Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Administration To Extend $5B In Aid To Nursing Homes To Cope With COVID Surge
The Hill: Trump Administration To Give Additional $5B To Nursing Homes
The Trump administration will provide nursing homes with $5 billion as they continue to deal with mounting COVID-19 infections, administration officials said Wednesday. President Trump first made the announcement at the White House, and the official policy will be announced in a forthcoming rule, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma said. (Weixel, 7/22)
AP: White House Scrambles On Nursing Homes As COVID-19 Surges
The move follows Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s recent unveiling of a family caregiver plan that aims to greatly expand and subsidize alternatives to institutional care for frail older adults. Both men are competing for seniors’ votes against a backdrop of eroding political support for Trump among older Americans. “I want to send a message of support and hope to every senior citizen,” Trump said at the White House. “The light is starting to shine and we will get there very quickly.” (Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/23)
In related news —
Sacramento Bee: Stollwood Nursing Home, Site Of 17 CA COVID-19 Deaths, Closing
Stollwood Convalescent Hospital, a Woodland skilled nursing facility devastated by 17 coronavirus deaths in the earlier months of the pandemic, will close permanently this fall. (McGough and Pohl, 7/22)
The Hill: Nurses Place Shoes On Capitol Lawn For Every Colleague Who Died Of Coronavirus
Members of a national nurses union laid pairs of shoes representing their colleagues who have died while treating coronavirus patients on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. The demonstration, organized by National Nurses United (NNU), was designed to encourage Congress to invoke the Defense Production Act and mandate that U.S. manufacturing plants switch production to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves and masks. (Bowden, 7/22)
