7:17 p.m. ET, March 6, 2020
Son of nursing home resident with coronavirus describes fight to get mother tested
From CNN's Andy Rose
A nursing home resident in Kirkland, Washington, is now hospitalized with coronavirus after repeatedly being discouraged from going to the emergency room, according to the patient’s son.
Amir Medawar told CNN’s Anderson Cooper this afternoon that he started trying to get mother Odette to the hospital on Sunday when he heard her sounding ill over the phone.
"The afternoon nurse called me back and said everything is fine,” Medawar said. “[The nurse said Odette] tested negative for the pneumonia, and that there's no reason for her to go to the hospital." Medawar says he tried again to arrange for an ambulance, but "I was told several times that if they send her there, the hospital will just turn around and send her right back."
Medawar says he called the EvergreenHealth hospital in Kirkland several times, and a nurse there encouraged him to bring his mother to the ER, reserving a room for her. She finally was transported from Life Care Center early Monday morning, according to Medawar. His mother’s coronavirus test was positive, but Medawar says her symptoms are mild, and she is expected to be fine.
Life Care Centers of America has not responded directly to multiple requests from CNN to address to the concerns of family members. In a written statement released Thursday, company President Beecher Hunter said, “Our clinical team is making personal, one-on-one telephone calls with family members to share information about loved ones and respond to questions.”