Long-term care residents and caregivers in Washington State deserve better
By
Bill Ulrich
Aug 21, 2020
Nursing homes in almost every state are in a fight for survival. To a large extent this was true before COVID-19 reared its ugly head in our nation’s long-term care facilities. Unfortunately, Washington...
False Claims suit against Omnicare, CVS Health dismissed in appeals court
By
Danielle Brown
Aug 20, 2020
Omnicare and parent company CVS Health earned a court victory this week after a federal appeals court agreed to dismiss a whistleblower’s False Claims Act lawsuit for an alleged kickback scheme.
Diary of a new hire
By
Nancy Anderson, RN, MA
Aug 18, 2020
While employee retention is always a top priority, operating in a pandemic intensifies the urgency to hire and maintain competent, committed staff. Since the first three months of employment are particularly...
Vetting COVID-19 vaccine in bariatric population is essential, investigator says
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 17, 2020
Judging from the performance of other vaccines, some experts are concerned that a COVID-19 inoculation will be less effective in people with obesity than for those with a lower body mass.
McKnight’s 40 for 40: Brian Jurutka
By
John O'Connor
Aug 17, 2020
Never perform after children or animals, the old show biz adage warns. The equivalent advice for this market might be to avoid replacing visionary leaders. For in both scenarios, there’s usually a tough...
The solution to nursing homes’ COVID-19 testing shortages
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 14, 2020
Fret no more. I’ve figured out how to get plenty of COVID-19 testing to take place at nursing homes. The federal government may have wished for more testing of residents and workers, but my plan has...
My job in a COVID-19 hotspot didn’t give me COVID — it gave me PTSD
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Aug 11, 2020
Even a long-term care psychologist can fall prey to the psychological and emotional terrors of the COVID-19 pandemic, I can unfortunately report to you with ironic confidence.
Facing ways to improve PPE long term
By
Jay Baker
Aug 11, 2020
Protecting vulnerable populations, particularly long-term care residents and staff, from viruses and infections is critical. The COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the fact that not only is there a need for...
Point-of-care testing could be ‘biggest advance’ in COVID-19 fight
By
Danielle Brown
Aug 10, 2020
The federal government’s point-of-care testing program for nursing homes — outside of a future potential vaccine — could be the “biggest advance” of all in the fight against the coronavirus crisis,...