Gig Harbor long-term care facility has had 35 COVID-19 cases, three deaths.
Heron’s Key, a care facility in Gig Harbor that is home to 289 residents, has reported 39 cumulative cases of COVID-19 over the last 28 days and acknowledged three deaths following an outbreak at the facility in late November.
A spokesperson for Heron’s Key confirmed to The Gateway that “there have been three skilled nursing residents who passed away from the virus.”
The facility did not give the precise dates of the deaths, but said they occurred “between late November and late December.”
The spokesperson, Jennifer Whittle, said that there are currently two active cases among staff who are “recovering at home and expected to return to work in the near future.”
The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) updated the numbers on its website, which labeled the facility on a map with a purple dot to indicate a large number of cases had been traced to the facility.
TPCHD spokesperson Dale Phelps said they are recommending the facility continue to follow health guidelines from masks to distancing and said other care facilities are facing similar problems.
TPCHD lists 17 care facilities that have reported more than 10 cases in the last 28 days.
Whittle said the facility is currently not allowing visitors, requiring mask usage, and is testing both residents and staff weekly. Seated dining and in-person indoor activities are also currently prohibited.
According to Whittle, the facility has a scheduled vaccine clinic Jan. 6 for all staff and residents.
Only a fraction of the vaccine available has been distributed in Washington with priority being given to the top priority group, named 1A, high-risk workers in health care, first-responders and residents of long-term care facilities.
The spokesperson for the facility said that, when allowed, they will begin to relax restrictions on group activities as “the mental health of our residents is of utmost importance during this pandemic.”
Whittle said Heron’s Key staff were “heartbroken” about the three deaths.
“Heron’s Key managed nine months without a COVID outbreak, and unfortunately an outbreak in skilled nursing occurred in late November when the transmission rates in the County went sky high,” she said.
Heron’s Key, located at 4340 Borgen Blvd, is the second of two not-for-profit retirement communities owned by Emerald Communities of Redmond. It was built in 2015 and consists of of 194 apartment and cottage homes, 36 assisted living suites, 45 skilled-nursing private rooms. The average age of residents is 78.
In a Gateway article on April 21, an assistant manager said the facility had residents ranging from 68 to 102, and three that are 100.
Reach Chase Hutchinson at chase.hutchinson@thenewstribune.com
