Harlem Nursing Homes Had Unreported Covid Deaths, New Data Shows

HARLEM, NY — New data shows that the coronavirus has taken an even more severe toll on New York's nursing homes than the state's past disclosures had indicated — including dozens of previously unreported deaths at facilities in Harlem.

The updated data released Saturday now includes nursing home residents who died from COVID-19 at hospitals, in addition to deaths that occurred in each facility.

In Harlem, five nursing homes saw their official death counts rise as a result of the newly reported fatalities. The biggest increase was at Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center in East Harlem, where 24 residents died in hospitals.

The facility, on Fifth Avenue and East 106th Street, has lost 56 residents to the virus — a jump from its previous official total of 32.

The new disclosures came about a week after Attorney General Letitia James released a report alleging that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration had undercounted thousands of nursing home deaths, in part because the state was not counting residents who died in hospitals.

Here is the data for nursing home deaths in or near Harlem, through Feb. 4:

Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center (1249 Fifth Ave.):

• Out-of-facility deaths among residents (hospital or other): 23
• Confirmed COVID-19 deaths at nursing home: 24
• Presumed COVID-19 deaths at nursing home: 9
• Total deaths: 56

Northern Manhattan Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (116 East 125th St.):

• Out-of-facility deaths among residents (hospital or other): 20
• Confirmed COVID-19 deaths at nursing home: 16
• Presumed COVID-19 deaths at nursing home: 12
• Total deaths: 48

Harlem Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation (30 West 138th St.):

• Out-of-facility deaths among residents (hospital or other): 4
• Confirmed COVID-19 deaths at nursing home: 4
• Presumed COVID-19 deaths at nursing home: 29
• Total deaths: 37

St. Mary’s Center (512 West 126th St.):

• Out-of-facility deaths among residents (hospital or other): 2
• Confirmed COVID-19 deaths at nursing home: 0
• Presumed COVID-19 deaths at nursing home: 0
• Total deaths: 2

Henry J. Carter Skilled Nursing Facility (1752 Park Ave.):

• Out-of-facility deaths among residents (hospital or other): 1
• Confirmed COVID-19 deaths at nursing home: 0
• Presumed COVID-19 deaths at nursing home: 0
• Total deaths: 1

After James's report was released on Jan. 28, Cuomo's health commissioner, Howard Zucker, defended the state's practices, noting that the more than 4,000 nursing home residents who died in hospitals were already included in the state's overall count.

Then, last Thursday, a state judge ordered the Department of Health to release data on in-hospital deaths among nursing home residents. Two days later, the state added those deaths to its totals, bringing the official death toll at New York's nursing homes to more than 13,000.