Presence Villa Franciscan nursing home dealing with 22 COVID-19 cases, Joliet officials say

Presence Villa Franciscan nursing home in Joliet is dealing with 22 cases of COVID-19, Joliet officials said Friday.

The numbers at Villa Franciscan were announced at a weekly news conference on coronavirus developments in Joliet.

Officials said they did not know whether there have been any deaths at the nursing home attributed to COVID-19.

Ascension Living, which owns Presence Villa Franciscan, issued a statement concerning the situation but did not comment on the number of cases or whether there had been any deaths.

The nursing home has isolated residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, Joliet interim Fire Chief Greg Blaskey said.

“Everyone in the facility has been tested,” Blaskey said. “They’ve taken one of the floors, and that floor is for COVID patients only. All the other residents are on the other floors. There’s no co-mingling.”

Presence Villa Franciscan is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the statement from Ascension Living.

“We have created a designated unit to safely care for positive residents and persons under investigation,” officials said in the statement. “Those residents are cared for by designated, specially trained health care personnel who do not interact with other residents or families.”

Mayor Bob O’Dekirk in the past two weeks has reported numbers of coronavirus cases in Joliet nursing homes at the weekly news conferences.

On Friday, he also said he has requested a state investigation into the 23 deaths confirmed at Symphony of Joliet nursing home.

“Joliet families, especially those with loved ones at the nursing home, have a right to answers,” O’Dekirk said.

At his April 9 news conference, O'Dekirk announced there were 15 coronavirus cases at Symphony of Joliet. At that time, Symphony had publicly confirmed three deaths.

Joliet officials said they are dependent on the nursing homes to provide information about how many coronavirus cases they are handling.

Other Joliet nursing homes that have confirmed coronavirus cases with the city are:

• Six at The Parc at Joliet

• Five at Sunny Hill Nursing Home of Will County

• One at Spring Creek Nursing and Rehab

Blaskey said The Parc at Joliet has taken similar action as Villa Franciscan in response to COVID-19 cases.

“They’ve taken one of their wings, and that is for COVID patients only,” he said.

Based on a report from Symphony of Joliet, Blaskey said, the nursing home is housing only 16 residents who have tested positive for COVID-19.

“The staff is working on a 1-to-1 ratio with patients at this time,” he said.