After weeks of advocating for one of the most vulnerable populations in Massachusetts, with a large number of illnesses and deaths among them during the COVID-19 pandemic, local legislators are seeing some of the fruits of their labors as the governor has announced there will be more requirements and accountability in nursing homes.
In addition to testing being required for all nursing home residents and staff, state funding is supporting hazard pay for staff and the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE). Regular audits will also be conducted to ensure nursing homes are meeting state standards of care.
Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, chair of the Joint Public Health Committee, said the first phase of Gov. Charlie Baker’s plan and funding includes mobile testing, which, for instance, Charlene Manor Extended Care in Greenfield took advantage of early on when it invited the National Guard to do some testing as it started to see residents fall ill. But even then, only those who had symptoms were tested.
Comerford said in Phase 1, the state provided $130 million in funding, getting PPE to nursing homes across the state. She said the state also started providing funding for nursing homes so their staff can receive hazard pay during the pandemic.
Phase 2, she said, provides an additional $130 million.
“This will be an intense injection,” she said. “We’re moving from mobile, for instance, to required testing.”
Comerford said testing is now required for all nursing home residents and staff.
“Constituents wanted assurance that their moms and dads would get tested,” she said. “There’s also a 28-point checklist that nursing homes will have to meet, and they will have to follow infection control protocol. It’s all pretty extensive, and they will be audited numerous times.”
Comerford said the money in Phase 2 will support staffing and more PPE.
“It will be directed to the people, residents and staff, with public accountability for its use,” she said. “It’s not going to go to profit margins for these for-profit facilities.”
Comerford said the state will also deploy clinical response teams to nursing homes that need them. Each team will consist of 10 nurses and certified personal assistants. Those teams will, at a nursing home’s request, help with care and other issues.
Additionally, an initial audit will be done in each facility to provide a baseline, she said, and then regular audits will be done to make sure nursing homes are meeting all state criteria for care.
“We wanted to ‘turbocharge’ our nursing homes,” Comerford said. “The state wants workers to know we support them and value their work, but we also need to make sure everything is being done to protect residents.”
Comerford said the bottom line is that the care of elders across the state is imperative. She said it is also critical to attract workers with the goal of lessening absences in the nursing home sector right now as they are needed most.
The funding was created by executive order as part of the state of emergency. Comerford said the Senate has been advocating for funding and stricter regulations, working with the governor and officials in health and human services. Though legislators have had to continue work as usual, like working with municipalities on earmarks, grants, school funding, etc., nursing homes and their residents have been a major priority.
“This all shows that advocacy matters,” she said. “It also shows that constituents must be vigilant and call their legislators and the state to get what they want — that’s what they did — and the local delegation has done some fierce work to get them what they wanted, and we will continue to do so.”
For the first time on April 20, the Department of Public Health reported the number of positive COVID-19 cases at nursing homes throughout the state, albeit providing ranges rather than specific numbers.
DPH has reported more than 30 positive cases at Buckley HealthCare Center in Greenfield. The Greenfield Recorder has repeatedly tried to reach someone at National HealthCare Corp., owner of Buckley HealthCare, for comment, but to no avail.
Poet’s Seat Health Care Center — which DPH reports has between 10 and 30 positive COVID-19 cases — has refused to share any numbers or information about how residents are being cared for, and whether they or staff members have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
As of early this week, Charlene Manor, which has provided numbers to the Recorder, reported 15 positive cases are being treated at the facility; six had recovered from past positive results and four had died.
However, the state only reports data ranges for nursing homes, rest homes and skilled nursing facilities. It does not provide numbers at long-term care facilities.
That could change soon, though. Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru, said the House passed legislation on April 21 concerning tracking data at long-term care facilities and elder housing facilities. That legislation asked for daily data on COVID-19 cases and deaths to be reported to public health officials.
Mark said that was done in an effort to protect those most at risk. He and his colleagues said the state needs accurate daily data that has been so difficult to obtain throughout the pandemic.