COVID-19 is Still Devastating Nursing Homes. The Trump Administration Isn ’t Doing Much To Stop It

At least 75,000 Americans in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have already died from COVID-19—and the devastation is far from over. After a decrease earlier this summer, the death toll is now rising once again, and as the country heads into the fall and then flu season, millions of Americans who require institutional long-term care remain at the greatest risk. But, so far, the Trump Administration has talked a big talk—and mostly failed to deliver. The White House trumpeted its efforts to send personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing materials to long-term care facilities, but the supplies that actually arrived have been limited in quantity and sometimes unusable. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ramped up its requirements for how often nursing homes must test staffers and residents, but has so far failed to ensure that facilities will have access to all the test kits they need. And this week, Senate Republicans crowed about their scaled-back version of a coronavirus relief bill, but it did not include any funding specifically for long-term care facilities, among the hardest-hit places in the country. The government’s failure to prioritize those in need of long-term care has stymied nursing homes and other facilities in the Midwest and South, where infection rates are high. Industry experts say the Trump Administration’s moves are making it more difficult for facilities to implement lessons learned from prev...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news