Ward: Protect care facility residents

Wolf urged to do more for nursing home population amid pandemic

HARRISBURG -- A recent report by the New York Times showing Pennsylvania has six of the top 10 nursing homes with COVID-19 deaths has Republican state lawmakers calling on Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration to make good on its promises to protect the vulnerable long-term care facility population.

"The data and information available suggest the Wolf administration has not taken its pledges to protect nursing homes and long-term care facilities and their residents seriously enough," said state Sen. Judy Ward, R-Blair, who chaired the Senate Aging and Youth Committee during the 2019-20 legislative session.

According to the Times report, the national average for nursing home deaths due to COVID-19 is 38%, but in Pennsylvania it's 60%, which is the sixth-highest percentage in the nation. Additionally, of the top 10 facilities for virus deaths, six are Pennsylvania-based facilities, with Fair Acres Geriatric Center of Lima, Pa., the site with the most deaths in the nation: Fair Acres Geriatric Center (409 case, 94 deaths); Paramount Nursing & Rehab/ Senior Living Fayetteville of Fayetteville, Pa., (92 cases, 92 deaths); Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation of Allentown, Pa., (384 cases, 81 deaths); Conestoga View Nursing and Rehabilitation of Lancaster, Pa., (297 cases, 77 deaths); Gracedale Nursing Home of Nazareth, Pa., (309 cases, 76 deaths); and Brighton Rehabilitation & Wellness Center of Beaver, Pa., (454 cases, 73 deaths).

"Nursing homes and other facilities need to have the funding and resources in order to navigate this surge in COVID-19 cases," Ward said.

Last week, long-term care industry advocacy groups -- LeadingAge PA, the Pennsylvania Health Care Association and the Pennsylvania Coalition of Affiliated Healthcare & Living Communities -- announced they had filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court demanding the Wolf Administration re-allocate more than $150 million in federal dollars. For years the industry has complained about inadequate reimbursement rates for provided care, with the rates during the past decade rising about half as much as facility care costs.

In conjunction with the passage of a temporary state budget in May, state lawmakers approved appropriating to long-term care facilities $692 million of the state's share of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding.

Several months ago, the long-term care provider groups claimed the Wolf administration ignored their requests for help as the virus spread during the spring, something the administration continues to dispute, though acknowledged there was more of a focus on hospitals than long-term care facilities early during the virus outbreak. Since then, the administration has implemented, and adjusted as necessary, policies and procedures to try to prevent virus spread in long-term living facilities.

In addition to the Wolf administration making virus testing and personal protective equipment available to long-term care providers, the new COVID-19 vaccines will soon be on the way to help inoculate both residents and facility staff, state health officials said Thursday.

During a Thursday COVID-19 virtual briefing, state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said distribution of vaccines for long-term care facility residents and staff will begin on Dec. 28, but will be dictated by availability, which remains a fluid situation given the limited early supply of doses. Levine said partnerships with pharmacies will handle the distribution to nursing homes once the vaccine becomes available.