WELL-RUN FACILITY, A FIVE-STAR FACILITY, THEY HAD REPORTED 13
DEATHS AS OF SATURDAY.
AS OF TODAY, THERE ARE 27.
YOU CAN BE A POORLY-RUN
FACILITY, YOU CAN BE A WELL-RUN
FACILITY.
FACILITY. THAT IS ULTIMATELY GOING TO MAKE
A DIFFERENCE, BUT EVEN IN
WELL-RUN FACILITIES, AMERICANS
ARE DYING IN HUGE NUMBERS IN
CONCENTRATED PLACES THAT WE CAN
SEE AND IDENTIFY AND HELP IF WE
CHOOSE.
CHOOSE. I MEAN WHERE WE ARE COUNTING THE
DEATHS IN NURSING HOMES, IT
TURNS OUT THAT NURSING HOME
DEATHS ARE OFTEN THE MAJORITY OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE DYING IN A
PARTICULAR REGION OR A
PARTICULAR STATE.
PARTICULAR STATE. MOSTLY, THOUGH, WE’RE JUST NOT
COUNTING THEM.
COUNTING THEM. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT
TRACKING THIS.
TRACKING THIS. AND IF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
ISN’T TRACKING THIS, THEN, YOU
KNOW, THE STATE OR EVEN LOCAL
COMMUNITIES ARE GOING TO HAVE TO
FIGURE OUT A WAY TO HELP THESE
PLACES.
PLACES. PHOTO GET MEDICAL STAFF IN
THERE.
THERE. NOT ALL A-LOT OF MEDICAL
FACILITIES HAVE A LOT OF MEDICAL
STAFF.
STAFF. BUT THEY NEED THEM NOW.
THEY NEED MEDICAL STAFF ADDED TO
THE REGULAR AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WHO
THEY’VE GOT WORKING IN THOSE
FACILITIES.
FACILITIES. THEY NEED MEDICAL HELP.
THEY NEED PROTOCOLS FOR HOW TO
HANDLE THIS RIGHT.
AND SUPPLIES TO BE ABLE TO
FULFILL THOSE PROTOCOLS.
THEY NEED PRIORITY AND REGULAR
ACCESS TO TESTING.
THEY NEED TO BE VISIBLE AND
CONNECTED TO THE LARGER HEALTH
CARE RESPONSE THAT WE ARE SEEING
IN THE HOSPITALS, BUT THAT WE
ARE NOT SEEING IN THESE PLACES.
WHEN THE POLICE CHIEF THERE,
FROM THAT TOWN, WHERE THEY HAVE
HAD 68 DEAD, WHERE THEY HAD TO
COME IN AND HAUL OUT 14 BODIES
OF OVERFLOW FROM THE MORGUE THIS
WEEK, BECAUSE THEY GOT AN
ANONYMOUS TIP ABOUT BODIES
STACKING UP, WHEN THAT POLICE
CHIEF SAID THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE
JUST AS MUCH ON THE FRONT LINE
OF THIS PANDEMIC AS THE NURSES
AND THE DOCTORS WHO ARE WE ARE
APPLAUDING EVERY NIGHT FROM OUR
WINDOW SILLS, THAT’S EXACTLY
RIGHT, EXCEPT THEY, IN SOME
CASES, ARE DEALING WITH MORE
DEATH, WITH LESS EQUIPMENT, WITH
LESS TRAINING, AND WITH NO
VISIBILITY, AND NO HELP.
I MEAN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
SHOULD BE DOING THIS.
THEY’RE NOT.
THEY’RE NOT. WE CAN’T WAIT FOR THEM TO START
DOING IT WHILE WE LET THIS MANY
AMERICANS DIE EVERY DAY.
AND SOME PLACES ARE TRYING.
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN WHO
REPRESENTS THAT PART OF NEW
JERSEY, OR THAT FACILITY IS,
WHERE WE JUST HEARD FROM THE
MAYOR AND THE POLICE CHIEF, HE
SAYS THAT WHEN HE HEARD, WHEN HE
GOT A CALL IN HIS OFFICE, ASKING
THAT FACILITY TO PLEASE SOURCE
BODY BAGS, HE SAYS HE ASKED
FEMA, HE CALLED FEMA, TO INQUIRE
ABOUT PLEASE, MAYBE SENDING IN
SOME NATIONAL GUARD MEDICS TO
THAT FACILITY.
THAT FACILITY. THAT’S AN OPTION.
FEMA DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE
REACTED TO THAT REQUEST.
BUT THAT REQUEST WAS REPORTEDLY
MADE.
MADE. IN NEW YORK STATE, NEW YORK’S
GOVERNOR, ANDREW CUOMO HAS THIS
WEEK STARTED TO ANNOUNCE EVERY
DAY THE NUMBER OF DEATHS
SPECIFICALLY IN NURSING HOMES
WHEN HE ANNOUNCES THE TOTAL
STATE DEATH TOLL.
HE GOES OUT OF HIS WAY TO SAY
HOW MANY OF THOSE WERE IN
NURSING HOMES.
NURSING HOMES. HE IS STARTING TO GET MORE AND
MORE POINTED QUESTIONS ABOUT
NURSING HOME DEATH TOLLS AND
WHICH FACILITIES NEED THE MOST
HELP.
HELP. MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA, THE
GOVERNORS IN THOSE TWO STATE,
ONE DEMOCRAT, AND ONE
REPUBLICAN, HAVE FORMED STATE
TASK FORCES, JOINED FORCES
THERE, IN THOSE TWO ADJOINING
STATES, TO FORM THESE
MULTI-AGENCY TASK FORCES
INCLUDING THE NATIONAL GUARD TO
GO INTO NURSING HOMES TO TRY TO
ASSESS CRISIS SITUATIONS, TO TRY
TO PRIORITIZE SUPPLIES INTO
THOSE FACILITIES, TO TRY TO
ORGANIZE HELP.
ORGANIZE HELP. THE MAYOR OF SEATTLE THIS WEEK,
SEATTLE HAS BEEN SO HARD-HIT.
THIS WEEK, ASKED FIREFIGHTERS TO
TAKE OVER TESTING IN NURSING
HOMES, WHICH IS ONE WAY OF
MAKING SURE THAT NURSING HOMES
ARE PRIORITY TESTING SITES.
FIREFIGHTERS HAD TESTED FIRST
RESPONDERS IN SEATTLE AS
PRIORITY TESTING TARGETS AND NOW
ASKING FIREFIGHTERS TO PLEASE
TARGET NURSING HOMES.
IN THE GREAT STATE OF MICHIGAN,
WHICH HAS THE THIRD LARGEST
NUMBER OF CASES IN THE COUNTRY,
THE GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN JUST IN
THE PAST DAY, SIGNED A
STATE-WIDE EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT
DIRECTS NURSING HOMES IN
MICHIGAN TO START REPORTING ANY
COVID CASES AMONG STAFF OR
PATIENTS TO THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT, TO CREATE SEPARATE
HOUSING, FOR RESIDENTS WITH
CORONAVIRUS, TO PROVIDE PPE TO
ALL EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WORKING
WITH ANY CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS.
TO SEND ANY MEDICALLY UNSTABLE
PATIENT TO THE HOSPITAL.
HER EXECUTIVE ORDER COVERS A
NUMBER OF THINGS THAT NURSING
HOMES NEED TO DO BETTER AND THAT
THEY NEED HELP WITH, IN ORDER TO
STOP THE TIDE OF DEATH THROUGH
THESE FACILITIES WHERE MORE