1/3rd Of Patients At Grand Junction VA Nursing Home Have The Flu
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) - One-third of the patients at a veterans nursing home in Grand Junction have the flu, and the facility has been closed to most visitors, officials said Sunday.
Ten of the 27 patients in the nursing home tested positive for the virus, VA Medical Center spokesman Paul Sweeney said.
The nursing home, known as the Community Living Center, is in a separate building, and other facilities at the medical center remain open to visitors, Sweeney said.
Nineteen people have been hospitalized for the flu this season in Mesa County, which includes Grand Junction, Colorado health officials said. It wasn't known whether that total included any VA patients.
Statewide, 847 people have been hospitalized for the flu. Monitoring began on Sept. 28.
The Community Living Center will likely be closed to visitors for two or three days, Sweeney said. Exceptions will be made for people visiting patients in hospice care near the end of their lives.
In addition to hospice care, the Community Living Center provides strengthening programs for patients before or after surgery and physical rehabilitation.
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