Whitehouse: Push through Dem proposal on nursing homes
As the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic approaches, 8.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse D-5I Moins Senators %ob Casey D-3A , 5aphael Warnock D-*A , 5ichard %lumenthal D-C7 , and Cory %ooker D-1in introducing a legislative proposal to save lives of nursing home residents and employees and assist with vaccinations. At press time, over 1. million nursing residents and workers in long-term care facilities have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 1 , have died so far, accounting for appro[imately percent of COVID-19 deaths nationwide.
/ast week, S. , “7he “COVID-19 1ursing +ome 3rotection Act,” was thrown into the legislative hopper. Initially introduced last Congress, the latest version, now being considered by the Senate )inance Committee, would provide funding to give nursing homes the needed resources to keep residents and workers safe funding would go towards providing vital infection control assistance and organi]ing local health and emergency workers ± known as “strike” or “surge” teams ± to manage COVID-19 outbreaks and care for residents. At this time no +ouse companion measure has been introduced.
S. , introduced on )eb. , would provide 1 million for the Secretary of ++S to contract with Tuality improvement organi]ations to provide essential infection control assistance to nursing homes.
0oreover, the legislative proposal would also send million in funding to states to implement “strike” or “surge” teams. States are using “strike” or “surge” teams to ensure a sufficient number of aides, nurses and other providers are available to care for residents. Such teams also help manage COVID-19 outbreaks within a facility, particularly as vaccinations proceed in these settings. Since August, appro[imately percent of nursing homes have reported each week that they do not have a sufficient workforce to care for residents.”
7he impact of the pandemic has been devastating to minority communities, where reports have indicated that facilities serving significant numbers of %lack and +ispanic residents were twice as likely to have COVID-19 infections. S. would reTuire the ++S Secretary to collect and make public demographic data on COVID-19 cases and deaths, including information on age, race, ethnicity, and preferred language.
Whitehouse supports 3resident -oe %iden’s call for the implementation of strike teams in his American 5escue 3lan to help address these persistent shortages as well as the collection and dissemination of data on suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by race, ethnicity and preferred language.
“1ursing home residents and staff have been through a traumatic year,” said Whitehouse who sites on the Senate )inance Committee. “We need to prioriti]e vaccinating and caring for the Americans who live and work in these settings. 7hat means providing additional staff as needed to control outbreaks and making sure every resident and care worker who wants a vaccine can get one.,” said the 5hode Island’s Munior Senator who has served since -an. , .
“As more than 1 , residents and workers in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have died from COVID-19, it is critical that Congress pass the COVID-19 1ursing +ome 3rotection Act,” says Sen. %ob Casey, Chair of the 8.S. Special Committee on Aging.
“7his bill would address persistent staffing shortages in nursing homes by utili]ing strike teams, promote infection control protocols and reTuire that demographic data is collected on COVID-19 cases and deaths,” notes Casey.
Adds Casey, “7he challenge this terrible virus poses are unprecedented and reTuires an immediate and e[traordinary response. 7hat is why my colleagues and I are advancing strategies to give states what they need ± funding for ‘strike’ teams to help address staffing shortages in nursing homes and assist with vaccinations in these settings. We have an obligation to protect our most at-risk citi]ens.”
“We applaud the efforts of Senator Whitehouse and his colleagues to provide funding for the protection of nursing home residents and staff,” said Scott )raser, 3resident and C(O of the 5hode Island +ealth Care Association, an affiliate of the Washington, DCbased American +ealth Care Association. “We are especially pleased with the creation of strike teams to address the critical issue of staffing shortages during times of crisis. 7his is a suggestion that 5I+CA brought to Senator Whitehouse’s attention this past Spring when our homes were in critical need of additional staff due to the pandemic. We thank him for listening and taking action,” he says.
At press time, 1 Democratic Senators Moin Sens. Whitehouse, Casey, Warnock, %lumenthal, and %ooker, becoming cosponsors to this legislation. 7hey are Sens. 0aria Cantwell D-WA , %ob 0enende] D-1- , -eanne Shaheen D-1+ , 7ina Smith D-01 , Amy .lobuchar D-01 , 7ammy Duckworth D-I/ , Chris Van +ollen D-0D , Sherrod %rown DO+ , Catherine Corte] 0asto D-1V , -ack 5eed D-5I , 0aggie +assan D1+ and 0a]ie +irono D-+I .
With the Senate now under Democratic control, there is a good chance that S. will be considered by the Senate )inance Committee and if passed sent to the floor for consideration.
It’s time for Senate 5epublicans to support a Democratic proposal that protects the health and safety and the wellbeing of nursing home residents and workers in the nation’s 1 , nursing homes.
3artisan politics shouldn’t play a role in Senate 0inority /eader 0itch 0cConnell’s decision to not urge his caucus to support this worthy legislative proposal. S. truly deserves bipartisan support and enactment, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Herb Weiss, LRI’12, is a Pawtucket writer covering aging, health care and medical issues. To purchase Taking Charge: Collected Stories on Aging Boldly, a collection of 79 of his weekly commentaries, go to herbweiss.com.