The nation’s largest nursing home association is once again urging more COVID-19 testing available for long-term care facilities.
“Plain and simple, whether it’s our federal, state or local health agencies, long term care facilities need adequate testing kits and personal protective equipment. And we need them now,” Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, said in a statement.
Parkinson issued the plea after Deborah Birx, M.D., the White House’s coronavirus task force coordinator, called for states to prioritize testing at long-term care facilities during a press briefing Tuesday.
He reiterated that officials need to start making long-term care a priority as the pandemic pushes on, claiming more lives every day. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes had topped 10,000.
Parkinson noted that providers are now seeing more cases of asymptomatic carriers of the disease. In California, public health officials are now allowing asymptomatic people who live or work in highly susceptible places, like nursing homes, to be tested for COVID-19.
“Without access to more testing, long term care providers are at a severe disadvantage in identifying more of these asymptomatic residents and staff,” Parkinson said.
“And without more personal protective equipment, our staff is at a serious disadvantage in protecting themselves so they can care for the vulnerable population who reside in our facilities,” he added.
In other coronavirus-related news:
• The federal government released a new toolkit aimed at helping states and healthcare providers retain staff and navigate workforce challenges during the coronavirus pandemic.
• One West Coast provider celebrated in a tribute video all the “Healthcare Heroes” who have cared for long-term care residents since “long before the storm” that is the coronavirus. While the images show frontline caregivers and staff from Marquis Companies and Consonus Healthcare, the narrative is an insightful essay into the character and courage of long-term care workers everywhere.
