BRENHAM, Texas – A nursing and rehabilitation facility in Washington County has seen dozens of cases of coronavirus.
As of Monday, 102 residents and staff members at Brenham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center tested positive for COVID-19, according to numbers posted on a county website. Nineteen of the county’s 21 deaths also trace back to the facility.
“The nursing home in town got hit really hard,” Dr. William Robert Loesch, the local health authority, said in a video update dated April 29.
He said help from the state arrived last week and everyone has been tested.
“The good news, it looks like it is contained,” Dr. Loesch said.
Karan Janes said her mother, Margie McCracken, 90, was a resident who died several days after learning she tested positive.
“It's very hard to have someone in there that has it and you can't be there with them. It's heart breaking,” Karan said.
A nurse helped her say goodbye to her mother over the phone.
“She put it on speaker and she walked out of the room and let me have about five minutes with her so I could tell her that I loved her and my brothers loved her and just talked with her,” Karan said.
Regency Integrated Health Services provided a statement that said, “Our hearts go out to every patient, family and staff member who has been impacted by this virus. The top priority is to keep our patients and staff healthy and safe. We have implemented many protocols and procedures to reduce the risk to patients and staff at all of our facilities. We are also offering support services to our patients, their families and our employees as we continue to navigate through this pandemic.”
The county said staff members who tested positive are being monitored and are no longer going into the facility.