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Families claim they weren’t notified of relatives’ positive coronavirus tests at nursing home

Highlands of Memphis Health and Rehabilitation has 58 cases of COVID-19

MEMPHIS, Tennessee —

Loved ones want answers amid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases inside a home care facility in the University of Memphis area. The facility is one of several senior centers under investigation in Shelby County.

The Highlands of Memphis Health and Rehabilitation has the biggest amount of COVID-19 cases for a care facility in Memphis at 58. Two families say they recently learned their elderly relatives tested positive.

“I asked her why did I not get notified,” said Barbara Jordan, who has a 95-year-old aunt at the facility. “She said she didn’t know.”

She tells Local 24 News she wasn’t notified that her relative, Carrie Grant, tested positive for COVID-19 last Thursday.

“This is very stressful because she’s 95 and suffers from dementia,” said Jordan. “So who’s going to advocate for her there?”

Jordan was able to FaceTime her Wednesday.

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“She looks very weak,” said Jordan. “She has lost even more weight and that’s all she’s doing is laying in the bed.”

The Highlands of Memphis has 47 positive residents and 11 positive staff, according to the Shelby County Health Department. There’s been 2 deaths there since the cluster was identified in April. Gov. Bill Lee announced last week widespread testing of all long term care facilities.

“For them to totally ignore us and not let us know anything is just unacceptable.”

She isn’t the only family who claims they weren't alerted. Grant’s roommate had COVID-19 as well. June Lee says her mother tested positive on April 30th, but says she was not informed until May 5th.

“No one from the Highlands of Memphis called me and informed me that she had COVID-19.”

Lee says she was told by nurses, her mother was weak. So Lee made calls Wednesday to get her taken out of the nursing home and to the hospital.

“I just cannot let my mom lay up there and die like that and not seek any type of help,” said Lee.

Local 24 News reached out to Highlands management for a comment with questions about whether employees and residents are tested daily, but did not receive a call back. 

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