NY nursing homes struggle with staffing amid outbreaks
Updated Jan 26, 2021;
Posted Jan 26, 2021
A nursing home staff member receives a Covid-19 vaccine from a CVS pharmacist at Harlem Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in New York City earlier in January.Yuki Iwamura | AP Photo
Facebook Share
Nursing homes in parts of New York hit worst by this winter’s COVID-19 surge say they’re struggling to find enough staff as workers have gotten sick or needed to quarantine.
About 80 nursing homes have reported nursing shortages as of early January, according to The Associated Press’ analysis of the latest federal and state data. Most are located in parts of western and central New York that saw their first serious outbreaks of the virus begin in late autumn.
Nursing homes struggle with staffing amid outbreaks
By MARINA VILLENEUVEJanuary 26, 2021 GMT
Associated Press (AP) Nursing homes in parts of New York hit worst by this winter’s COVID-19 surge say they’re struggling to find enough staff as workers have gotten sick or needed to quarantine.
About 80 nursing homes have reported nursing shortages as of early January, according to The Associated Press’ analysis of the latest federal and state data. Most are located in parts of western and central New York that saw their first serious outbreaks of the virus begin in late autumn.
At The Pearl nursing home in Rochester, a core group of nurses worked double shifts for weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, said administrator Christine Schaller.
POLITICO
Get the New York Playbook newsletter
Email
Sign Up
By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and you can contact us here. This sign-up form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Presented by Opportunities for NY
Andrew Yang makes it official today: He is running for New York City mayor.
As
our Sally Goldenberg reports, the former Democratic presidential candidate will launch his campaign with the promise of cash payments a local version of his universal basic income proposal to half a million New Yorkers. His plan would pay city residents living in poverty between $2,000 and $5,000 per year.
Associated Press ALBANY New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a crackdown on potential vaccine fraud as state officials hope to provide an initial vaccine dose to 400,000 people by the end of the week. Cuomo, a Democrat, has touted New York’s vaccination efforts even as the nation as a whole is short of reaching the federal government’s goal of injecting 20 million Americans with the first dose by the end of December. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nearly 2 million people have received an initial vaccine done as of Dec. 26. The nation reported about 1.3 million new COVID-19 cases over the past seven days, including roughly 75,000 in New York. The number of new cases has flattened over the past week in New York, which is reporting more cases per-capita than 30 other states.
WBFO s Tom Dinki reports.
At least 21 residents of the Elderwood nursing home in Williamsville have tested positive for COVID-19 during the last six months, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Resident Eileen Folkerth is not one of them.
But, like all residents, she can’t participate in activities outside her room, due to safety protocols.
“All you have is TV,” she said.
Folkerth may get back to a more engaging routine and what she called a “more pleasant life,” with the help of a COVID-19 vaccination. She could receive it as soon as this week.