nursing homes

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Health facility visitation becomes a legislative flashpoint

June 25, 2020 by Rose Hoban 3 Comments

Health facility visitation becomes a legislative flashpoint - North Carolina Health News

Even as lawmakers pass bills to require hospitals to allow visitors, they got an earful on how senior living centers would prefer to keep those facilities closed to visitors.

By Rose Hoban On Wednesday, lawmakers gave impassioned speeches on the floor of the legislature about patients who have endured hospitalizations and even deaths alone, without someone at their side. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals, in an effort to reduce the number of people infected with the deadly virus, have restricted visitation for their patients. […]

A skilled nursing facility sign is in the foreground and a building is in the background. The facility, A PruittHealth skilled-nursing facility in Orange County, is dealing with an outbreak of COVID-19, and has a history of poor staffing.

NC DHHS recommends testing all in long-term facilities for COVID-19, but questions remain

May 19, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

NC DHHS recommends testing all in long-term facilities for COVID-19, but questions remain - North Carolina Health News

NC health officials say all residents of long-term care centers, in dozens of which COVID-19 has run rampant, should be tested for the virus, but left several details vague.

By Thomas Goldsmith Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services, announced Friday that North Carolina is heading in the direction of universal testing of North Carolina nursing home residents and staff. That means that state health officials have issued guidance, or at least a recommendation, to follow the direction […]

Nursing-home industry practices, stories revealed with NC’s COVID-19 facilities list

May 4, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

Nursing-home industry practices, stories revealed with NC’s COVID-19 facilities list - North Carolina Health News

Autumn Care of Cornelius found that 53 of its residents had COVID-19 infections; eventually 10 of them died. Official word from the state of North Carolina means that families, friends and journalists can learn much more about the long-term care homes’ experience in the pandemic.

By Thomas Goldsmith When state health officials started naming names last week of North Carolina long-term care facilities with COVID-19 outbreaks and the deaths resulting at these homes, the move opened up reams of information. Along with real-life stories, the names and records of the facilities shed light on the way the complex business works. […]

hands hold a tube of blood as a proxy for coronavirus research

Coronavirus Today – April 27 -Contact tracers needed, Atrium Health clinical trial, names of nursing homes with outbreaks released

April 27, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – April 27 -Contact tracers needed, Atrium Health clinical trial, names of nursing homes with outbreaks released - North Carolina Health News

NCDHHS announced a contact tracing task collaborative to support local health departments through the pandemic. Meanwhile, the state released the names of nursing homes with coronavirus outbreak.

By North Carolina Health News staff Help wanted: COVID contact tracers Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, has found a partner to help double the number of coronavirus contact tracers in North Carolina. The Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative was formed through a partnership with the state health department, Community […]

people in nursing homes smile because they're getting better food under a grant-funded program

NC health officials want testing of all residents, staff of nursing homes with COVID-19

April 27, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

NC health officials want testing of all residents, staff of nursing homes with COVID-19 - North Carolina Health News

If some nursing home residents or staff have COVID-19, but don’t show it, they can still transmit the virus to others in their facility. That’s one reason North Carolina health officials are encouraging facilities to have all residents and staff tested when COVID-19 appears.

By Thomas Goldsmith State health officials say North Carolina nursing homes that have had COVID outbreaks should test all residents and staff, including people who aren’t showing signs of the disease. Some government officials, doctors and academics are strongly recommending universal testing for COVID-19 in every long-term care facility. That advice accompanies the increasing realization […]

Gov. Cooper walks to a podium with flags in the background. He's at a coronavirus (COVID-19) briefing.

Coronavirus Today – April 21 – New pandemic plans soon, salute a lab worker, nursing home, prison outbreaks

April 21, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – April 21 – New pandemic plans soon, salute a lab worker, nursing home, prison outbreaks - North Carolina Health News

With a little more than a week left for stay-at-home order, plans are being finalized for what’s next.

By North Carolina Health News staff Stay tuned: More orders coming Gov. Roy Cooper will give North Carolinians a better idea later this week about what happens after April 29, when the current stay-at-home order expires. The governor just issued an executive order that makes people who are temporarily out of a job and a […]

Short staffing an issue at NC nursing homes marked by COVID-19 outbreaks

April 20, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

Short staffing an issue at NC nursing homes marked by COVID-19 outbreaks - North Carolina Health News

Federal records for the 19 NC nursing homes identified as having COVID-19 outbreaks show three-quarters have below average marks for staffing. If there’s a relationship there, it could lead to change.

By Thomas Goldsmith Many of the North Carolina nursing homes known to have had COVID-19 outbreaks have something else in common: they apparently don’t have enough staff to do the necessary work. A new NC Health News analysis of federal data found histories of short staffing at more than three-quarters of the 19 North Carolina […]

As guidance on COVID-19 shifts, NC nursing homes and assisted living centers fight for residents’ safety

March 14, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

As guidance on COVID-19 shifts, NC nursing homes and assisted living centers fight for residents’ safety - North Carolina Health News

Nowhere in North Carolina is there more at stake in the fight against COVID-19 than in nursing homes and assisted living centers. Residents are more likely to die from it if they contract the virus. Facilities are adopting new means of protection as the disease spreads worldwide.

By Thomas Goldsmith Like others around the globe who are battling the COVID-19 virus, residents and staffs of North Carolina’s long-term care centers are dealing with the threat of disease amid a shifting landscape of risks, guidelines, fears and hopes. However, the mostly older long-term care residents are more susceptible than the general population to […]

shows white fireworks against a dark sky. 2019, 2020

NC health trends and policies to watch for in 2020

January 3, 2020 by Editor

NC health trends and policies to watch for in 2020 - North Carolina Health News

We asked our reporters to predict the biggest developments in health in the state this coming year. Today, we look ahead on Medicaid transformation, environmental policy, mental health and more.

By North Carolina Health News staff Our reporters explored some of the biggest topics in North Carolina’s health arena from Medicaid managed care to mental health in prisons, to the state’s opioid crisis. Here is a sampling of the topics they’ll be monitoring in the coming year: Medicaid battles continue with a January mini session […]

shows the back of a wheelchair, with an old and wizened hand on the arm of the chair

Many uses exist for money intended to aid NC nursing home residents, advocates say

January 14, 2019 by Thomas Goldsmith

Many uses exist for money intended to aid NC nursing home residents, advocates say - North Carolina Health News

Projects that could benefit nursing home residents are plentiful as NC looks for potential applicants for $28.9 million in a fund that sits mostly unused.

By Thomas Goldsmith There are plenty of ways to help nursing home residents through projects that could be paid for by a nearly $29 million, mostly unused, fund accumulated by federal and state authorities, advocates for older people and a state legislator said. Instead, the civil money penalties fund, comprised of fines levied against North […]

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