BOSTON (SHNS) – COVID-19 cases are on the rise in nursing homes across the country, according to a new report from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, which links the increase to community spread among the wider population.
The report tracks a “correlating uptick in new cases in nursing homes” that “occurred when cases in the surrounding community started rising back in mid-September,” according to the groups.
Mark Parinkson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, called for Congress to provide additional funding for the long-term care sector.
“Without adequate funding and resources, the U.S. will repeat the same mistakes made during the initial outbreak last spring and the major spike over the summer,” he said. “We need Congress to prioritize our vulnerable seniors and their caregivers in long term care facilities, by passing another COVID relief package during the lame-duck session on Congress.”
