Rubber-Stamped North Carolina extended a private management deal with PruittHealth. The management deal includes four state-owned veterans nursing homes. The PruittHealth managed facilities had at least 36 residents die of COVID-19. PruittHealth is a for-profit Georgia-based nursing home chain. They own, operate, and manage dozens of facilities in the Southeast. In May, state and federal
Senator David Perdue Georgia Republican Senate incumbent David Perdue is among the wealthier members of the Senate. Perdue took advantage of his insider knowledge to make millions. Perdue was investigated this year by the Trump Justice Department over insider trading, using knowledge from his work in the Senate. When COVID-19 first appeared, Perdue publicly downplayed the
Decertification It is considered the death penalty for nursing homes. Losing Medicare funding for violations of the rules. Most nursing homes cannot survive without tax payer funding. A Kansas nursing home recently lost its federal Medicare funding after an investigation confirmed systemic issues and faulty practices. Specifically, poor infection control led to widespread coronavirus infection and, at least, 10
Accountability Bloomberg reported that the nursing home industry is not blameless for the losses caused by COVID-19. Research gave the industry a false sense of immunity. The early research allowed the industry to argue that Covid deaths weren’t its fault. Industry apologists and lobbyists insisted nursing homes were not responsible. “It’s been said that blame
Ownership Do private equity ownership affect COVID numbers? Skilled Nursing News reported on a recent study. The authors published the study on October 28 in JAMA Network Open The study examined 11,470 nursing homes in the U.S. However, the researchers rely on self-reported data which is not reliable. Private equity in SNFs is under scrutiny.
Anxiety CBS News reported that 20% of COVID victims suffer negative mental health effects. The Lancet Psychiatry medical journal published a study showing COVID-19 may be linked to mental health issues in residents. Researchers found a diagnosis of COVID-19 is associated with increased psychiatric conditions and disorders including anxiety, insomnia and dementia. 6% of COVID-19