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The Wall Street Journal - 11/02/2020 Page : A007
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. Monday, November 2, 2020 | A7

U.S. NEWS

Staff Shortages Plagued Nursing Homes

Number of caregivers roll-based daily staffing data re- emerita professor at the nurs-

.
ly
leased last week by the Medi- ing school of the University of
fell well below normal care agency looked only at California, San Francisco.
early in pandemic on nursing homes that reported to A spokeswoman for the Cen-

on
the federal government virus- ters for Medicare and Medicaid
some of deadliest days related deaths in the first half Services, which released the
of 2020. new data, said the Journal’s

us l,
BY CHRISTOPHER WEAVER The findings show staffing methodology didn’t account for

e
al a
AND ANNA WILDE MATHEWS levels became dire in those changes such as differences in
places, said David Grabowski, a how sick the residents were.

ci on
The ranks of caregivers at professor of health-care policy She said the agency had taken
dozens of nursing homes at Harvard Medical School, who action to help nursing homes
plunged to dangerously low lev- studies nursing homes. “That’s add staff during the pandemic,

er s
els on some of the deadliest really endangering the resi- such as waiving training re-
days of the pandemic, under- dents,” he said. “Problems hap- quirements for aides.

m er
cutting care for vulnerable resi- pen during the pandemic when Genesis Healthcare Inc.-
dents at these facilities, accord- you don’t have sufficient staff- owned Kimberly Hall North in

m rp
ing to a Wall Street Journal ing on that given day.” Windsor, Conn., had nine days

analysis of new federal data.
The Journal found that as
the novel coronavirus tore
through states like New Jersey
and New York in April, as many
as 127 hard-hit nursing homes
on a single day had nurse-staff-
ing levels that fell at least 25%
below their levels for the com-
parable days in 2019, a sign that
experts say points to a signifi-
Nashoba Valley nursing home, in Littleton, Mass., was one of the facilities that faced staffing shortfalls.
more than 40% below their lev-
els for the comparable day last
year. The Journal’s analysis
n-
co Fo
munities, didn’t respond to re-
quests for comment.
The staffing shortages dur-
BRIAN SNYDER/REUTERS
Nursing homes overtaken by
that first wave of the virus ulti-
mately reported some of the
highest death rates of the pan-
demic. There have been more
than 88,000 Covid-19 deaths
linked to long-term care facili-
ties in the U.S., according to a
viewed by the Journal also be- Journal tally of recent state, lo-
lieve that the lower levels of cal and federal data. That repre-
staffing hurt their ability to sents about 40% of all recorded
with staffing levels at least
20% below 2019 levels in
March and April, and Life
Care Centers of America’s
Nashoba Valley nursing home
in Littleton, Mass., had 14 such
days in the same period.
At Kimberly Hall, the virus
infected 45 staff members out
of 140 employees in the build-
ing, Genesis’s chief medical of-

cant shortage. On many days in matched up each day in 2020 to ing the pandemic’s first peak in communicate with caregivers Covid-19 deaths. ficer, Richard Feifer, said. He
April the number of facilities the equivalent weekday in 2019. April were triggered by waves about their loved ones during a The new federal data re- said staffing didn’t affect pa-
with Covid-19 outbreaks that In the case of one such facil- of illness among staff members, terrifying time. leased last week give the first tient care and that Genesis de-
no

had such shortfalls was more
than twice what was typical at
those same facilities in the
months before the pandemic,
the data show.
More than 300 nursing
homes with virus outbreaks re-
ported at least one day in the
second quarter of 2020 in
which their staffing levels fell
ity, staffing levels at Atrium
Post Acute Care in Park Ridge,
N.J., were at least 30% below
2019 levels for 19 straight days
in April. The facility was in the
midst of an outbreak at the
time that ultimately killed 34
residents, state data show. A
spokeswoman for Atrium’s
owner, Spring Hills Senior Com-
quarantine requirements for
people potentially exposed to
the coronavirus and call-outs
sparked by factors including
fear of infection and lack of
child care. Those factors com-
pounded nursing homes’ strug-
gles to provide care to their
residents, experts say.
Some family members inter-
The data show that several broad look at nursing home
nursing homes ravaged by the staffing during a particularly
virus in the spring actually saw deadly period of the pandemic
an improvement in their staff- for nursing homes and shows
ing levels, relative to the num- more-widespread shortages
ber of residents, as their out- than previously known. Prior to
breaks subsided. That was in the new release, nursing-home
part because of the loss of resi- staffing during that period was
dents to death, experts say. “just a complete black box,”
The Journal analysis of pay- said Charlene Harrington, an
ployed other workers to rein-
force the facility.
“Covid-19 crippled staffing
at any skilled nursing facility
that faced a major outbreak,”
a Life Care spokeswoman said,
noting that on the day the fa-
cility had its peak of 50 resi-
dent cases, 57 employees were
out.

