PREFACE
The coronavirus has impacted nearly all people worldwide. Almost every country in the world has reported cases, except North Korea, Turkmenistan, and a handful of islands in Oceania. Worldwide, coronavirus deaths are highest among the elderly and people with pre-existing health conditions. Unfortunately, this means that nursing homes and long term care facilities are most vulnerable to COVID-19, since residents are often both elderly and have underlying health conditions while also living in close quarters. Because of this, the government should have a responsibility to take specific measures to protect nursing homes from the virus. In this article, we will examine how the policy of Governor Wolf, governor of Pennsylvania, has affected long term care facilities and their ability to fight against COVID-19.
THE SITUATION
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania currently has a total of 6,712 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus. 4,591 of these are linked to long term care facilities, meaning that about 68% of confirmed cases in Pennsylvania are related to long term care facilities. Unfortunately, many nursing homes and facilities lack the staff and supplies needed to social distance, let alone treat COVID-19 positive residents. Several months ago, in March, Governor Wolf released guidelines to alleviate this growing crisis.
THE POLICY
Governor Wolf's initial policy, released on March 18, 2020, outlines the procedures nursing facilities should follow during COVID-19. Nursing homes are required to restrict visitors, volunteers, non-essential health care personnel, and cross-over visitation between nursing homes and outside facilities. Nursing homes and long term care facilities should implement social distancing in dining and group activities and regularly screen staff and residents for symptoms of the virus. In addition, facilities must accept admissions for residents who have been discharged from the hospital, even those who have had the coronavirus. The policy further details the specific procedures for dining, communal activities, and screenings.
THE CONTROVERSY
Many Republicans, members of the opposing political party of Democrat Governor Wolf, blame the policy for the toll that the virus has taken on nursing homes. They highlight part of the policy from the PA Health Department, which reads:
Nursing care facilities must continue to accept new admissions and receive readmissions for current residents who have been discharged from the hospital who are stable to alleviate the increasing burden in the acute care settings. This may include stable patients who have had the COVID-19 virus.
Essentially, this means that facilities must admit residents who are confirmed COVID-19 positive and have recovered. The center of the outrage comes from Governor Wolf's May 12 update, in which it states that residents being treated in a hospital for a non-coronavirus related condition should be tested for the virus. However, if the patient tests positive, they should still be admitted back into the nursing home or facility. Critics of the policy state that forcing facilities to take COVID positive residents are the cause of the exceedingly high death rates present in various nursing homes. Governor Wolf's administration defends the policy by attributing the majority of cases in nursing homes and long term care facilities to infected and asymptomatic staff members spreading the virus. In addition, Governor Wolf has stated that the move to force nursing homes to admit residents from the hospital was done in an effort to conserve hospital beds, as numerous states in the US have run out of hospital beds to treat all of the patients due to the coronavirus pandemic.
WHAT HAVE OTHER STATES DONE DIFFERENTLY?
While Pennsylvania's response has come under fire for the potential that it exposed residents to the virus, other states have taken different approaches. For instance, several states, including Connecticut and Utah, have implemented COVID-only facilities for residents recovering from the virus. This allows for hospitals to free up space otherwise taken up by recovering patients fit enough to leave the hospital, yet still keeping other healthy residents safe. However, the negative effects of this method of dealing with the virus is that residents who were previously living in the newly created COVID-only facilities have to be moved to other residencies, and then quarantined. Uprooting seniors can make things extremely difficult for them, with a sudden change in staff and facility.
CONCLUSION
Various policies on protecting nursing homes and long term care facilities each have their own benefits and drawbacks. With lives at stake, it is important that we learn about these policies and what they mean for the safety of residents.
SOURCES