Nursing Home Industry Criticizes Raimondo Administration’s Testing Strategy for Releasing Patients

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

GoLocalProv News Team

 

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Nursing home industry and Raimondo battle over testing

The nursing home industry in Rhode Island — the Rhode Island Health Care Association (RIHCA) —  this week again urged Governor Gina Raimondo and the RI Department of Health (RIDOH) to test hospital patients twice before being transferred to a nursing home.  

The plea for the two tests points to the fact that patients are being transferred into nursing homes without being tested after spending days or weeks in the hospital. The patients are tested once during their stay but not upon discharge leaving nursing home residents vulnerable to spread.

Now, RI's nursing homes are hit with yet another surge of infection with over 320 cases.

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Latest RIHCA Concerns

In August, the state retracted a two-test policy put into place in April after RIHCA stated its concerns at the beginning of the pandemic.  This means a hospital patient is tested at some point during their stay and then not tested again before being sent to a nursing home, despite the amount of time they have been in the hospital.  This allows potentially COVID positive patients to be sent into the state’s most vulnerable congregate communities. 

To date, nearly 890 nursing home residents have died since March.

According to the nursing home owners, in a phone call last week with providers, Dr. James MacDonald of the DOH said the agency would not re-instate the second test.

The call came one week after  Raimondo, in her weekly press conference on Thursday, Nov. 12, said she supported testing people twice before they would be transferred to the nursing homes.

The DOH has indicated that nursing homes must quarantine residents for 14 days after their arrival from a hospital, therefore stating there is not a need for a second test.

RIHCA disagrees with the RIDOH policy.

“In April, the DOH implemented this testing policy after we brought it to their attention, as they saw the need to have more knowledge rather than less as patients entered nursing homes,” said Scott Fraser, president and CEO of RIHCA.  “Then they took it away. We are caring for the population most vulnerable to COVID-19 and we need every tool available to protect them. And now that a spike is happening in our state, we ask for a return to the policy of two negative tests before releasing a hospital patient to a nursing home."

 

RIDOH Responds

"Our guidance is for people to quarantine for 14 days after entering a long term care facility from a hospital, no matter how many times they have been tested. Quarantining new residents has always been the most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in facilities by new residents. We know that a person can have a negative test before being discharged from a hospital but test positive at any point over the next 14 days," said the RIDOH's spokesperson Joseph Wendelken.

Wendelken added, "However, there are situations in which additional testing can be beneficial. For example, while it is ideal for people who are quarantining to have separate space, there is benefit to testing upon admission for new residents who will be quarantining together in the same room. We are in the process of updating our guidance in this area."

But the disagreement continues as the spread and deaths continue to rise.

“Bringing an unknown COVID positive patient through our doors to be quarantined puts residents and staff at risk as it raises the risk of spread in the home. Risking other people’s lives is not worth it,”  said Fraser.

 

Testing Inadequate for Hospital and Healthcare Workers outside of Nursing Homes

RIHCA also called on DOH and the governor to implement strong testing policies for hospital workers.  As it stands now, hospital workers are not tested at all, while nursing homes workers are tested weekly.  The spread of COVID-19 in hospitals is a concern as it heightens the chance patients can contract COVID – some of whom will transfer to nursing homes.

In addition, workers who regularly travel in and out of nursing homes such as lab techs and ancillary workers are not required to be tested per the state.  These workers pose yet another threat to nursing home residents. 

Fraser called for smart testing policies. “The state is urging many to get tested so we can track this virus, yet key individuals in the healthcare profession are being left off the list.  We call on the state to take a second look at these policies and enact protocols instead that are smart and life saving.”

 

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