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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 2 June 2020
Nearly 26,000 nursing home COVID-19 deaths reported to feds

Continued from Front designed national testing
program could reach into
The letter said the data are the billions of dollars.
based on reports received “It’s very important in the
as of May 24 from about next stimulus bill not to just
80% of the nation’s 15,400 order testing,” said Parkin-
nursing homes. son, adding that Congress
Some states with high rates needs to provide the mo-
of nursing home resident ney as well.
deaths appeared to have Federal officials at CMS
some of the lowest levels have recommended a
of response to the fede- one-time test for all resi-
ral data-gathering survey, dents and staff, as well as
intended as a first step to- weekly retesting of staff.
ward developing policy Facilities should retest resi-
changes. dents weekly until none test
CMS, which is responsible positive. CMS administrator
for nursing home quality Verma says states should
standards, also told the go- use “extreme caution”
vernors it is increasing pe- before reopening nursing
nalties for nursing homes homes to visitors.
failing to comply with long- Some policy experts are
standing infection control hoping that the loss of life
requirements. Jack Campise talks with his mother, Beverly Kearns, through her apartment window at the Kimberly in nursing homes will lead
A federal watchdog report Hall North nursing home, Thursday, May 14, 2020 in Windsor, Conn. state and national leaders
last month found a “persi- Associated Press to overhaul policies toward
stent” pattern of infection gic scenes of death and but a White House recom- trade group, the Ameri- the industry, long a step-
control problems in nursing despair, as well as a risk for mendation for states to can Health Care Associa- child of the health care sy-
homes even before the co- the broader community. test all residents within two tion, estimates it would cost stem.
ronavirus. The Government “What is going on in a nur- weeks failed to produce $672 million for a one-time “This is not a nursing home
Accountability Office said sing home can be a baro- desired results. A recent test for all residents and problem; this is a health sy-
that about 40% of the nur- meter for where the virus AP review found a patch- staff in nursing homes and stem problem,” said Terry
sing homes inspected in is,” said Tamara Konetzka, work of progress, with only assisted living facilities. And Fulmer, president of the
each of the past two years a research professor at the a handful of states mee- that would not solve the John A. Hartford Founda-
were cited for problems University of Chicago, who ting the goal. Nationwide, problem, since public he- tion, which works to im-
with infection control and specializes in long-term about 1.4 million elderly alth experts recommend prove care for older adults.
prevention. care issues. “You’ve got to and disabled residents live ongoing testing. “Every system produces
Although the first wave of be watching out and ex- in some 15,400 facilities. Another hurdle is that many the outcome it is set up
the pandemic may be ea- pecting a lot of cases in The nursing home industry nursing homes don’t have for. If you set up a system
sing in much of the country, that community as well.” says money is one of the established relationships where the sickest and frai-
that doesn’t mean nursing It’s widely agreed that main obstacles to wide- with medical labs to quickly lest people are in locations
homes are in any less dan- prompt, methodical, on- spread testing, particularly turn around results. that are forgotten about
ger. Experts say in a virus going testing of residents to pay for testing of staff, Mark Parkinson, head of and ignored, where the
rebound they can again and staff is the key to ma- who number more than 1 the nursing home associa- staff is paid less, why should
become the stage for tra- king nursing homes safer, million people. An industry tion, says the cost of a well- that surprise anyone?q

Census hits milestone as states worry about deadline switch

By MIKE SCHNEIDER the self-response rate, the ry, with a dramatically ex-
Associated Press fewer door-knockers are tended time-frame for self-
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Fac- needed and that saves response and door-knock-
ing unprecedented chal- the Census Bureau money. ing not scheduled to start
lenges from a pandemic, The door-knocking phase for another two months,"
the U.S. Census Bureau on originally was supposed said Steven Romalewski,
Monday reported reach- to start last month, but it director of CUNY Mapping
ing its predicted goal for was delayed until August Service at the Center for
people answering the because of the spread of Urban Research. "The new
2020 census questionnaire the new coronavirus. The time-frame provides an
on their own — 60.5%. pandemic also forced unprecedented opportu-
The self-response rate will the Census Bureau to sus- nity to boost self-response
likely grow higher in the pend field operations for a rates and therefore re- This April 5, 2020 file photo, shows An envelope containing a
next two months before month and a half, pushed duce the universe of 2020 census letter mailed to a U.S. resident in Detroit.
Associated Press
the next phase of the back the deadline for households that will need
2020 head count begins ending the count from to be counted in-person once-a-decade census in by telephone or by mailing
in August. That's when the end of July to the end — perhaps substantially." which most respondents back their questionnaires.
hundreds of thousands of of October and led the The final self-response were encouraged to fill The 2020 census will deter-
census-takers start knock- agency to ask Congress rate was 66.5% during the out their forms online, and mine how many congres-
ing on the doors of homes for delays in turning over 2010 census when most the overwhelming major- sional seats each state
whose residents haven't reapportionment and respondents mailed back ity of respondents have gets and the distribution
yet answered the cen- redistricting data. "Now answered paper ques- answered via the Internet. of $1.5 trillion in federal
sus questions. The higher we're in uncharted territo- tionnaires. This was the first People can also respond funding.q