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Forty-three residents at the New Franklin Rehabilitation and Healthcare Facility in Flushing have succumbed to COVID-19.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Nursing homes must immediatelyreport any new COVID-19 cases and pandemic-related deaths toresidents, their loved ones, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to an order from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) announced Monday.
Under the new CMS directive, at a minimum, nursing homes must inform residents and their representatives within 12 hours of the occurrence of a single confirmed infection of COVID-19, or three or more residents or staff with new-onset of respiratory symptoms that occur within 72 hours. Also, updates to residents and their representatives must be provided weekly, or each subsequent time a confirmed infection of COVID-19 is identified and/or whenever three or more residents or staff with new onset of respiratory symptoms occurs within 72 hours. Facilities will include information on mitigating actions implemented to prevent or reduce the risk of transmission, including if normal operations in the nursing home will be altered. This information must be reported in accordance with existing privacy regulations and statute, CMS officials noted.
On Friday, Meng sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to help combat the high numbers of deaths that are occurring at nursing homes across the Empire State, particularly in Queens, due to the pandemic.
According to the State Department of Health, as of April 17, 215 residents across 11 borough nursing homes had succumbed to COVID-19. At the New Franklin Rehabilitation and Healthcare Facility in Flushing, 43 deaths have been attributed to the virus.
“The deaths at our nursing homes have been tragic and heartbreaking,” Meng said. “The elderly are among our most vulnerable populations.”
The congresswoman’s correspondence calledon Trump to use any means possible to expeditiously manufacture COVID-19 tests, and prioritize them for New York so that local long-term care facilities can conduct the testing that is needed. Meng also urged the president to increase coronavirus funding for nursing homes, and improve data on COVID-19 cases in these facilities to help contain and mitigate the spread of the virus.
By Sunday night, CMS had issued the memorandum detailing the new COVID-19 reporting requirements for nursing homes.
“Telling nursing homes that they must make families aware of COVID-19 cases is something that has been urgently needed, and I’m pleased that the Trump administration will be moving forward with its new rule following my request to the president,” Meng said.“Family members of nursing home residents have a right to know this information. It will help ensure that they can do everything possible to protect their loved ones, and it will go a long way towards controlling and preventing the spread of the illness. We must do all we can to safeguard the health and safety of our elderly population.”
The CMS is a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and health insurance portability standards.
