WASHINGTON — Nursing homes have been dealing with personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages long after the start of the pandemic, according to a new watchdog report.
A report by U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) said 20 percent of nursing homes still lacked critical supplies.
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It also said as of late August, 20 percent of nursing homes had less than one week’s worth of supplies of one or more types of PPE.
.@uspirg’s new #safenursinghomes report reveals over 96,000 Americans were at severe risk of getting COVID-19 because their nursing homes were completely out of one or more types of personal protective equipment. @FrontierGroupUS https://t.co/JLJlig5ecR pic.twitter.com/G5HZqxXZyD
— U.S. PIRG (@uspirg) October 27, 2020
“As of late August, 226,495 residents in 2,981 nursing homes nationwide were at risk because the homes had dangerously low supplies of one or more types of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N95 masks or gowns, according to data submitted to the federal government,” the report said. “That means that 20 percent of nursing homes in late August had a less-than-one-week supply of one or more types of PPE, which represents a critical shortage by industry standards.”
The report said the problem got worse throughout the summer.
“Something as simple and basic as producing masks that cost a buck a piece, is still haunting our nursing homes and our health care providers,” said Teresa Murray, Consumer Watchdog Director for U.S. PIRG.
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The report points to shortages of masks, gowns, gloves, hand sanitizer and more.
“To have shortages of PPE in nursing homes with our most vulnerable residents, it’s just awful,” said Murray. “It’s inexcusable.”
U.S. PIRG is calling on Congress to take action which includes giving more funding to help nursing homes and passing the Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act.
The group is also calling for the full implementation of the Defense Production Act.
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“It would require companies to produce more of the things that we need,” said Murray. “The masks, the gowns, the gloves, and get it into the hands of not just nursing homes but all health care providers that need this.”
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees nursing homes, said nationwide, around 90 percent of nursing homes have reported having adequate PPE as of two weeks ago.
Cox Media Group
