Here's Why Stats Are Wrong For La Grange Park Facility

ELMHURST, IL — As far as a state website is concerned, no coronavirus outbreaks have occurred at La Grange Park's Plymouth Place nursing home since last summer. Yet the nursing home reported nearly 50 cases from November to mid-January.

Patch wrote a story about this situation earlier this week. Since then, the state has responded to Patch's inquiry about the wrong information on its website.

In an email, the Illinois Department of Public Health said it confirmed with the Cook County Department of Public Health that Plymouth Place has an outbreak with 24 cases that is not included on the state's online outbreak list.

"While we are working to keep online data up to date, the priority of local health departments is to address the outbreak and ensure appropriate control measures are being implemented," the department said. "A facility or the local health department will have the most up to date data."

A similar disclaimer appears on its website, saying "lag time and discrepancies" are to be expected. The state agency updates its website every Friday.

This week, Patch obtained newsletters from Plymouth Place to nursing residents and families, updating them on the number of new coronavirus cases. From November to mid-January, the nursing home reported 46 new virus cases. It is unclear why the Cook County department's number is 24.

Plymouth Place official Jackie Terpstra did not dispute Patch's count of 46 based on the newsletters. She said she reported the numbers to the government "as faithfully as the day is long."

Terpstra also told Patch that Plymouth Place, 315 N. La Grange Road, has suffered three deaths as a result of the outbreak. In its email, the state did not indicate any deaths at the facility in the recent outbreak.

In the outbreak last spring and summer at Plymouth Place, the state reported 42 cases and 11 deaths.

The state had a similar issue with reporting the earlier outbreak at Plymouth Place. It took 41 days after the nursing home's first coronavirus death before the state finally confirmed an outbreak at the facility on its website. The numbers only were reported after Patch's repeated stories about the problem.