New Yorkers whose relatives died as the Covid-19 pandemic swept through the state’s nursing homes have released harsh criticism of Governor Kathy Hochul over her decision not to include in her budget proposal a $4 billion compensation fund for victims of the pandemic’s deadly toll on nursing home residents. According to a report by the […]
COVID-19
As Omicron Sweeps Through Nursing Homes, So Do Staffing Issues
The omicron wave has caused an unprecedented staffing crisis in New York nationwide, according to a recent report by NPR. With cases spiking in mid-January, at least 40,000 nursing home residents received positive tests during the week ending January 14th, “almost a 10-fold rise since November.” Employee cases, meanwhile, reached “more than 67,000 cases” the […]
GAO: Nursing Homes Infection Control Issues Raged Pre-Covid
A 2020 report by the Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog, found that 92% of nursing homes received citations for deficient infection prevention and control practices between 2013 and 2020, and that roughly 50% of these were found to have “persistent problems.” According to the GAO’s survey of more than 16,000 nursing homes, 13,299 were […]
New York Takes Measures to Stop Nursing Home Covid-19 Surge
A new Covid-19 surge fueled by the omicron variant is spreading through New York nursing homes, even among those with fully vaccinated residents, according to a new report by Lohud. Data provided by state authorities showed that in the week ending on January 4th, there were almost 4,900 reported Covid cases in the state’s nursing […]
Report: Elder Abuse Increased During Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has “stoked” the spread of elder abuse, according to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal. Citing findings by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a study by Yale University researchers, the report observes that “the number of elder-fraud victims increased 55% between 2019 and 2020,” while more than 20% of […]
New York Nursing Homes Sue to Block Staffing Requirements
Nursing home operators have filed a federal lawsuit attempting to block a New York law mandating certain staffing requirements. The law, passed last year and set to go into effect this year, would require nursing homes in the state to “to spend at least 70% of their revenue on direct resident care, and at least […]
Are New York Nursing Homes Boosting Residents Fast Enough?
A new investigation by the New York Times examines whether New York’s nursing homes are doing enough to provide their residents with Covid-19 vaccine boosters as the omicron variant surges throughout the state. State data cited by the Times shows that booster efforts are lagging. At Sea Crest Nursing and Rehabilitation in Brooklyn, for instance, […]
Report: Why Nursing Home Oversight Fails the Public
A new investigation by CalMatters asks why a nearly-$1 million fine issued against a California nursing home over alleged health code violations went unknown by consumers. In 2018, state health inspectors visited the facility, Fresno’s Northpointe Healthcare Center, and found it to have health and safety deficiencies that put its residents in “immediate jeopardy.” These […]
NYT Investigation Finds Thousands of Hidden Nursing Home Offenses
A shocking new investigation by the New York Times revealed extensive evidence that some of nursing homes’ most egregious rule violations, from infection control lapses to outright sexual assault, go undisclosed by the federal government even as state inspectors report them as putting residents in danger and breaching federal regulations.
Covid-19 Surges in Upstate New York, Where Nursing Homes Are Already Full
A recent New York Times report describes the “growing crisis” in upstate New York, where rising Covid-19 cases and labor shortages have resulted in overflowing nursing homes and hospitals. Governor Kathy Hochul reportedly said last week that hospitalizations in upstate New York “have more than tripled” since the initial Delta wave in August.
