Lawmakers denounce forced COVID-19 admissions - SpecialtyRx
July 1, 2020
Lawmakers denounce forced COVID-19 admissions

GOP representatives put pressure on Democratic governors:

Why were nursing homes forced to admit COVID-positive patients?

 
Months into the coronavirus pandemic, the majority of the United States are experiencing their best numbers yet, with new reported cases of COVID-19 down significantly since their peak on April 2nd. While surges have persisted in small pockets of Florida, Arizona, and California, activity has calmed in most places, and the virus has been relatively contained.

Now, lawmakers are looking back to the early days of the pandemic and asking: What could we have done differently? And specifically—why did certain states put their nursing homes and assisted living facilities at risk by forcing them to accept COVID-19 residents?
 

 

Blue states on blast

 

On June 15th, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis delivered letters to leadership in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and California. In addition to expressing outrage over their handling of hospital discharges, reps also demanded more detailed information on state-issued policies and their impact in nursing homes.

“We owe it to those who died and their grieving families to get to the bottom of why these deadly decisions were made by these governors, ensure we stop this from taking place, and prevent tragedies like these from happening again as we continue to battle this deadly virus,” said Congressman Stephen Scalise of Louisiana.

The letter emphasized the importance of collaboration between governors’ offices and their state health departments. When it comes to containing the spread of coronavirus in long-term care facilities, clear communication and strategy are crucial.

Forbes reporters echoed the officials’ discontent in a scathing article titled “The Most Important Coronavirus Statistic: 42% of U.S. Deaths are from 0.6% of the Population.” The headline refers to the segment of all coronavirus casualties attributed to long-term care.
Today, 2.1 million Americans live in a nursing home or assisted living facility, which equates to less than 1% of the total population. Lawmakers are finally waking up to such a staggering—and troublesome—statistic.

Hopefully, increased federal pressure will help our amazing healthcare operators defend their rights and receive the resources and funding they so desperately deserve.