Weekly Update: How COVID-19 Is Affecting Fort Smith Nursing Homes

FORT SMITH, AR — The coronavirus pandemic has devastated nursing homes across the U.S., with thousands of cases and deaths among residents reported weekly. However, nursing home resident cases in recent weeks have been on a sharp decline.

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has been tracking the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in nursing homes, including some in the Fort Smith area.

CMS reported around 9,900 nursing home resident COVID-19 cases nationwide during the week ending Jan. 31. Its data shows weekly recorded cases are down more than two-thirds since the peak in mid-December.

There have been more than 624,000 coronavirus cases among nursing home residents and 125,000 deaths since the pandemic began, according to CMS. More than a quarter of all U.S. deaths are among nursing home residents.

Nursing home staff members have also been heavily affected by the pandemic, with 536,000 recorded staff cases and nearly 1,500 deaths.

The federal government has prioritized long-term care residents and staff for the coronavirus vaccine in an effort to stem cases and deaths. Nearly 4 million residents and staff in long-term care facilities have been vaccinated as of Feb. 11, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some notes on the CMS data: CMS has authority over nursing homes but not over other senior living facilities such as assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Only nursing homes that pass the agency's data quality check are included. CMS also notes that its data could differ from state reports, owing to different counting methods, and in some cases it omits information on cases and deaths before May 17, when reporting became mandatory.

Below are the figures for nursing homes in the Fort Smith area.

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Editor's note: This list was automatically generated using data compiled by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The local nursing homes included in the list are limited to those included in the government data. Please report any errors or other feedback to content@patch.com.

ASHTON PLACE HEALTH AND REHAB, LLC
318 STROZIER LANE, BARLING

Residents

• Week of Jan. 25-31: There were 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 0 related deaths among 85 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 64 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 10 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 25-31: This nursing home reported 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: There have been 54 confirmed cases and 3 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.

CHAPEL RIDGE HEALTH AND REHAB
4,623 ROGERS AVE, FORT SMITH

Residents

• Week of Jan. 25-31: There were 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 0 related deaths among 62 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 62 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 10 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 25-31: This nursing home reported 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: There have been 40 confirmed cases and 0 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.

COVINGTON COURT HEALTH AND REHABILITATION CENTER
4,500 OLD GREENWOOD RD, FORT SMITH

Residents

• Week of Jan. 25-31: There were 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 0 related deaths among 114 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 97 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 9 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 25-31: This nursing home reported 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: There have been 73 confirmed cases and 0 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.

FIANNA HILLS NURSING AND REHABILITATION CENTER
8,411 SOUTH 28TH STREET, FORT SMITH

Residents

• Week of Jan. 25-31: There were 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1 related death among 61 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 61 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 19 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 25-31: This nursing home reported 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: There have been 62 confirmed cases and 0 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.

LEGACY HEALTH AND REHABILITATION CENTER
3,310 NORTH 50TH STREET, FORT SMITH

Residents

• Week of Jan. 25-31: There were 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 0 related deaths among 81 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 80 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 7 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 25-31: This nursing home reported 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: There have been 51 confirmed cases and 0 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.

METHODIST HEALTH AND REHAB
7,425 EUPER LANE, FORT SMITH

Residents

• Week of Jan. 25-31: There was 1 confirmed COVID-19 case and 3 related deaths among 83 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 105 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 25 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 25-31: This nursing home reported 1 confirmed COVID-19 case among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: There have been 102 confirmed cases and 1 death due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.

THE WATERS OF FORT SMITH, LLC
5,301 WHEELER AVENUE, FORT SMITH

Residents

• Week of Jan. 25-31: There was 1 confirmed COVID-19 case and 0 related deaths among 97 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 127 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 12 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 25-31: This nursing home reported 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 31.
• Overall: There have been 66 confirmed cases and 0 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.