Three members of Congress say they have introduced the Assisted Living Facility Coronavirus Reporting Act to address issues related to COVID-19 infections, hospitalization and fatality rates, sick leave policies for employees, testing and personal protective equipment in senior living communities.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and Aging committees; Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA); and Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, said the act would:
- Require states to report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention historic and weekly COVID-19 data for each assisted living community in the state, presented in demographic categories;
- Give assisted living communities one day after a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 is identified to notify federal, state and local health officials, as well as assisted living residents and their loved ones;
- Require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to apply all future COVID-19 reporting requirements for nursing homes to assisted living communities “to the extent practicable”; and
- Require the U.S. Government Accountability Office to issue a report, within two years, with recommendations for improving reporting in congregate care facilities.
Introduction of the bill follows the solicitation of information from the CEOs of 11 of some of the country’s largest senior living companies in late April about the extent of COVID-19 at their communities and the actions they were taking to prevent or mitigate the disease.
This is a developing story. McKnight’s Senior Living will have updates.
Editor’s note, July 6: See the follow-up article here.
