Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Discovery Of N.J. Nursing Home's 'Makeshift Morgue' Holding 17 Bodies Sparks Investigation Into Facility
Reuters: 'Makeshift Morgue' At New Jersey Nursing Home Sparks Broader Coronavirus Probe
New Jersey’s governor on Thursday ordered a probe into long-term care facilities after a “makeshift morgue” was found at a nursing home devastated by the novel coronavirus, raising questions about the death toll at homes for the elderly. (Layne and Resnick-Ault, 4/16)
The Wall Street Journal: New Jersey Nursing Home Under Investigation After Coronavirus Deaths
Authorities in New Jersey are investigating the state’s largest nursing home site after dozens of residents died, many from the coronavirus. More than a dozen of the deceased residents were being kept in a small holding room in the facility before they were removed with the assistance of law-enforcement officials Monday, said Chaim Scheinbaum, chief executive at Alliance Healthcare, which owns the facility. Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday he was “outraged the bodies of the dead were allowed to pile up in a makeshift morgue at the facility.” (De Avila and Kamp, 4/16)
The New York Times: Coronavirus Nursing Home Deaths: 29, Or More, Dead At One Facility
Berna Lee got the call from the nursing home in Queens on April 3: Her mother had a fever, nothing serious. She was assured that there were no cases of coronavirus in the home. Then she started calling workers there. “One said, ‘Girl, let me tell you, it’s crazy here,’” Ms. Lee said. “‘Six people died today.’” In a panic, Ms. Lee drove from her home in Rhode Island to the nursing home, beginning a two-week scramble for information, as workers at the facility, Sapphire Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing of Central Queens, told her privately that many residents had died, and that most of the home’s leadership was out sick or in quarantine. (Leland, Harris and Tully, 4/16)
Boston Globe: Critics Say State Needs To Repeatedly Test All Nursing Home Staff And Residents
With nearly half of coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts occurring at long-term-care facilities, state officials are now offering to provide testing for residents and staff at any nursing home, assisted living facility or rest home, seeking to curb a contagion that preys upon the frail and elderly. Because the illness can be transmitted by people who are not showing symptoms, the state said this type of universal testing is crucial so the facilities can isolate the infectious and identify the full scope of the outbreak. (Murphy, Crimaldi and Weisman, 4/16)
Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 To Boost State And Federal Probes Of Long-Term Care
Skilled-nursing facilities and other long-term care providers will likely face greater scrutiny from state and federal investigators as they struggle to manage COVID-19 cases, legal experts said. Prior to the pandemic, regulators have systematically bolstered enforcement activity targeting long-term care facilities, which have struggled to contain the virus that's infecting many of their chronically ill patients who live in close quarters. This has resulted in thousands of deaths, which experts warn are likely significantly underreported, and a lack of transparency has hindered containment efforts. (Kacik, 4/16)
