HARRISBURG, Pa. – Amid staff shortages at Pennsylvania long-term care facilities, there are growing concerns that many vulnerable seniors and their caregivers will be left on their own when closed.
A recent poll of 82 operators and administrators of nursing homes, personal care homes and assisted living communities showed that almost 40% said they could not afford to keep the facilities open for more than a year.
Many of the problems stem from a shortage of long-term care workers, who experienced low wages and burnout during the pandemic. A majority of establishments have also had to limit new admissions in the past six months.
Zach Shamberg, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, which conducted the survey of its members, said the results are alarming.
“They are forced to turn away potential residents because they don’t have enough workers to care for these new residents and continue to provide care,” Shamberg observed. “In one of the oldest states, in terms of population, this should be of real concern to every Pennsylvanian.”
Salaries at long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania vary, with registered nurses earning an average of $ 37 an hour and certified practical nurses earning an average of $ 15 an hour.
For survey respondents, over 80% said maintaining a workforce is their biggest challenge.
Shamberg pointed out that one of the issues facing facility operators is that 70% of care in nursing homes across the state is paid for by Medicaid. However, costs have risen as Medicaid reimbursement rates stagnate.
“This Medicaid reimbursement allows them to provide care, but it also allows them to increase wages, to offer benefits,” said Shamberg. “And until we see a significant investment from heads of state, we will not be able to invest in our workers.”
Repayment rates are about $ 50 a day lower, according to the association. Shamberg noted that another way for Pennsylvania to save long-term care in the state is to pass legislation to reduce red tape and regulatory barriers that hinder entry into a career in the industry.
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PORTLAND, Oregon – Recommendations have been published for some people to receive booster shots for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Oregon follows the FDA and CDC, which recommend booster shots for people 65 years of age and older who received the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago.
Recalls are also encouraged for youth at risk of serious infection from other medical conditions, and for frontline workers.
Dr Kristen Dillon, senior advisor to the COVID Response and Recovery Unit for the state of Oregon, said vaccines provide good protection, but decline over time and more pronounced in older people.
“This is why the recommendation is so strong, especially for those who are older, to receive the booster, to just restore their immunity,” Dillon advised. “It’s quite common with vaccinations that we need multiple injections to achieve a truly robust ability to resist infection.”
Dillon pointed out that booster shots are common for other vaccines, such as tetanus and flu shots. She urged people to talk to their primary care doctor or go to get vaccinated.oregon.gov to find a vaccination site.
Boosters are not yet recommended for Moderna or Johnson and Johnson vaccines, but that could change in the coming weeks.
Dillon argued that vaccines are the proverbial light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.
“For anyone who is ready to get the vaccine, who sees the value of immunization, getting boosters only increases protection for us and helps us all get back to life the way we really want to,” Dillon argued.
AARP Oregon recommends that eligible people receive a reminder to end the pandemic. He is holding a teleconference on boosters Thusday. Dillon noted that it is very important for people who have not yet received their first injection (s), and can do so safely, to get them.
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BENTON HARBOR, Mich .– As Congress continues to negotiate infrastructure and social safety net bills, environmental justice advocates say measures like supply line replacement can’t wait.
The drinking water systems of more than nine million homes across the country contain lead pipes, with black, brown and low-income communities being disproportionately affected.
Mustafa Santiago Ali, vice president of environmental justice, climate and community revitalization at the National Wildlife Federation, said removing lead pipes would benefit children’s health and educational outcomes as exposure to the lead is linked to the learning and reading difficulties of children.
“It also helps to increase values within communities, real estate values, because we know there is a huge wealth gap between black and brown communities and white communities,” Ali explained. “There are so many different positives that can happen.”
Last month, environmental groups filed an emergency petition with the Environmental Protection Agency for a free and safe supply of drinking water in Benton Harbor, a predominantly black community in southwest Michigan. The city reported extremely high lead levels in local water for three years.
Ali noted that the federal threshold for action is when lead is detected at a level above 15 parts per billion. In Benton Harbor, water in homes has been tested at over 800 parts per billion. He added that the water crisis, like what happened in Flint, is an example of disinvestment in a community.
“We have ‘sacrifice zones’ across our country where people have made the decision to divest in certain areas,” Ali said. “And many times those areas are our black and brown communities and our indigenous communities, sometimes our low-wealth white community. So we have a chance to change that dynamic.”
Over 60% of Americans in recent polls say they support the $ 1 trillion legislation now in Congress to improve roads, bridges, broadband and other infrastructure, including funding for replacement of lead pipes.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif .– Mentally capable and terminally ill patients with less than six months to live will now have much easier access to physician-assisted dying, thanks to a bill just signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Patients still need to get approval from two doctors, but Senate Bill 380 shortens the waiting period between 2 oral prescription requests from 15 days to 48 hours.
Amanda Villegas, lawyer and widow of cancer patient Chris Davis, who died shortly after diagnosis in 2019 without being able to take advantage of the end-of-life care option, said her suffering – and that of her family – was needlessly prolonged .
“He wanted other patients not to have to go through what he went through,” Villegas said. “He said to me, ‘Don’t stop. Show the pictures, tell my story. Let people know that has to change.'”
Groups opposed to the bill cite religious and moral concerns. A kaiser’s study found that a third of terminally ill adults who seek medical assistance in dying die before they complete the eligibility process. Advocates estimate that since California’s end-of-life option law came into effect five years ago, nearly 1,400 people have died before being granted an order.
The bill also requires hospitals and hospices to post their position on physician-assisted dying on their websites, so patients don’t waste valuable time trying to find out if their provider is ready to help.
Kim Callinan, CEO of Compassion and Choices Action Network, said she hopes other states will follow Golden State’s lead.
“This is a huge victory for now, for Californians and for the truly dying Americans in every state,” Callinan said.
The bill comes into force on January 1. Nine other states and Washington DC have passed legislation on physician-assisted dying.
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