Deadly COVID-19 wave strikes Pahrump facility

A recent outbreak of COVID-19 at a Pahrump memory care and assisted living facility led to the deaths of three residents as the vaccine rollout continues in Nye County and across the state.

Inspirations Senior Living in Pahrump has seen a total of 44 cases of COVID-19 for staff and residents, with a recent outbreak stretching from the middle to the end of January. The facility only had one case, a staff member, at the end of 2020.

That changed in early 2021. Three residents have died from the recent outbreak, according to information from the state.

Janessa Becker, executive director at Inspirations Senior Living, said in an email that, “The health and safety of our senior living community’s residents and associates remains our top priority.”

“Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented extensive precautionary measures in accordance with local and nationwide guidelines,” Becker said. “Those measures included adherence to social distancing guidelines, utilization of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), heightened sanitization, daily monitoring of residents and associates, COVID-19 testing of residents and associates, and regular updates to our residents, families, and associates.”

Despite best efforts, the virus has affected 31 residents and 13 staff members since the start of the pandemic, according to state data.

Some positive news is that 69 residents and staff members have received the first round of vaccines as of Feb. 5 at the facility licensed for 78 beds, according to Shannon Litz, public information officer for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.

The initial distribution of vaccines in Nevada was allocated to health care workers and residents at long-term care facilities.

Protocols at Inspirations

An individual that tests positive for the virus at Inspirations is put in quarantine, Becker said.

“We continue to adhere to the recommendations and guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, and the Nye County Department of Health and Human Services,” she said.

In an early February statement, Becker said there were plans to install “Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization technology.”

The technology “is a best-in-class air purification technology that attaches to pathogens like COVID-19 to inactivate them,” she said.

Nye County facilities and COVID

Inspirations hasn’t been the only facility to be affected by the pandemic.

Pahrump Health and Rehabilitation Center has had 64 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic. The facility has seen one staff member death and eight residents have died, state data shows.

Other facilities that were affected by COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to state data, include Never Give Up Youth Healing Center in Amargosa Valley (17 positives); Carrousel Family Child Care (3 positives); and the Tonopah Conservation Camp (75 positives).

The total number of positives among facilities on the state’s dashboard in Nye County is 203, with 11 resident deaths and one staff death being reported by the state as of Tuesday. Nevada Southern Detention Center and the Nye County Detention Center in Tonopah and Pahrump are not included in this total.