Chris Comisac
HARRISBURG — A recent report by the New York Times showing Pennsylvania has six of the top 10 nursing homes with COVID-19 deaths has Republican state lawmakers calling on Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration to make good on its promises to protect the vulnerable long-term care facility population.
“The data and information available suggest the Wolf administration has not taken its pledges to protect nursing homes and long-term care facilities and their residents seriously enough,” said state Sen. Judy Ward, R-Blair, who chaired the Senate Aging and Youth Committee during the 2019-20 legislative session.
According to the Times report, the national average for nursing home deaths due to COVID-19 is 38%, but in Pennsylvania it’s 60%, which is the sixth-highest percentage in the nation. Additionally, of the top 10 facilities for virus deaths, six are Pennsylvania-based facilities, with Fair Acres Geriatric Center of Lima, Pa., the site with the most deaths in the nation: Fair Acres Geriatric Center (409 case, 94 deaths); Paramount Nursing & Rehab/ Senior Living Fayetteville of Fayetteville, Pa., (92 cases, 92 deaths); Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation of Allentown, Pa., (384 cases, 81 deaths); Conestoga View Nursing and Rehabilitation of Lancaster, Pa., (297 cases, 77 deaths); Gracedale Nursing Home of Nazareth, Pa., (309 cases, 76 deaths); and Brighton Rehabilitation & Wellness Center of Beaver, Pa., (454 cases, 73 deaths).