, contracted pneumonia and a 103-degree fever, Leone said, her efforts were rebuffed.
Rizzo, a retired city sanitation worker, died March 29, his name added to a grim tally of 1,050 confirmed or presumed coronavirus-related fatalities at state-licensed nursing homes on Long Island.
Anthony Rizzo, 87, at Fulton Commons Care Center in East Meadow
Fulton Commons Care Center, a 280-bed facility that had previously declined to acknowledge any coronavirus cases, this week reported 39 confirmed or presumed COVID-19 deaths — the most of any nursing home in Nassau County, according to the new data.
And those numbers are likely undercounted, failing to account for residents who die at hospitals from COVID-19 complications. One senior Fulton employee told Newsday that more than 60 residents had died there as of April 20.
"These numbers shock me," said Leone, of Oceanside. "I don't understand how you could have that many people die while I am still getting messages that there are no COVID cases."
A March 21 Health Department advisory instructed nursing homes to treat cases of respiratory illness as if they were confirmed COVID-19 illnesses, which essentially halted all testing.
Health Department spokeswoman Jill Montag said investigators "launched an unannounced COVID-19 focus inspection at Fulton Commons Care Center. As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further."
Fulton Commons did not respond to requests for comment.
An April 28 letter by Fulton Commons Administrator Cathie Doyle said 140 nursing home staffers contracted the virus or had suspected cases of COVID-19. Nearly 80% have returned to work, according to the letter, which was obtained by Newsday.
"We continue to follow all regulations, guidelines and recommendations given to us by the DOH and CDC," Doyle wrote, adding that Fulton would perform antibody tests on all residents in the coming days.
The letter indicated that 28 coronavirus-positive patients had been admitted or readmitted to Fulton Commons from hospitals.
The state data also showed a dramatic rise in COVID-19 deaths at Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack — from 8 on May 1 to 34 confirmed or presumed fatalities on May 3.
Fay Lieberman, 97, at Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack with three of her grandchildren. From left: Jeremy Lieberman, Shayna Mantilla, Justin Lieberman. Credit: Paul Lieberman
Jeremy Lieberman of Plainview said the state's policy mandating that nursing homes admit COVID-19-positive patients likely contributed to the death of Fay Lieberman, 97, his grandmother. Lieberman, who survived breast cancer and an aneurysm, died at Gurwin on April 16.
Jeremy Lieberman said his family was "blindsided" by the policy and by a lack of information from Gurwin about how it would be implemented. "It's like setting a brush fire in the middle of a dry forest," he said. "I don't know how they did that. It seems completely nonsensical."
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said the policy conforms with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and ensures that nursing home residents are not forced to remain indefinitely in hospitals.
But the family of Philip Fantasia, 64, a former New York City correction officer who has been in a permanent vegetative state at Gurwin since suffering brain damage during routine kidney stone surgery in 2004, said the policy was dangerous.
Philip Fantasia, 64, at Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack. Credit: Courtesy Michele Bianchi
Susan Fantasia of Patchogue, Philip's wife, said coronavirus-positive hospital patients could have been moved to newly constructed medical facilities in Manhattan that were scarcely used during the height of the outbreak.
"This is a death sentence … because they know we can't take him out," she said.
Philip Fantasia's sister, Michele Bianchi, also of Patchogue, complained that Gurwin was allowing nurses to treat COVID-positive residents and healthy residents, potentially spreading the virus throughout the facility.
"I am outraged by this," Bianchi said. "How could this happen? They know these people are compromised."
Gurwin spokesman Jody Fisher said "ever-changing directives" from the state had made the crisis challenging for nursing homes. Fisher noted that Gurwin immediately informed residents of the state guidelines and have communicated daily with residents' family members.
"While the state has provided [personal protective equipment], the quantities have been minimal and we must procure much of what we need on our own," said Fisher. "To make matters worse, just this year we have been subjected to significant funding cuts, just prior to and even during the pandemic."
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
