MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN about the legalization of sports betting in the Commonwealth. The introduction of this much-debated and formerly illegal pastime is a tribute to the power of the […]
nursing homes
Posted inOpinion
Nursing homes need support — and more accountability
A WEEK AGO CommonWealth featured an op-ed by a representative of the nursing home industry entitled “Nursing home situation grows dire again.” The gist of the article was a plea to […]
Posted inOpinion
Nursing home situation grows dire again
IT’S BEEN TWO LONG, arduous, and devastating years since Massachusetts, the country, and indeed the world, were thrown into a terrifying situation as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through our communities. […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker order requires nursing home staff to be vaccinated
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER announced Wednesday that the state will require all nursing home and long-term care facility staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by October 10. The decision marks an evolution […]
Posted inOpinion
Nursing homes have made staff gains, but more needed
MASSACHUSETTS NURSING facilities were at a crisis point regarding staffing even prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, due primarily to the inability to pay a competitive wage. In Massachusetts alone, there […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nursing homes may be turning the corner on COVID
NURSING HOMES have accounted for the bulk of deaths from COVID-19 in Massachusetts since last April, but that may be starting to change. Long-term care facilities, which cater to older […]
Posted inUncategorized
State drags its feet on nursing home Medicaid terminations
ON AUGUST 3, the Baker administration sent letters to three nursing homes informing them that a series of care violations had precipitated their ouster from the state’s Medicaid program, the […]
Posted inThe Download
At Pittsfield nursing home, outsiders are suspected cause of outbreak
Amid rising coronavirus case numbers, Gov. Charlie Baker has pointed to community spread and informal gatherings at home as the leading culprit. Now, legislators and health officials are following his […]
Posted inUncategorized
At Pittsfield nursing home, outsiders are suspected cause of outbreak
AMID RISING coronavirus case numbers, Gov. Charlie Baker has pointed to community spread and informal gatherings at home as the leading culprit. Now, legislators and health officials are following his […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nursing homes lacked PPE in Aug., report says
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A NEW REPORT measuring personal protective equipment shortages at nursing homes nationwide found that 8 percent were without one or more types of PPE in August. […]
Posted inHealth Care
Sudders warns of future nursing home closures
MASSACHUSETTS’ TOP health official is warning that nursing home closures could accelerate due to the pandemic – but she said those that survive may be the better ones. “I’d expect […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nursing home operator disputes termination claims
THE FOUNDER AND CEO of the company that runs two of the three nursing homes the state is moving to shut down said the decision runs counter to the facts […]
Posted inOpinion
Turning nursing homes around won’t be easy
THE HIGH RATES of COVID-19 infections and deaths among residents of skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, and rest homes in Massachusetts and the nation laid bare the urgent need for […]
Posted inHealth Care
Sudders: Nursing homes still work in progress
AS THE STATE’S OVERALL COVID-19 numbers continue to trend in a good direction, a top Baker administration official said on Tuesday that addressing the serious problems faced by nursing homes […]
Posted inHealth Care
Audits uncovering non-compliant nursing homes
AUDITS OF MORE THAN 350 skilled nursing homes across the state indicate a minority but significant number of the facilities are not in adherence with a 28-point checklist of infection […]
Posted inOpinion
Examining COVID-19 gender differences
THE STATE’S DASHBOARD of COVID-19 statistics indicates that deaths from the virus are split evenly between men and women, which is surprising given that in most other states and countries […]
Posted inHealth Care
State doing baseline COVID-19 testing at nursing homes
THE HEAD OF THE MASSACHUSETTS COVID-19 command center said she has dramatically stepped up testing at the state’s nursing homes and wants to test all residents and employees as quickly […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker accused of misplaced COVID-19 priorities
TWO LEADING OFFICIALS in the state’s nursing home industry said on the Codcast that the Baker administration focused too much attention in the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis on […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker accused of misplaced COVID-19 priorities
Two leading officials in the state’s nursing home industry said on The Codcast that the Baker administration focused too much attention in the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis on […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker accused of misplaced COVID-19 priorities
Two leading officials in the state’s nursing home industry said on The Codcast that the Baker administration focused too much attention in the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis on […]
Posted inHealth Care
Most COVID-19 deaths now at nursing homes
THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC in Massachusetts is fast becoming a nursing home epidemic. According to data released by the state on Saturday, 810 people died of COVID-19 at Massachusetts long-term care […]
Posted inOpinion
It’s time to help nursing homes
IT IS IMPORTANT for the Commonwealth to realize that our most vulnerable residents remain at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, without the necessary resources to stay protected. Though […]
Posted inOpinion
Nailing a rung into the nursing home career ladder
AS RECENT NEWS HAS MADE CLEAR, nursing homes have a Medicaid reimbursement problem. What you may not have heard during the steady drumbeat of media coverage is that nursing homes also […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nursing homes shutter amidst corruption, financial chaos
NURSING HOMES IN MASSACHUSETTS continue their steady descent into chaos, leaving seniors struggling to find adequate care as more facilities shutter, and fewer affordable beds are available. Five nursing homes […]