Congressman Steven Horsford Advocates for Nursing Home Residents During COVID-19
Washington, D.C. -- Today, Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) took part in a House Ways and Means Committee hearing in the Health Subcommittee on "Examining the COVID-19 Nursing Home Crisis."
"According to a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) report from early June, almost one-third of Nevada nursing home residents who died after contracting COVID-19 had not been publicly reported. And today, about one-fourth of Nevada nursing homes are not regularly submitting COVID-19 data to federal officials. This is unacceptable," Congressman Horsford said before the committee. "I can only imagine how terrifying it must be for residents and how heartbreaking it is for their families to have so little information and lack the ability to see their loved ones during the course of this coronavirus pandemic. We must do better by our seniors."
It has been reported that more than 50,000 nursing home residents have died from COVID-19, though those numbers are likely much higher due to a lack of sufficient reporting, as noted by the Congressman. These reported fatalities from COVID-19 in nursing homes account for nearly half of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States. Following the initial outbreak in the United States, CMS waited 97 days to publish initial data about nursing home preparedness and infection and death counts.
To combat these gaps in reporting, the Congressman introduced -- and passed -- the Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Act of 2020 last month, to require CMS to publish demographic information on COVID-19 infections and deaths in long-term care facilities. The bill also requires data to be collected regarding demographic information on infections and deaths to track the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on communities of color.
The Congressman's prepared remarks and line of questioning are available below:
Thank you, Chairman Doggett for leading this hearing and thank you to the witnesses for sharing your expertise and perspectives on this pressing issue. I have shared with this Committee in the past that providing quality care to seniors is a deeply personal issue for me.
When I was 9 weeks old – my grandmother suffered a debilitating stroke. Because of this stroke, she spent 27 years of her life in a nursing home, until she passed in April of 2000. I spent much of my childhood and early adulthood in those nursing homes, visiting my grandmother every week.
And I can only imagine how heartbreaking it is for families who have loved ones in nursing homes today who are not able to make those weekly visits during the coronavirus pandemic.
Last night, during a Tele-town Hall, I spoke with Debra from Las Vegas, who before coronavirus, visited her brother in a nursing home 5 or 6 times a week. Now, it has been 4 months since she last saw him in person. Debra shared that she is constantly worried for her brother's health and safety.
Ms. Satterwhite – thank you for sharing your story. Your presence at this hearing is powerful, and we know it is painful to talk about the loss of your brother Stephan. We can't thank you enough for your bravery.
What would you say to other families – like Debra's– who still has a family member in a nursing home? How can she be the best advocate for her brother?
I have also heard seniors across my district express how lonely and depressing this experience has been. And from frontline doctors, nurses and health workers – I've heard how trying this time has been to meet the challenges of obtaining PPE, testing, and staying healthy enough to serve our most vulnerable.
These providers are doing everything from changing the way they deliver care to implementing things like hallway bingo and hallway karaoke to mitigate some of the painful realities of COVID-19 for their residents.
Julie Lebo, an Administrator at College Park Rehabilitation Center in North Las Vegas told my office, "Despite the unprecedented challenges the facility staff is facing, they remain committed, more so than ever, to keeping their residents safe and providing the best care possible, even during these especially trying times."
To all these individuals, I want to say thank you. Thank you for adhering to these tough guidelines and for fighting for our seniors. I know you are working hard, and I know we can work together to address the troublesome challenges discussed in this hearing today.
I next want to go to Ms. Howell, who I am thrilled to see is a fellow Las Vegas native and UNR grad on our panel today! Go Wolfpack!
In your testimony, you shared that facilities with a significant number of African Americans and Latino residents are twice as likely to have Coronavirus infection as those facilities whose residents are white.
Can you discuss some of the long-standing health disparities these populations face which contribute to their likelihood to come down with the disease? Further – can you touch upon the reporting challenges faced in those facilities?
Nevada has also faced a challenge in its reporting of COVID-19 related deaths.
A CMS report from early June found that almost one-third of Nevada nursing home residents who died after contracting COVID-19 had not been publicly reported. And still about one-fourth of Nevada nursing homes are not regularly submitting COVID-19 data to federal officials.
This is unacceptable. To help address this issue, I introduced the Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Act of 2020, which was included in the Heroes Act.
The bill would require CMS to publish demographic information on COVID-19 infections and deaths in long-term care facilities. The bill also requires the collection of demographic data to help track the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color.
Dr. Grabowski – Can you explain how reporting critical in addressing the pandemic and helps us distribute federal resources to keep seniors alive?
Video of the Congressman's testimony can bewatched and downloaded here