LeadingAge NY CEO Jim Clyne Testifies at Legislative Hearing on COVID-19 Response and Long-Term Care
Jim Clyne, president and CEO of LeadingAge NY, testified on Aug. 10th at the second legislative hearing on the impact of COVID-19 on the long-term care system and the individuals it serves. Like the first hearing on Aug. 3rd, the focus of the Aug. 10th hearing was on nursing homes. Jim's testimony described the impact of shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and lack of testing on the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes. He also emphasized the multi-year depletion of public funding for long-term care, highlighting the inadequacy of nursing home Medicaid rates. Jim noted that while 23 states have increased funding for nursing homes in response to the pandemic, New York has cut rates. He stressed that long-term care providers need a steady supply of PPE, access to testing with prompt results, and financial support to combat the pandemic. Jim's written testimony is available here, and a recording of the hearing is here.
Stakeholders representing a variety of perspectives also testified, including family members who lost loved ones in nursing homes, nursing home staff, a resident, home care association executives, and representatives of the ombudsman program. LeadingAge NY members Steve Knight, CEO of United Helpers; Jason Santiago, chief operating officer of The Manor and Springside at Seneca Hill; and Kimberly Townsend, CEO of Loretto, testified about their organizations' COVID-19 response and the impacts of the pandemic.
Lawmakers appeared interested in the impact of the Governor's March 25th directive prohibiting nursing homes from denying admission based on COVID-19 status. They also explored the distribution of PPE, expanding access to the ombudsman program, enforcement mechanisms for non-compliance with regulations, the availability of data concerning the COVID-19-related death toll among nursing home residents, and expanding visitation.
Contact: Karen Lipson, klipson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8838