WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency is preparing to send personal protective equipment to nursing homes, which have struggled to obtain gear weeks into the pandemic as the death toll climbs.
A FEMA spokesperson told CNN the agency is preparing to coordinate shipments of PPE, like surgical masks, gowns and gloves, to nursing homes across the nation.
The move comes weeks into the coronavirus response and targets facilities hardest hit by the pandemic. Nursing homes have been particularly vulnerable to coronavirus in part because of the slice of the population they serve: elderly residents who, data suggests, may be at higher risk of the illness.
Despite that risk, health care workers at nursing homes have faced shortages of protective gowns, among other supplies. CNN reported last week that nursing homes, where severe cases of the virus spread especially easily, have been getting more help in recent weeks, depending on the state, but are still facing a catastrophic situation.
As the country moves toward reopening, the Trump administration is planning to send a tranche of supplies to some nursing homes, including those in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, among other states, according to a source familiar with the plans.
FEMA’s distribution of PPE to nursing homes is expected to kick off around May 1, or early next week, according to the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, which represents more than 14,000 nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in the US.
“Obviously we wish that we’d had that same focus on them starting in February, but we haven’t, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We’re pleased that we have it now,” Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL, told reporters on a call Wednesday morning.
President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, recently teased an upcoming announcement on the initiative, saying in a Fox appearance that the administration “will be surging different PPE to nursing homes.”
“We’re working with a lot of the governors who recognize the disproportionate risk that the older and the more vulnerable have,” he added.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living insists it has been sounding the alarm for months, attempting to become more of a priority in the response to Covid-19.
“Anything that we can get from the government between now and early June when the normal supply chain is available is really, really helpful,” Parkinson said. “We hope that a sizable shipment goes out next week and we hope that those continue.” Parkinson did not have specifics on the amounts of PPE expected, but he hopes deliveries will be a continual effort.
According to AHCA/NCAL, about 4,000 facilities currently have Covid-19-positive residents. Parkinson also highlighted the need for testing and funding, calling on the Health and Human Services Department to create a fund for nursing home residents and staff.
“For the 4,000 or so buildings that have Covid-positive residents, staffing quickly becomes the biggest problem,” Parkinson said.
In late March, the Health and Human Services inspector general launched a review into nursing homes and their preparedness, acknowledging that long-term care facilities are “particularly vulnerable” to disease outbreaks.
The review is intended to determine whether facilities “that received Medicare or Medicaid funds complied with new Federal requirements for life safety and emergency and infectious disease control preparedness,” according to the HHS IG. The review is expected in the coming months.
