Waterford — Without admitting to deficiencies cited during a state inspection, administrators of New London Sub-Acute and Nursing, the Clark Lane nursing home, indicated in a report released this week that they’ve taken steps to relocate the facility’s check-in area, properly store protective gear, and train staff in the use of such gear and the importance of social distancing.

The report was among the first made available by the state Department of Public Health, which conducted inspections of the more than 200 nursing homes in the state, many of which have been grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.

Data released Thursday night by Gov. Ned Lamont’s office show 6,947 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed among residents of nursing homes. Nursing-home deaths associated with the disease number 1,487 laboratory-confirmed fatalities and an additional 440 classified as “probable.”

New London Sub Acute and Nursing, a 120-bed facility, has had 81 COVID-19 cases and four deaths associated with the disease.

According to the report, “a COVID-19 Focused Survey” was conducted April 25 at the nursing home. Based on observations and interviews with staff, the Department of Public Health found the facility “failed to ensure that appropriate infection control practices were implemented to prevent and control the spread of infection.”

An inspector was unable to identify an area where staff and visitors could be monitored when entering the building and was told by the reception and nursing supervisor that staff and visitors needed to come to the supervisor’s office if there was no one at the front desk. The supervisor said staff come in through a back door and walk about 75 feet into the facility to be monitored and complete a questionnaire.

About five minutes passed before the supervisor took the inspector’s temperature, the report says.

New London Sub-Acute and Nursing addressed the matter by relocating the check-in area to the front lobby and requiring all staff to enter the building through the front door, according to the report. The supervisor was instructed to check the temperature of anyone entering through the front door and to have each person complete a questionnaire.

The inspector noted that personal protective equipment, or PPE, was “spread out all over the floor” in the supervisor’s office and Tyvek suits were “noted scattered on a table.”

All PPE is now stored in the administrator’s office, the facility said in its response.

The inspector also observed protocol violations in which a staff member walking between units in the facility was in “a full Tyvek suit, mask, gloves and face shield” and a second staff member coming from the break room hallway wore a face shield, gloves, mask and a yellow gown.

When staff leave a unit, they’re supposed to remove all protective gear except a mask, the report says.

Other violations cited by the inspector include instances in which the supervisor failed to wear a face covering and maintain appropriate social distancing; staffers failed to wear sufficient protective gear and failed to properly dispose of used gear; and cloth gowns were hung on the outside of doors to rooms occupied by COVID-19 patients.

The facility’s policies say “all staff and residents should continue to maintain a distance of 6 feet apart from others as much as possible during all interactions, and all staff will wear a surgical mask or N95 mask while on duty.” The policies specify that staff will use proper PPE with COVID-19 patients, including donning PPE upon entering a room or unit and properly discarding it before leaving the room or unit, the report says.

“All staff have been or are being in-serviced on infection control practices regarding the use of PPE, gloves, face masks and the taking of temperatures of anyone entering the building,” New London Sub-Acute and Nursing said in the report.

Tom Harris, the nursing home’s administrator, did not respond to a voicemail message Friday.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com