State Rep. Todd Stephens (R-Montgomery) will soon introduce legislation requiring the public release of data on COVID-19 cases in long-term care facilities and nursing homes.
To date, state and county officials have provided generalized data regarding the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on state-licensed nursing homes and long-term care facilities, but facility-specific numbers have been obfuscated by officials who are trying to seek a balance between transparency and patient privacy.
Stephens said the goal of his legislation is to ensure residents of long-term care facilities and their families have the information necessary to protect themselves and their loved ones. The legislation would require the Pennsylvania Department of Health or county health department to publish the percentage of positive cases as part of the resident population of each individual facility, as well as require the publishing of protocols being used to isolate positive cases in each facility.
“The coronavirus has severely impacted the senior population in Pennsylvania, and that impact is clear from the data surrounding positive cases and deaths associated with long-term care facilities,” Stephens said. “Facility-specific data is already being collected, but the Health Department currently only publishes data by county, not facility. Under my legislation, concerned family members will have the data showing the extent of the coronavirus’s spread in each long-term facility.”
Montgomery County currently has 75 nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and at least two-thirds have had at least one case of COVID-19 in either their residents or staff. In total, the county reported 607 positive cases among residents and another 323 cases among staff members as of Friday afternoon, and 91 of Montgomery County’s 135 coronavirus deaths have occurred in residents of long-term care facilities and nursing homes.
According to data provided by Montgomery County Commissioner Chair Dr. Valerie Arkoosh on Friday, there are 24 long-term care or congregate living facilities with at least 11 positive COVID-19 cases, including one facility with between 56 to 60 cases and another with between 71 and 75 cases.
For residents with family members in those facilities, information has been scarce regarding the amount of cases, as well as the measures being undertaken to stop the spread and protect unaffected residents. In the case of Manorcare in Montgomery Township, one family member reported received a call stating that a resident had tested positive, but little other information was provided.
Additionally, as a cluster of coronavirus deaths began to surface in Upper Gwynedd Township, one nursing home confirmed there were cases among their staff and residents—including multiple deaths among residents—but specific numbers were not released that could give family members an accurate portrayal of the size and scope of the outbreak.
In addition to the legislation, Stephens said he also contacted Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine to request expanded COVID-19 testing for all residents and staff of long-term care facilities. Currently, only symptomatic residents and staff are being tested, Stephens said, but further testing could ensure the virus is not being inadvertently spread by asymptomatic staff and residents.
“In light of the alarming numbers of deaths associated with long-term care facilities in Montgomery County and across Pennsylvania, we must prioritize the well-being of some of our most vulnerable individuals during this outbreak, our older adults residing in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities,” Stephens wrote in the letter.
See also:
Gwynedd Square Nursing Center Confirms Multiple Coronavirus Cases, Deaths Among Residents
Montgomeryville Nursing Home Confirms Case Of Coronavirus
Daily Update: 11 New COVID-19 Cases Reported Across North Penn Area, Countywide Total Over 2,400
Daily Update: North Penn Area Coronavirus Cases Increase To 265, Hatfield Township Up To 71
Daily Update: North Penn Area Sees 12 More Coronavirus Cases, Two More Deaths
