There are two Forrest County nursing homes with active COVID-19 outbreaks, according to information released Friday evening by the Mississippi State Department of Health.
The facilities include Bedford Care Center of Hattiesburg and Bedford Care Center – Monroe Hall, which is also located in Hattiesburg.
Bedford Care Center of Hattiesburg, which has a capacity of 152 beds, has reported to the Health Department a cumulative total of 55 employee cases, 93 resident cases and 25 resident deaths. Facility administrators said Monday that the facility currently has 22 residents and five employees who are ill with the highly contagious virus. There are 77 residents living at the facility, which has a total of 183 employees.
The nursing home has the highest virus-related numbers of any such facility in the state, and, on Thursday, The PineBelt NEWS submitted a request to the Health Department for more information on the COVID-19 situation at the facility. The newspaper is specifically seeking information on the state’s response to the number of deaths at the facility. Department officials have yet to respond to the request.
Additionally, the Monroe Hall location, which has 80 beds, has one active staff case of COVID-19.
Health Department officials started releasing the names of long-term care facilities with active COVID-19 cases only after a public records lawsuit filed by The PineBelt NEWS and a subsequent court order from Chancellor Tiffany Grove in Hinds County. The list of affected facilities was first published on the department’s website on June 2, and officials have said the list will be updated on a weekly basis.
The state considers one or more COVID-19 cases among staff or residents at a facility to be an outbreak. The long-term care facility classification includes nursing homes, assisted living facilities, personal care homes or intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
