The Trump Administration reverses course and refuses to provide vaccines to nursing home industry until after Christmas. The Administration is telling groups that are giving the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine to wait until the New Year to inoculate caregivers and residents. CBS News reports Trump’s reversal contradicts a CDC recommendation that they be among the first
OnPointe Health CEO The COVID-19 crisis has broken the cracks in the nation’s long-term care infrastructure wide open. Skilled Nursing News had an interview with Eric Tanner, CEO of OnPointe Health. Tanner says it is time to rethink the model. “We’re seeing it across the United States, across the world: The model is fundamentally broken,”
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