Three people die amid COVID-19 outbreak at Franklin nursing home

FRANKLIN — A total of 49 people at the Mountain Ridge Center have tested positive for COVID-19 and three residents have died, Dr. Richard Feifer said Monday.

Of those who tested positive, 11 are employees and the rest are residents, said Feifer, chief medical officer for Genesis Healthcare, which operates the nursing home.

“Our thoughts go out to those impacted by COVID-19 during this difficult time, especially the families of the three additional residents who passed away,” he said.

Feifer said the first positive test was on April 25 and involved a resident.

The state brought in a mobile unit to test all patients, residents and staff.

“Because we were fortunate to receive testing of the entire building, a number of asymptomatic residents and staff tested positive, providing additional information to possibly curtail the spread,” he said.

Feifer said the New Hampshire Public Health Network and the local fire department brought in additional personal protection equipment.

“We believe it’s better to overreact than underreact in the face of a pandemic,” he said. “We have been extremely stringent on visitation restrictions, use of personal protective equipment and many other precautions at our facilities. We’ve followed guidelines and protocols set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in some cases getting out in front of them.”

More than half of New Hampshire’s COVID-19-related deaths have occurred at nursing homes.

Franklin Fire Chief Mike Foss said he wasn't aware of any residents who have had to be transported from the nursing home to a hospital.

"They put a plan into play to manage as many patients at the facility as possible," he said. 

Foss said a contingency plan has been set up for a firefighter to enter the facility should a transport be needed.