New AARP Analysis Reveals Louisiana Nursing Homes Still Lack Adequate PPE and Staff

Posted on 11/23/20

AARP today renewed its call for Governors and legislators to better protect nursing home residents and staff from the coronavirus. The latest release of the AARP Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard finds concerning trends in Louisiana’s nursing homes, including continued shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and staff.

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Using data released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services—which is self-reported by nursing homes—the AARP Public Policy Institute, in collaboration with the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University in Ohio, created the AARP Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard to provide four-week snapshots of the virus’ infiltration into nursing homes and impact on nursing home residents and staff. This second dashboard aggregates and analyzes data from nursing homes covering three 4-week time intervals from mid-summer into fall: July 26-Aug. 23, Aug. 24-Sept. 20, and Sept. 21-Oct. 18.

For the period from Sept. 21-Oct. 18, AARP’s dashboard reports that Louisiana nursing homes had:

  • 471 COVID-19 cases, down from 558 in the previous four-week period
  • 72 COVID-19 deaths, down from 124
  • 393 staff COVID-19 cases, down from 531
  • 20.4% of nursing homes without a 1-week supply of PPE, down from 21.4%
  • 37.7% of nursing homes with staffing shortages, down from 39.6%

“According to the dashboard, nearly 2,000 Louisiana nursing home residents and staff have already died of COVID-19, and still facilities don’t have the PPE and staffing needed to protect residents,” said AARP State Director Denise Bottcher. “This is a tragedy that must be addressed.  Our state leaders need to act to keep residents safe and hold nursing homes accountable.”

This story is provided by AARP Louisiana. Visit the AARP Louisiana page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.

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