MEUSER, MEMBERS OF PA GOP DELEGATION ASK SHAPIRO FOR COVID-19 NURSING HOME REPORT
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-9) was joined by Pennsylvania members of the U.S. House of Representatives including Congressman Glenn ‘GT' Thompson (PA-15), Congressman Mike Kelly (PA-16), Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10), Congressman Lloyd Smucker (PA-11), Congressman Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Congressman John Joyce (PA-13), and Congressman Fred Keller (PA-12) in sending a letter to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, asking whether his office intends to release a report on guidance issued by the PA Department of Health that called for admittance of COVID-19 positive individuals in long-term care facilities:
"As you may have seen, the Attorney General of New York recently released a report on their office's ongoing investigation related to nursing homes and their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the most troubling revelations of this report is that COVID-19 nursing home fatalities were undercounted by roughly 50 percent in New York State.
"One of the primary causes of the large number of nursing home fatalities in New York was the state government's order that nursing homes admit COVID-19 positive individuals. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) issued a similar guidance on March 18, 2020, requiring that nursing homes allow new admissions and re-admissions, including individuals that had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Public reporting from PA DOH indicates that more than half of the COVID-19 related deaths in Pennsylvania have been attributable to nursing and personal home care populations.
"We have heard from many Pennsylvanians that are concerned with the state policies that put nursing and personal care home facility residents at risk. Does your office plan to offer a similar report as the New York State Attorney General's office? What is your plan to ensure that all publicly available information on this important topic is reliable and accurate?"
To read the full letter, please click HERE.