The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Lamont orders review of virus response at nursing homes
HARTFORD — After more than 2,800 deaths at Connecticut’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities, the Lamont administration is ordering an outside review of how the COVID-19 pandemic has been handled in those facilities.
“Our state took proactive and innovative steps to address the outbreak in our long-term care facilities, but we must take steps to better understand how prepared the system was, and then review the steps that were taken once the virus was clearly present across the state,” Lamont said Monday.
Lamont’s decision to hire third-party experts for the review came one day after Hearst Connecticut Media published a story detailing systemic problems at nursing homes.
Those include understaffing, inadequate infection control plans, repeated violations of standards with little or no penalty, a virus testing program that failed to separate patients and shortages in basic supplies that protect staff and patients.
Family members told Hearst they found it difficult to learn how their relative was doing, whether they had coronavirus and even if they had died from the disease. Some nursing homes resisted revealing how many patients were infected and what administrators were doing to stop the spread.
Legislators told Hearst they are interested in a variety of fixes, including increased funding for nursing homes, more rigid
in-room cameras to monitor treatment and purchasing protective equipment.
Lamont said the review will incorporate a “top-tobottom analysis” of the pandemic and how it was addressed at nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
“That was the tragic center for our state and the other 49 states,” Lamont said, referring to nursing homes during his late afternoon COVID briefing.
Asked why the review was initiated now, Josh Geballe, Lamont’s chief operating officer, said nursing homes are stabilizing.
“We wanted to initiate now because the situation is stabilizing and in anticipation of a second phase,” Geballe said. “We wanted to do this now to see what we can learn, what went well and what can be done differently.”
Connecticut’s nursing homes have seen more 2,500 deaths and 8,500 coronavirus cases in a population of just over 21,000 patients. Assisted living facilities have suffered 337 deaths and over 1,000 residents contracted COVID-19, the latest figures show.
About 60 percent of total deaths in Connecticut have been among nursing home residents.
A quick review
The governor said he wants the analysis completed before the start of autumn and proposals to hire an outside expert will be released in several days.
“There is a chance there could be second surge and we want to be ready,” Lamont said.
He said he will also collaborate with legislative leaders to ensure the review provides the state with meaningful information that can best improve the safety of patients and staff.
“The awarded independent expert will be directed to work widely across state government and include input from the legislative and executive branches, as well as key stakeholders, such as the operators of long-term care facilities, the unions that represent the staff who work in these facilities, patients, health experts, and others,” the administration said in a release.
Lamont praised the state’s response to the pandemic, pointing out Connecticut was one of the first to discontinue visitation in early March.
The governor noted the state established dedicated COVID-recovery facilities to prevent COVID-positive patients from re-entering nursing homes, enhanced inspection and monitoring of infection control practices.
Other steps cited by the administration include delivering millions of units of personal protective equipment, $125 million in financial aid and new classes of workers.
The state in May and June began testing every nursing home resident who had not tested positive and required similar tests for all staff.
Deidre Gifford, acting commissioner of the Department of Public Health, said the review will allow the state to learn from the past.
“We must take this opportunity to learn from the pandemic and the experience of our nursing homes to ensure we are using the best available science and quality improvement techniques to protect these residents,” Gifford said.
“We must study the epidemiology, protocols, staffing, and overall preparedness of all our facilities to provide clarity and understanding of what happened over the course of this pandemic.”
Some lawmakers have been clamoring for hearings to review the state’s handing of the pandemic and are beginning to offer suggested legislation.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, recently submitted a bill containing myriad fixes to problems at nursing homes.
bcummings@ctpost.com