Nursing home COVID-19 cases rise four-fold in surge states
Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities account for about 1% of the U.S. population, but represent 40% of COVID-19 deaths, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities account for about 1% of the U.S. population, but represent 40% of COVID-19 deaths, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Those cleared included homes with mounting coronavirus outbreaks before or during the inspections, as well as those that saw cases and deaths spiral upward after inspectors reported no violations had been found, in some cases multiple times.
The state on Wednesday announced a five-part plan that also includes sending 2 million N-95 masks and 400,000 face shields to nursing homes, which have been particularly hard hit by the virus.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living released a report Monday that said the United States is beginning to see a third spike of new COVID cases in nursing homes due to the increased community spread among the general population.
Dashboard users will be able to search specific long-term care facilities to see reported cases and deaths.
The weekly cost of testing employees could range from more than $19,000 to nearly $38,000, according to estimates. But the Trump administration said nursing homes can cover the cost of ongoing testing from a $5 billion pot provided by Congress, and allocated to the facilities by the White House.
The Indianapolis-based drugmaker said it will enroll about 2,400 residents and staff of nursing homes to test an antibody it is developing with a Canadian biotech. Nursing homes account for about 40% of U.S. deaths from COVID-19.
The numbers represent the first official national accounting of fatalities in the 15,000 nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding. The tally, however, is incomplete.
The state health department laid out new orders Wednesday in an effort to protect elderly and confined Hoosiers from contracting the disease, Meanwhile, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard is coordinating testing for nursing home residents in his city.
Both types of locations are considered serious in a pandemic, because the virus can spread quickly in confined spaces. In addition, elderly people in nursing homes or prisons with underlying medical conditions are considered especially vulnerable if they are infected.
Officials at Otterbein Franklin SeniorLife Community say a nurse and therapist also tested positive and are recovering at home.
Capitol Village Healthcare, a 52-bed nursing home at 2926 N. Capitol Ave., closed earlier this year, and had received low ratings from U.S. News and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The penalties will be as much as 2 percent of Medicare reimbursements, and could be worth millions of dollars to large nursing-home chains with locations spread across Indiana and the nation.
The family's American Senior Communities is the dominant nursing home company in Indiana, with 94 long-term care facilities.