Pennsylvania Republicans Press Attorney General Shapiro on Pandemic-Related Nursing Home Data

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (PA-16) and several House colleagues sent a letter to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro asking if the Commonwealth plans to study and report on nursing home-related deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. New York recently issued a reportwhich revealed that deaths in long-term care facilities were underreported by roughly 50%.

Key Excerpt

"One of the primary causes of the large number of nursing home fatalities in New York was the state government’s order that nursing homes admit COVID-19 positive individuals," wrote the congressmen. "The Pennsylvania Department of Health issued a similar guidance on March 18, 2020, requiring that nursing homes allow new admissions and re-admissions, including individuals that had been diagnosed with COVID-19."

Background

Public reporting suggests that more than half of COVID-19 deaths in Pennsylvania are attributable to residency at a nursing home or a long-term care facility. That raises questions about the Commonwealth's handling of the nursing home population in the early stages of the pandemic. The PA Department of Health's March 18, 2020 Interim Guidance for Nursing Facilities During COVID-19 includes the mandate referenced in the letter:

"Nursing care facilities must continue to accept new admissions and receive readmissions for current residents who have been discharged from the hospital who are stable to alleviate the increasing burden in the acute care settings. This may include stable patients who have had the COVID-19 virus."

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