Protecting our seniors
House proposal would direct funds to nursing homes
State House lawmakers want to direct $500 million of Pennsylvania’s federal COVID-19 funding to the most-vulnerable communities — nursing and personal care homes. It’s a proposal the Senate should also approve and send to the governor for his signature.
The Senior Protection Act received near-unanimous approval in the House in light of the number of infections that have affected nearly a third of the state’s more than 1,800 care facilities. Nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s 4,500 COVID-19-related deaths have occurred in these settings, according to the state Department of Health.
House Speaker Mike Turzai, RBradford Woods, co-sponsored the legislation along with two Allegheny County Democrats — Harry Readshaw, D-Carrick, and Bill Kortz, DDravosburg. The bill would establish regional health care collaboratives throughout the state that would coordinate the acquisition of supplies, expand COVID-19 testing, establish protocols for stemming the spread of the coronavirus and conduct contact tracing at affected facilities.
The $500 million in funding would come from Pennsylvania’s $3.9 billion share of coronavirus aid.
The troubling number of COVID19 cases and deaths at care facilities statewide has raised questions about the state’s handling of outbreaks at nursing homes. The Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County had the state’s worst outbreak, leading to 358 positive cases among 460 residents and 76 deaths. A temporary manager was put in place by state officials, and 40 Pennsylvania National Guard troops spent a week at the facility offering assistance. U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, has called for a federal investigation of the facility.
The Pennsylvania Health Care Association estimates that nearly 123,000 individuals reside in the state’s 697 nursing facilities, 1,143 personal-care homes and 58 assistedliving residences. Those facilities combined employ some 143,000 people.
The Health Department reports 12,677 resident COVID-19 cases at facilities, and 1,922 cases among employees.
Such facilities are particularly vulnerable to the spread of the virus, which can have a high fatality rate in those settings because of the age of most residents and the fact that many have underlying health issues.
The state proposal would concentrate funding on three of the key components to stopping the spread of COVID-19 at nursing homes and care facilities — testing, treatment and tracing. With more of the state reopening and the potential for a second wave of infections possible, state health officials need to take decisive action now to protect the most-vulnerable citizens. The Senior Protection Act is a good first step.