Nursing Homes Need Emergency Funding Relief in Battle Against COVID-19
OKLAHOMA CITY (May 4th) – While Oklahoma and many other states are lifting stay-at-home orders and reopening their economies, skilled nursing facilities are still anticipating a long and devastating battle against COVID-19 for their residents and staff. Residents at nursing homes and long-term care facilities are uniquely vulnerable to the virus, and the effort to contain its spread was initially hampered by a lack of access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing. Now, even as those supplies become more readily available, nursing homes continue to face enormous financial hardships related to PPE and staffing costs.
“Many facilities are seeing a 500 percent increase in the cost of PPE, which is not only being sold at marked-up prices but is also being used at a much faster rate than normal,” said Care Providers Oklahoma President and CEO Steven Buck. “Similarly, some facilities are experiencing double their normal labor costs, as they have worked to hire additional staff and increase compensation for those working directly with COVID-19 patients. The financial situation at our nursing homes is not sustainable. We need help immediately.”
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from MuskogeePolitico.com
