State agrees with feds: Nursing home residents can hug again

Nursing home residents vaccinated against the coronavirus can get hugs again from their loved ones, and all residents can enjoy more indoor visits, according to the federal government.

Pennsylvania followed that up Friday in a news release, as state officials said they want operators of long-term care facilities to implement new federal guidelines allowing visitors back into their facilities

“We understand how difficult this past year has been on families and nursing home residents,” acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said. “This newly updated guidance is an important step as we continue to care for and protect the physical and mental health of our most vulnerable residents. All Pennsylvania nursing homes should implement this guidance immediately.”

The policy guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, comes as coronavirus cases and deaths among nursing home residents have plummeted.

The CMS guidance moves back in the pre-COVID-19 direction, saying that nursing homes “should allow indoor visitation at all times and for all residents, regardless of vaccination status.” Several exceptions are flagged, such as when a resident is known to be infected or in quarantine.

Infection control has long been a challenge for nursing homes, and many facilities have been short on staff. They became an ideal environment for the coronavirus to spread, among medically frail residents living in close quarters. Researchers believe the virus most likely got into homes through staffers exposed in the community and unwittingly bringing it with them.

Nursing home cases peaked around the end of December and then declined sharply, particularly since the middle of January. Deaths among residents fell from 7,042 the week ending Dec. 20 to 1,112 the week ending March 7, according to Associated Press. But new figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that nearly 1.4 million nursing home residents and more than 930,000 staffers have been fully vaccinated.

The state said there have been 12,754 deaths from senior care, accounting for 52% of the 24,530 fatalities overall.

CMS and the CDC’s new guidance allows outsiders into nursing homes if less than 10% of residents have active COVID-19 cases and 70% of residents are vaccinated.

Jason Cumello, Lehigh County’s Cedarbrook nursing home administrator, said his staff was evaluating the CMS guidelines.

“It’s a lot to unpack,” he said. “We will be creating our plan but I would expect some time this month to open up, barring any setbacks.”

He said the guidance indicates “responsible” visitations. “What I believe that entails is to avoid having crowds,” which he said could create potentially unsafe situations.

Earlier this week, Northampton County’s Gracedale administrator Jennifer Stewart-King said administrators intend to reopen the nursing facility, the second largest in the state, to visitors in the coming weeks. Barring any serious setbacks, family visitations will return May 1. Cedarbrook, which has facilities in South Whitehall Township and Fountain Hill, is the third largest operation in the state, according to Cummello.

For details on the new guidance, go to cms.gov and search nursing home visitations guidance.

Beam, Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller and Secretary of Aging Robert Torres joined in “strongly encouraging” directors of long-term care facilities to implement the new guidance immediately.