Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Newly Released Data Shows How COVID Is Ravaging Nursing Homes Across Massachusetts
Boston Globe: For The First Time, State Divulges Death Toll By Nursing Home, And More Than 80 Have 20 Or More COVID-19 Deaths
More than 80 different long-term-care facilities in Massachusetts have each recorded at least 20 COVID-19 deaths among residents, a sign of the pandemic’s widespread toll on facilities that care for the elderly and disabled, according to state data released Wednesday night. It is the first time Baker administration officials have divulged details of the deaths at nursing homes and rest homes that have contributed to the staggering mortality rate among the state’s older residents. (Weisman and Ostriker, 5/27)
Boston Globe: For Nursing Home Staffs, It’s Grit, Teamwork, And An Us-Against-The-World Mindset
For those on the front lines at Massachusetts nursing homes, the job stresses have grown. And the public cheering for health care workers is barely audible. They report to work each day and don protective gear. They care for old and frail residents who are confined to their rooms, with sickness and fear all around. They help residents get out of bed, get dressed, eat, and go to the bathroom. And sometimes they sit by their side when they die. (Weisman, 5/27)
The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Pandemic Hits Nursing-Home Finances
The biggest U.S. nursing-home company said its operations are being pressured by fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, pointing to a sharp drop in occupancy and rising expenses that are rippling through the entire elder-care sector. Genesis Healthcare Inc. GEN -12.93% said in an earnings call Wednesday that it had seen cases of Covid-19, the coronavirus illness, in 187 of its 361 facilities, largely concentrated in five Eastern states with heavy community spread of the virus. (Wilde Mathews and Kamp, 5/27)
The Star Tribune: Four Minn. Nursing Homes With COVID-19 Outbreaks Cited For Serious Violations
A troubled nursing home in Moorhead transported a coronavirus patient to a dialysis center without notifying staff at the center or the driver of the patient’s infection, potentially exposing at least nine people to the deadly virus. At a nursing home in west-central Minnesota, a resident with symptoms of the virus was allowed to attend communal meals and group bingo games, endangering 17 other residents of the facility. (Serres, 5/28)
Pennlive.Com: Pa. Lawmakers Plan To Steer Federal Stimulus Funds To Nursing Homes, Small Businesses And Counties
Pennsylvania nursing homes, small businesses and counties would be among the biggest recipients of some of the federal stimulus money under a plan that the House Appropriations Committee is expected to consider on Thursday morning. The plan proposes to distribute two-thirds of the state’s $3.9 billion allotment of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, money. (Murphy, 5/28)
Colorado Sun: Coronavirus Deaths At Colorado Nursing Homes Slow, Reach 737; Outbreaks At Restaurants, Stores Continue To Climb
The pace of coronavirus deaths among Colorado nursing home and senior care center residents slowed during the past week, rising by 26 to 737, according to state health officials. That’s a stark difference compared to recent weeks in which the state counted nearly 100 new fatalities each week. (Brown and Paul, 5/27)
Detroit Free Press: More Than 1,200 COVID-19 Deaths Associated With Nursing Homes
Preliminary numbers released by the state Wednesday show there have been at least 1,216 coronavirus-related deaths and 4,920 cases of infection associated with Michigan nursing homes. That number is expected to grow as more facilities report to the state, Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon said during a state Senate oversight committee hearing Wednesday afternoon. (Anderson and Tanner, 5/27)
KQED: For Daughter Of 96-Year-Old, COVID-19 Rules Against Seeing Mom Are Especially Painful
As of early May, officials have recommended to all licensed facilities in California that they permit some exceptions to the lockdown, including support visits for end-of-life visitors, and for people experiencing cognitive impairments when medically necessary. What the state offers is guidance, not a rule. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends screening everyone who enters a nursing home and restricting visitors except in "compassionate care" situations. Those, too, are only guidelines. (Peterson, 5/27)
