MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The names of 38 nursing homes in Wisconsin where there are active public health investigations due to an outbreak of COVID-19 were released Wednesday by the Department of Health Services.
Department Secretary Andrea Palm said in a statement that the names were released “in order to provide peace of mind to families who cannot visit or check on their loved ones during these unprecedented times.” Previously, the department only listed how many investigations into nursing homes were ongoing, but did not name any facilities.
“As we continue to see cases of COVID-19 in nursing homes, it is important to be transparent and list the locations where they are occurring,” Palm said.
Outbreaks at nursing homes have been a particular concern because older people are more susceptible to the virus, which can be easily spread where many people live close to one another. As of Wednesday, there were nearly 11,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin and there had been 421 deaths, the state health department reported.
It only takes one case of a resident or staff member testing positive at a nursing home to spur a public health investigation. The department said the list of facilities with ongoing investigations will be updated every Wednesday.
