As nursing homes around the country continue to report COVID-19 outbreaks, family members of elderly loved ones are on high alert. However, it seems the coronavirus is not rampant in all elder care facilities. In fact, non-traditional long-term care facilities are seeing fewer, if any, outbreaks.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact day-to-day life in the United States significantly, residents in nursing homes are still among the most at-risk populations for contracting the illness. In some instances, nursing home facilities aren’t managing outbreaks properly, resulting in more infections and deaths nationwide.
A lawsuit against a Pittsburgh-area nursing home has been filed in Pennsylvania state court after a COVID-19 outbreak resulted in infection and death throughout the facility. The lawsuit is claiming the nursing home’s reckless, willful, and wanton conduct is the reason the outbreak took as many lives as it did.
Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC in Beaver County has been accused of negligently operating its facility, Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, by failing to take proper measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus among patients and staff. The lawsuit, filed by Jodi Gill and several others, also claims the nursing home failed to provide staff with personal protective equipment while downplaying the severity of the virus—even as it spread through the facility.
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has put many things on hold, not everything can wait, like investigations into reports and complaints of nursing home abuse and neglect. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has announced that they are performing a review of the Bureau of Long-Term Care.
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected people all over the world. In the U.S., those who live and work in nursing homes have been where the virus is most prevalent. Nursing homes in Kentucky are no exception. According to Governor Beshear, more than 360 people have died in nursing homes during the pandemic. While smaller nursing homes may begin to slowly reintroduce visitors, there is demand from the Kentucky AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) for change in the response to the novel coronavirus.
