One-Size-Fits-All Nursing Home Fix Doomed to Fail
Three years ago, the first outbreak of COVID-19 was reported at a nursing home in Washington State. Today, I am grateful for how far we’ve come. I am especially thankful for the millions of caregivers who faithfully responded and helped save countless lives in long term care and other health care facilities across the nation.
Today, residents in nursing homes and assisted living communities are the safest they’ve ever been against COVID-19 thanks to vaccines, treatments and infection control procedures. More than 50 percent of nursing home residents are up to date with their vaccinations, three times higher than the general population. Weekly mortality rates have been at historic lows for nearly a year.
We are moving forward with greater resolve than ever before to provide the highest quality care for our residents. But our industry is still in crisis. The challenges we must confront, which we have perpetually sounded the alarm about, have worsened in the wake of the pandemic.
Read Mark Parkinson’s full op-ed in RealClearHealth here.
