Knox County reporting five deaths linked to Christian Health Center’s COVID-19 outbreak

About one week after a Corbin nursing home reported that 46 residents and eight staff members had tested positive for COVID-19, this same nursing home is now reporting the deaths of five patients in connection with COVID-19.

“In conjunction with Christian Health Center, Corbin, it saddens us to report there has been five deaths at the facility. These are the first deaths Knox County is reporting that have been linked to COVID-19,” the Knox County Health Department noted in a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon.

Of the five deaths, four were previously hospice or comfort care patients before contracting the virus, which allows for caring for any pain and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life, according to a Christian Health Center press release, which was published on the Knox County Health Department’s Facebook page.

All the patients were over age 85 and had advanced heart failure or advanced Alzheimer’s disease. The fifth resident was 96 years old and had advanced Alzheimer’s disease, the Christian Health Center release noted.

All five residents and families were aware of their natural decline in health prior to the virus outbreak.

“It’s important the community has full information about the situation, especially in long-term care. While we all grieve the loss of these residents we find comfort in knowing that their passing was not directly attributed to this devasting virus,” said Janet Lovitt, Executive Director.

Additional testing of residents and staff is ongoing.

“Any death is a tragedy and the loss is felt by family, friends and our staff. The Christian Health Center is a critical part of our region’s healthcare system and we appreciate the support and prayers from the community as we work diligently to combat the virus,” said Mary Lynn Spalding, CEO & President of Christian Care Communities.

“As a faith-inspired team, we will most assuredly come out stronger on the other side of this and everyone has our commitment to always communicate transparently and be diligent in our care.”

Knox County Health Department Public Health Director Rebecca Rains added that the dedication and hard work of Christian Health Center is truly admirable.

“It is tragic to report any death, but we do recognize these residents had prior health conditions that contributed to their death rather than being directly related to the virus. We feel it’s important the community stays well informed about the situation and our hearts are with all of the families and staff,” Rains added.