State investigating Frisco memory care center after 10 COVID-19 deaths in less than a month

The Texas Department of Health and Human Services is investigating a Frisco memory care center that has reported 10 deaths in the past month.

The Denton County health department has reported eight deaths at the Saddle Brook Memory Care Center in the last three days, including two deaths on Thursday. The facility said there were two more deaths that are expected to be announced by the county in the coming days.

Chase Salyers, spokesman for Saddle Brook’s operator Koelsch Communities, said the company reported 10 COVID-19 deaths at the facility between Sept. 29 and Oct. 23. The company had previously stated that there were seven deaths between that time frame. The memory center has 65 beds, according to state data. Salyers said there are currently no active COVID-19 cases among either residents or staff.

Kelli Weldon, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, said via email Thursday that the state is actively investigating the facility.

“Our top priority is the health and safety of the people in long-term care facilities we regulate,” Weldon said. “We are actively investigating this facility to assess compliance with all relevant health and safety rules.”

The latest victims at Saddle Brook officially announced by the health department include a woman in her 80s and a woman in her 70s. Details about the two deaths announced by center were not available Thursday. The deaths being reported by the county in the last three days occurred between Sept. 29 and Oct. 23, Koelsch Communities said.

One resident passed away at a local hospital due to cardiac complications, and the other nine residents who died had been on hospice services before the facility went into a quarantine period on Sept. 29, the company said.

Jennifer Rainey, a spokeswoman for Denton County, said Thursday that the health department is communicating with the facility and Koelsch Communities to reiterate state guidelines for coronavirus cases in long-term care facilities.

Rainey also said the county health department confirms every coronavirus-reported death with a medical record review, a check on county of residence, presence of a positive test, and to confirm disease progression. The process may result in a delay in reporting deaths.

Long-term and assisted living facilities report coronavirus cases and deaths to the state health department. As of Oct. 15 — the most recent point for which state data is available — Saddle Brook reported five COVID-19 deaths among residents, 31 active cases and an additional 11 active cases among employees.