Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Inadequate Testing In Nursing Homes Allows Rapid Spread Of Deadly Outbreaks, Advocates Say
The Associated Press: 11,000 Deaths: Ravaged Nursing Homes Plead For More Testing
After two months and more than 11,000 deaths that have made the nation’s nursing homes some of the most terrifying places to be during the coronavirus crisis, most of them still don’t have access to enough tests to help control outbreaks among their frail, elderly residents. Neither the federal government nor the leader in nursing home deaths, New York, has mandated testing for all residents and staff. An industry group says only about a third of the 15,000 nursing homes in the U.S. have ready access to tests that can help isolate the sick and stop the spread. And homes that do manage to get a hold of tests often rely on luck and contacts. (Condon, Sedensky and Mustian, 4/24)
The Wall Street Journal: New York City Nursing Home With Dozens Of Deaths During Coronavirus Outbreak Says It Got Little Help
At a Brooklyn nursing home where at least 50 people have died who were suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus, a top administrator says his center had to go it alone for weeks during the outbreak, with little support from the state or other authorities. Cobble Hill Health Center Chief Executive Donny Tuchman said some staff wore garbage bags for protection. Some worked 16-hour shifts. And at times, patients were dying so quickly that the center’s refrigerated storage was beyond capacity, forcing workers to rotate bodies in and out as they waited for space at funeral homes or morgues. (Brody, 4/23)
NPR: Nursing Homes Want Immunity From Civil Action As COVID-19 Spreads
The people most vulnerable to the coronavirus are older adults with underlying health conditions. And that perfectly describes the residents of nursing homes. There are no authoritative numbers on fatalities, but estimates are in the thousands. A report by The Wall Street Journal this week said more than 10,000 nursing home residents have died of COVID-19. So, fearing a flood of lawsuits, nursing homes and other health care facilities have been seeking, and gaining, temporary immunity from potential civil suits in several states across the country. (Jaffe, 4/23)
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Toll In Yucaipa Concentrated At Skilled Nursing Facility
Eighteen residents of a Yucaipa skilled nursing facility are dead after a coronavirus outbreak at the facility, and more than 100 residents and staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. The deaths at Cedar Mountain Post Acute Rehabilitation account for nearly a quarter of San Bernardino County’s 77 coronavirus-related deaths, according to the county’s latest numbers. (Gomez, 4/23)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Arbor Terrace Home Accused Of Negligence In COVID-19 Deaths
Family members of five people who died after contracting the coronavirus at one of the state’s hardest-hit senior care homes announced Thursday they are filing lawsuits against the assisted living facility for failing to properly protect residents. The virus has ravaged Arbor Terrace at Cascade, where 52 residents have tested positive and 15 have died, according to state records released Wednesday. At least 34 of the facility’s staff have also tested positive for coronavirus. (Teegardin and Schrade, 4/23)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: With Deaths Mounting, Officials Test All Veterans In Reserve Nursing Home: Nearly Half Are Positive
Nearly half of the remaining residents of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home have tested positive for the coronavirus, which has now killed more than one of every six residents of the nursing home in the deadliest such cluster seen in the state. So far, 24 deaths have been attributed to the virus in the Reserve home, which held around 150 veterans when the outbreak began, according to Brandee Patrick, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Veterans Affairs, which runs the facility. (Russell, 4/23)
