Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CMS Goes On Defense As Finger Pointing Over Nursing Home Deaths Begins
The Associated Press: Grim Blame Game Over COVID Deaths In Besieged Nursing Homes
A grim blame game with partisan overtones is breaking out over COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents, a tiny slice of the population that represents a shockingly high proportion of Americans who have perished in the pandemic. The Trump administration has been pointing to a segment of the industry — facilities with low federal ratings for infection control — and to some Democratic governors who required nursing homes to take recovering coronavirus patients. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/15)
Modern Healthcare: Nursing Home Front Line Asks For Congressional Help During Pandemic
Chris Brown, a nursing home worker for the past decade, said there was such a shortage of personal protective equipment at his Illinois facility that he had to don a garbage bag for protection while treating patients. "If I become sick, how can I take care of someone else?" Brown, a certified nursing assistant, asked during a federal briefing by the U.S. House of Representatives' Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. (Christ, 6/11)
NPR: Texas Calls In A Strike Force To Try To Slow Coronavirus Spread In Nursing Homes
Some of the worst coronavirus outbreaks have occurred at long-term care facilities that now account for more than one-third of all COVID-19 deaths in America. Some states have taken aggressive actions to slow the spread of the virus among elderly populations and workers in nursing homes. Texas formed a strike force to assess problems at its 1,222 nursing homes. (Burnett, 6/15)
The Oklahoman: Oklahoma Nursing Homes Can Begin Phased Reopening Monday
Starting Monday, Oklahoma nursing homes can begin a phased approach to allow visitations to resume, Gov. Kevin Stitt's office announced Friday — the same day the state reported its largest single-day increase of new COVID-19 cases. In order to resume family visitations, nursing homes will have to have an absence of COVID-19 for at least two weeks and will need to follow standards on staffing levels, availability of personal protective equipment and local hospital capacity. (The Oklahoman. 6/13)
