Outbreak spotlights Trump admin effort to ease nursing home rules that prevent infections
The Trump administration last year moved to roll back regulations designed to prevent infections from spreading in nursing homes, a decision that is facing renewed criticism for endangering the elderly amid the coronavirus outbreak.
With older, vulnerable residents living in close quarters, nursing homes face a heightened risk from the coronavirus — four out of the six U.S. deaths reported so far from the virus were residents of a nursing center in Washington state. But over the last three years, the Trump administration has advanced — with the support of the nursing home industry — an effort to ease regulations on long-term care facilities and has taken significant steps to reduce fines for violations.
Of particular concern in nursing homes is what experts call "infection control" to halt or prevent the spread of disease within health care facilities. Last July, the Trump administration proposed rolling back regulations requiring all nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to employ infection prevention specialists at least part time, citing "excessively burdensome requirements" on the industry. Under the proposal, which is still working its way through federal rulemaking, nursing homes would be allowed to use consultants for infection prevention rather than hiring staff.
"These are frail, medically compromised people, and they need to have someone focused on infection," said Toby Edelman, a senior policy attorney at the nonprofit Center for Medicare Advocacy who opposes the proposed change.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/outbreak-spotlights-trump-admin-effort-to-ease-nursing-home-rules-that-prevent-infections/ar-BB10Hwgt?li=BBnb7Kz
This kind of shit pisses me big time. 
= new reply since forum marked as read
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/seventh-washington-state-residents-death-linked-to-coronavirus-disease/
Now seven residents of the home, Life Care Center, have died, and their deaths are attributed to COVID-19, the disease caused by a new coronavirus known officially as SARS-CoV-2.
Two of the residents who were confirmed to have COVID-19 on Tuesday died nearly a week before, on Feb. 26, and mark the nation’s earliest known fatalities from the illness.
A 54-year-old resident died at Harborview Medical Center on Feb. 26, hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg said. The man was taken to Harborview on Feb. 24, and had underlying health conditions. Doctors and public health officials typically don’t disclose what health conditions a patient had, due to privacy laws....(more)
