Pastor Says He's Desperately Trying To Communicate With 2 Brothers Who Are Inside Logan Square Nursing Home, But Can't
CHICAGO (CBS) -- COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on nursing homes across the country – which is why they have had to shut their doors to visitors.
But one man is desperately advocating for better ways to communicate with the elderly inside, in a time we need it most. CBS 2's Marissa Parra on Saturday had the story of a pastor fighting to see his brothers virtually as they are caught inside a nursing home hot spot.
"He's in that room, right above the P," said Pastor Richard Redmond, pointing to the letter P starting the word "Pavilion" on the sign for the Woodbridge Nursing Pavilion, at 2242 N. Kedzie Blvd. in the Logan Square community.
He was pointing to where he thinks one of his brothers is.
"My other brother is on the other side," he said.
But Redmond can't know for sure where they are, and has not seen their faces since March.
With over 151 coronavirus cases according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Woodbridge Nursing Pavilion now leads the state with the most COVID-19 cases in an Illinois nursing home.
Redmond was standing outside, but his heart and mind are with his brothers inside – Kurtis Redmod, 52, and their older brother Samuel Redmond.
Pastor Redmond has begged for weeks to get a video chat with them regularly, and he has the documents to prove it. He got one chance with Samuel on Wednesday.
"Five minutes and that was it," Pastor Redmond said. "I've not been able to schedule another one, neither has his wife who has tried three times, and she's very upset she can't."
He said not being able to talk to his brothers regularly leaves questions about transparency.
"All the control is there. I could get no information unless I talked to a nurse," Pastor Redmond said. "I was told he is doing fine; he's smiling. When I talked to him, I didn't see any of that."
And on Saturday morning, Pastor Redmond got the devastating news that his brother Samuel just tested positive, weeks before his 70th birthday. And Pastor Redmond, like so many others on the outside, is fighting to show support from afar.
"It makes you feel totally useless," Pastor Redmond said. "We must see them. They must see us. That's part of the healing process."
Gov. JB Pritzker responded to Parra's question Saturday about whether the State of Illinois will be facilitating such communication. He said that is not really the state's job, and it is being left to the nursing homes.
Woodbridge Nursing Pavilion issued a statement, which reads in part:
"Woodbridge Nursing Pavilion also understands that connecting with family members is incredibly important to our residents. Family members are encouraged to communicate with their loved ones through video chat, calling, texting, or other social media formats. Our Social Services team is available to assist on any of these platforms to ensure communication between loved ones and residents is maintained. We know this is a difficult time for everyone."
Woodbridge said they have had 124 residents test positive for COVID-19, and is testing every resident whether symptomatic or not:
"We have the most vulnerable population at Woodbridge Nursing Pavilion, and having every tool necessary is essential in this fight with COVID-19. The ability to submit and request tests has been the one thing we have been asking for since this outbreak started. You cannot fight an invisible enemy without being able to see your enemy. Being able to test every resident allows us to understand who may be positive and asymptomatic. We would not know without testing that a resident was positive because they were not exhibiting any symptoms. By testing every resident, we are armed with information that allows us to plan a more aggressive isolation strategy at Woodbridge Nursing Pavilion and reduces the risk of infecting other residents we know are truly negative for COVID-19. We were one of the first skilled nursing facilities in Chicago to take this proactive approach. While the numbers are daunting, we are confident in the care we are providing by having this information to better care for our residents. Due to our proactive approach, we have had 10 residents already recover from the virus, and we anticipate further recoveries on a daily basis."
But the Illinois Department of Public Health website said Woodbridge has 151 cases of COVID-19, 27 more than the nursing home is reporting.
Parra did ask the nursing home about the difference – for instance whether the state is including both residents and staff in its numbers. Woodbridge said it is looking into it.