SALISBURY, N.C. (WBTV) – The Citadel, the site of the largest COVID-19 outbreak in North Carolina, has responded to questions from WBTV following a story that outlined new allegations of neglect being brought forth by family members of residents.
“We are currently reviewing the affidavits filed on Monday and will continue working to address any concerns raised by residents and their families,” wrote Ashley Wilson, Vice President for Strategy & Development with Accordius Health.
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Earlier this year, The Citadel was the site of an outbreak involving 168 cases among staff and residents, and 21 deaths.
The new affidavits were just filed on Monday in court in Rowan County. The allegations come from family members and others. Some allege poor treatment of residents and not providing medications at the proper time, but others deal with what they say was the failure to properly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of communication with family members.
“The Citadel Salisbury remains committed to providing the highest quality of care for the residents we serve. While staffing has been a significant challenge for all nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Citadel Salisbury is currently well staffed. Our direct care staffing per resident over the last month exceeds the national average,” Wilson added.
“During times like this, we know that families are concerned about their loved ones, and we have made a concerted effort to increase our communication with family members. We will continue to do that. In addition, we are fully complying with all reporting requirements and supply relevant data regarding staffing, COVID-19 infections, etc. to local, state and federal databases.”
Recently there was a second, much smaller outbreak at The Citadel. According to the Rowan County Health Department, it involved two residents and four staff members.
“We are happy to report that The Citadel Salisbury has not had any new cases of COVID-19 in the past 21 days. There are currently no active cases among residents or staff members. The center will come off of the DHHS outbreak report when there have been no new cases for 28 days,” Wilson wrote.
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