Chautauqua Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Dunkirk has reported 12 deaths from COVID-19 since late December.
An abrasion on the toe of a resident at Chautauqua Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Dunkirk seemed harmless enough in early September. But when further medical treatment was delayed, and the ailment became wet gangrene, it led to a fatal outcome.
Michele Starwalt-Woods, who told the OBSERVER of her cousin’s experience over the last four months, expressed both sadness and frustration in the outcome. “I was not notified until the first week in November that there was a wound,” she wrote. “My cousin declined pre-optive tests in order to determine if he is a candidate for amputation, and told the Palliative care team at Sisters Hospital that he wanted to, ‘Go home and die. ”