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Nursing home facilities still have questions after DOH visitation guidance takes effect


Nursing homes only had four days to adjust and comply with the health departments new visitation guidelines. (CNYCentral file photo)
Nursing homes only had four days to adjust and comply with the health departments new visitation guidelines. (CNYCentral file photo)
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ALBANY (WRGB) – Jim Clyne is the CEO of Leading Age New York, which represents 400 not for profit and county run nursing home facilities in New York State.

PREVIOUS:More than 400 nursing homes still closed to visitors under state guidelines

He says many of their members don’t have a grip on what the state’s new visitation guidance allows and doesn’t allow.

He also believes some didn’t even get the new rules right away, saying,

“The guidance, while it gives us an idea of what we want, there are details that still have to be worked out for exactly what the department wants.”

Here’s what the guidance wants:

  • Negative results from a COVID Test are required within 72 hours of an appointment if the facility's county's positivity rate is between 5-10 percent.
  • No visitation is allowed if the county containing the facility has a positivity rate over 10 percent. Compassionate care visits would still be allowed.
  • Visitor numbers can't exceed 20 percent of the resident population.

But Clyne says that he still has several questions for the health department, adding,

“If the compassionate care people are there, do they count towards the 20 percent towards the general visitors? Volunteers would be a great way to get relief for staff, so staff don't have to do all the mechanics of getting visitors in. Do the volunteers then count as the visitors in the 20 percent?"

A representative for DOH said they will look into his concerns and will get back to CBS 6.

CBS 6 also spoke with the president of the New York State Health Facilities Association. They represent private, government sponsored, and non-profit facilities.

PREVIOUS:To visit, nursing homes must still be COVID-free

Their executive director tells us about 1/4 of the nursing homes in the state will be able to open, but he says a hard cap on how many visitors are allowed at once will be hard to manage, since they expect many family members will be trying to see their loved ones for the first time in nearly a year.

“You have to redirect resources to manage all the making sure folks coming in. Some folks coming in you got to manage in a 5-10 percent area you have to manage and do the checks at the door,” says NYS Health Facilities Association Stephen Hanse.

Leading Age New York also was wondering if they’d be held accountable if someone tested positive during the screening process and during a visit.

A DOH spokesperson responded, saying that a facility would only be held accountable if they were found to have been negligent.

The organization is also wondering if a tent counts as outdoor or indoor visitation.

DOH said they would also look into that.

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