1 dead, 36 positive for COVID-19 at nursing home in South Elgin

One resident died and 13 residents and 23 staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at Tower Hill Healthcare Center, a skilled nursing home in South Elgin.

All 165 residents and nearly 200 employees were tested for the coronavirus last week. So far, results have come back negative for 21 residents and 35 staff members, administrator Vicki Hill said Tuesday.

Residents have been separated based on COVID-19 status, and all staff members, visitors and COVID-19-positive residents are required to wear full personal protective gear consisting of hair bonnets, KN95 masks covered by procedural masks, face shields, gowns, gloves when appropriate, and shoe covers, according to an email Hill sent to families Monday.

Dee Dee Beran of St. Charles, whose 100-year-old mother has been a resident of Tower Hill for more than six years, praised the nursing home for its response, saying there's been daily email communication with families during the pandemic.

"They have proved to me time and time again that they have their patients' best interest foremost," she said. "I couldn't be happier with how Tower Hill has addressed this. Not just this situation, but all the care I have seen from them."

Because visitors are restricted during the pandemic, Beran said, staff members facilitate communication via FaceTime and by bringing her mother letters from Beran that her mother then reads while Beran sits outside the window.

The pandemic has been taxing on staff members, Hill said. "Luckily we have been very fortunate in our facility to have a lot of dedicated and hardworking employees that are showing up and being here for the residents," she said.

The nursing home said it is coordinating efforts with the Kane County Health Department and Illinois Department of Public Health to prevent further spread within the facility and the community.