Q: How much testing is enough in nursing homes?
A:In an ideal world, we’d test every person coming in the building and get instantaneous results on the spot. It exists, but not in the quantities we need. That’s the only surefire way we can keep COVID out of buildings.
Q: What about personal protective equipment?
A:PPE is a region-by-region and operator-by-operator issue. Thankfully, there are now some operators that have the equipment they need, but there are some that don’t. We are encouraged that the supply chain from China is operating. We think by mid-June the supply chain will resolve itself.
Q: Are you troubled by the negative nursing home publicity?
A:We’ve been very concerned about the impact of negative stories, primarily on the workers in the buildings but also on the sector as a whole. I’ve really felt like the press has shifted away from blaming nursing homes to instead a realization that this was an unprecedented virus that really couldn’t be controlled. Nursing homes and assisted living buildings have done everything they could, and if given what they need, they can battle this virus. We’ve seen a shift in the media toward understanding this wasn’t our fault.
