Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Tragedy In Nursing Homes: Consequence Of Failed Testing, Shortage Of Protective Gear For Workers
Politico: How Public Health Failed Nursing Homes
The unfolding tragedy in American nursing homes, where patients are dying in clusters, is another consequence of the coronavirus testing debacle. While America wasn’t looking, family visitors, staff and other health professionals unknowingly brought the virus into long-term care facilities, spreading it among the population least likely to withstand it. On top of that, the shortages of protective gear for health workers exacerbated the situation because nursing homes, hospices and other outpatient settings have a tough time getting scarce equipment like masks and gowns, provider groups said. (Kenen, Roubein and Luthi, 4/6)
WBUR: Nursing Home Advocates Call For More Funds, Tests And Protective Equipment
In the past week, dozens of Massachusetts nursing home residents have tested positive for COVID-19, and at least 20 have died from the disease. Now, an industry group that represents hundreds of senior care facilities around the state says their members are facing a major a shortage of staffing, funds, and personal protective equipment like masks and gowns. (Ma, 4/5)
ABC News: Cut Off From Loved Ones In Nursing Care, Families Are Left Fearing The Unknown
Jenn Hubbert was working from home on March 17 when her husband called out to her from across the house. “He was watching TV when he realized the breaking news was about my mother’s nursing facility,” said Hubbert, a real estate agent in Florida. “The first death from coronavirus had been reported, and I didn't even know there was a case there. I was in disbelief.” (Mosk, Romero, Pecorin and Freger, 4/6)
Boston Globe: Residents And Families Angry And Helpless As Coronavirus Overwhelms Nursing Homes
COVID-19 has ripped through many of the state’s 800 or so nursing homes and assisted living facilities with astonishing speed. At Charlwell, three staffers told the Globe they believe the virus contributed to 21 deaths in less than two weeks, although not all of those people were tested. When the mail arrived Friday, there were 20 greeting cards for patients who had recently died. (Weisman and Krantz, 4/4)
Boston Globe: Half The Rhode Islanders Who Have Died From The Coronavirus Lived In Nursing Homes
As Governor Gina M. Raimondo announced her daily tally of coronavirus cases and deaths Friday, she pointed out a disturbing fact: Half of the Rhode Islanders who have died lived in nursing homes, and 21 percent of the positive test results have been among staff and residents of those homes.And that daily tally was grim: 54 more cases, two more deaths, both women in their 70s. (Milkovits, 4/3)
Houston Chronicle: More Than 80 Residents Of Texas City Nursing Home Test Positive For New Coronavirus
Samuel Quinn didn’t find out his mother had coronavirus until after he visited her at a Texas City nursing home Friday morning. Quinn said he was given a mask and gown upon entering The Resort at Texas City, a 135-bed long-term care facility, and asked nurses if his mother, Peggy Smith, had tested positive for the virus. They said she had not. (Powell and Lewis, 4/3)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: State Provides First Accounting Of Outbreaks In Senior Care Facilities
Georgia Friday evening made public the names of 47 nursing homes and other senior care facilities that have had coronavirus outbreaks, providing the public with the most complete accounting to date of the virus’s spread in facilities for the elderly since the first reported case became public on March 16. The list of facilities identified by the Georgia Department of Public Health reflects known outbreaks as of Wednesday afternoon. By Friday afternoon, the total number of senior communities that had residents who tested positive for COVID-19 had climbed to 60, underscoring how rapidly the disease is spreading in facilities that serve thousands of the state’s most vulnerable adults. (Schrade and Teegardin, 4/3)
