Pinwheels pay tribute to nursing home residents taken by COVID-19

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - A display of 2,428 pinwheels set up in Youngstown pays tribute to the nursing home and assisted living residents who have died from the coronavirus in Ohio.
The activity director and staff members at Omni West, a Windsor House operated assisted living facility, decided to create a memorial for those who won't be able to participate in events happening across Ohio this week for National Assisted Living Week.
"I wanted to honor their memory in a way that would be touching," Julie Scott said, activity director for Omni West.
The display off of Vestal Road took about eight hours to set up last week.
"I would get overwhelmed, and I didn't know their names, but I acknowledged the fact that it wasn't just a pinwheel, it represented somebody's life," she said.
Scott says they plan to add to it if the death toll among nursing home residents continues to grow.
Windsor House operates Omni West and several other facilities. It's seeing fewer coronavirus cases.
Parkside Healthcare Center in Columbiana County is its only facility dealing with cases of COVID-19. Windsor House Marketing Director Dan Rowland says Columbiana County has a decent amount of community spread right now, but he's hopeful they're nearing the end of this latest wave of cases.
Windsor House facilities are preparing for what fall and the flu season could bring.
"We are already doing and starting to do some flu shots within our assisted nursing and skilled living communities, so right now we feel confident with going into the fall season we'll be ok," Rowland said.
Shepherd of the Valley's Clinical Director Matthew Hoskins tells 21 News they still have two cases of COVID-19.
He says the state needed to better streamline testing and access to lab results at the onset of the pandemic. Shepherd of the Valley ended up partnering with Quest Diagnositcs for lab results.
Hoskins says state guidelines are always changing, which can make adapting to new protocols a challenge.
As for visiting loved ones during the months ahead, Rowland is hearing that indoor visitation guidelines could be announced in Ohio as early as next week.