Governor Baker Leads List Of Reforms For Holyoke Soldiers’ Home With Stringent Annual Inspections
Because the facility isn't overseen by HHS, it isn't subject to annual state inspections. The federal Veterans Affairs department inspects the home annually, and a private organization inspects it every three years, but some feel those inspections aren't rigorous enough. News on nursing homes is from Georgia and France, as well.
WBUR:
Baker Announces 12 Reforms After Scathing Report On Holyoke Soldiers' Home
One day after an independent investigation into the coronavirus outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home revealed "utterly baffling" medical decisions by the home's leadership team and substantial oversight failures by the state's Department of Veteran Services (DVS), Gov. Charlie Baker announced a series of reforms he plans to implement. His list includes nine recommendations from the report, plus three others from his administration. He said at a press conference on Thursday that he hopes the recommendations "can find their way into state law shortly." (Wasser, 6/25)
Boston Globe:
Baker Takes Heat For Not Pushing To Require Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Superintendent Be Licensed
In their gut-wrenching report on the state-run Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, investigators pointed to a clear gap in the facility’s management: Its superintendent was not licensed to run a nursing home, nor was he required to be. But in detailing several proposals Thursday to overhaul supervision of the facility, Governor Charlie Baker did not recommend rewriting state law to change that standard. (Stout and Krueger, 6/25)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia Nursing Homes Struggle To Battle Coronavirus
By the time the Georgia National Guard arrived in late April to offer COVID-19 testing at Westbury Medical Care and Rehab in Jackson, the coronavirus had proven to be a deadly force inside nursing homes. Jennifer Vasil, Westbury’s director, was doing everything she could to protect the home’s vulnerable seniors after their first resident tested positive in early April. Westbury closed its doors to visitors in March and scrambled to get as much PPE as possible. Vasil had a system in place to separate residents, hoping to shield those showing no signs of infection. (Teegardin, 6/25)
AP:
After Waves Of COVID Deaths, Care Homes Face Legal Reckoning
The muffled, gagging sounds in the background of the phone call filled Monette Hayoun with dread. Was her severely disabled 85-year-old brother, Meyer, choking on his food? Was he slowly suffocating like the Holocaust survivor who died a few months earlier in another of the care home’s bedrooms, a chunk of breakfast baguette lodged in his throat? (Leicester, 6/26)
In related news —
Modern Healthcare:
Mayo Clinic To Launch National Hospital-At-Home Model
Mayo Clinic has partnered with Medically Home to launch a hospital-at-home model that they plan to scale across the country. The Rochester, Minn.-based health system has built on Boston-based Medically Home's technology and network of in-home services, and paired it with its clinical expertise and integrated model. The aim is to deliver more affordable and efficient high-acuity care to patients typically bound to the hospital for infusions, skilled nursing, lab and imaging work, and behavioral counseling, among other services. They plan to partner with community organizations and regional suppliers to round out their staffing and supply chain needs, some of which are as basic as reliable WiFi connections needed to relay vital signs. (Kacik, 6/25)