Dakotas, Once a Haven, Now See Infections Surge

BY ELIZABETH FINDELL “We feel pretty good about The Dakotas’ surge comes
where we’re at,” Ms. Seidel Troubling Trend North after cases had been low there U.S. Cases Fall After
The percentage of tests for said. “The governor is not go- Dakota for months. North Dakota has
Covid-19 coming back positive ing to change any of her ap- Weekly new cases per 100,000 people 813.2 762,000 people and South Da- Reaching a Record
in South Dakota has soared to proach—why should she?” States ranked most to fewest, kota has 884,000. Hospitaliza-
46%. That is more than eight “Showing respect and un- through week ended Oct. 31 South tions and deaths are also rising
times the World Health Organ- derstanding” for people who Dakota in both states. Hospitalizations The U.S. reported more
ization’s recommended 5% choose not to follow health 767.4 have roughly doubled in the than 89,000 new coronavirus
threshold for businesses to be guidelines is the right thing to past month, to 412 from 209 in cases on Saturday, a decline
open. do, and even places with harsh South Dakota and to 284 from from the record high reached
As Covid cases surge across restrictions have seen cases 105 in North Dakota. the previous day.
the U.S. and in Europe, South spike at times, Ms. Seidel said. Florida peak People in their 20s and 30s Saturday’s figure is 10%
Dakota and North Dakota hold While there wasn’t a con- 315.5 have seen some of the highest lower than the more than
a distinct position: Each has sensus on mask wearing at the numbers of new cases, and 99,300 cases Friday, according
more new virus cases per cap- start of the pandemic, both health officials said it is diffi- to the latest data compiled by
ita than any other states have Republican and Democratic cult to stop the virus from Johns Hopkins University.
seen since the pandemic be- governors in many states since spreading from young people That takes the total number
gan. South Dakota has the then have strongly encouraged New York peak to more vulnerable populations of infections in the country to
most and North Dakota the or mandated mask wearing as 297.5 such as the elderly. more than 9.1 million.
second-most. health authorities recom- North Dakota Gov. Doug Bur- Deaths on Saturday to-
“Those who don’t want to mended their use. Many also gum, a Republican, said at a re- taled 908, down from Friday’s
wear a mask shouldn’t be restricted business operations cent news conference that he 1,030, according to Johns
shamed into wearing one,” when cases and positivity supported cities taking their Hopkins, taking the death toll
wrote South Dakota Gov. Kristi rates hit thresholds they con- own approaches to health poli- to nearly 231,000.
Noem, a Republican, in an opin- sidered too high. cies. But he said he wouldn’t is- As of Saturday, there
ion piece published in the Rapid Health officials have several April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov sue a statewide mask mandate, were 47,374 people hospital-
City Journal. Hospital visits and explanations for why the virus saying everyone needs to “find ized, according to the Covid
Note: Last updated Nov. 1, at 11:34 a.m. Rolling seven-day total through week ended Oct. 31.
caring for symptomatic people is spreading in the sparsely Source: Johns Hopkins University their why” for mask-wearing. Tracking Project, the highest
are times when masks are ap- populated Dakotas. Viruses The Centers for Disease since Aug. 12.
propriate, she wrote. typically move unevenly from and Policy at the University of with the positivity rate New Control and Prevention recom- The U.S. added more than
Maggie Seidel, a senior ad- one community to another, es- Minnesota. York recorded in April, when mends that masks be worn in half a million new cases in
viser to Ms. Noem, said that pecially to new populations South Dakota’s 46% positiv- testing was much more limited. public to reduce transmission the past week, with infections
the governor has no opinion that had few cases earlier in ity rate, as reported by Johns North Dakota’s positivity from people who may not yet trending upward in most
on whether people should the pandemic and where hardly Hopkins University, is roughly rate is 11%. The state has aver- know they are sick, among states, including Illinois, Flor-
wear masks while in proximity anyone is immune, they said. double the 20% and 24% rates aged 109 new cases per other reasons. Studies have ida, Missouri and Texas. Other
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to others in public locations. Large public is for
gatherings personal,
may that Texasnon-commercial
and Arizona, respec- use 100,000 only. peopleDodailynotover edit,thealter
shownor that
reproduce.
a person who is states where new cases are
Ms. Seidel said the governor’s also have spread it, and few tively, saw over the summer, past seven days, while South sick is less likely to spread the running high include Ohio,
For commercial reproduction or distribution:
response is a measured one to people wearing masks in public prompting their Republican Dakota has averaged 115 cases. virus while wearing a mask. Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota
a virus that she said will is a cause, said Contact
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spread with or without gov- holm, director of the Center for such as bars. Texas also began ber of new cases in New York  Drone start-ups stand by to —Christine Mai-Duc
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ernmental restrictions. Infectious Disease Research requiring masks. It is on par was 59 per 100,000 on April 14. help ship vaccines................... B4