Happy International Women’s Day, as if. Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency in Oregon this morning when her state reached 14 coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, Massachusetts has twice as many cases as of this writing, but Gov. Charlie Baker apparently doesn’t yet consider this an emergency.
A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Therefore, today I declare a state of emergency in Massachusetts. No doubt, Gov. Baker will follow my lead, though it gives me no pleasure to make this claim. Community spread of COVID-19 is already here, happening in the Berkshires now, as well as in other parts of the state. It also pains me to note that the only lab in the state that can test for the virus is in Boston.
More than 107,500 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in at least 95 countries at present. In addition, more than 3,500 people have died worldwide, and today we learned that additional deaths were reported when a Chinese hotel being used as a quarantine center collapsed and killed ten people, with 23 others still unaccounted for.
This is a rapidly developing global health story with multifaceted angles. When I read on CNN.com this afternoon that Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was making the eloquent case for restricting visits to nursing homes, I knew I had to give voice to his concerns, which I share.
Such concerns were magnified in Jake Tapper’s piece, also on CNN.com, about what first responders found last week when they visited Life Care Center of Kirkland, the nursing home outside of Seattle where at least 13 residents have died after testing positive for COVID-19. The exact description read, “…an understaffed facility with inadequate gear attempting to serve dozens of patients vulnerable to catching the virus.”
Throughout my career in post-acute and long-term care, I have strongly advocated for strengthening this under-appreciated part of our health care system. I’ve written three op-eds and twice testified in front of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs on Beacon Hill imploring lawmakers to increase MassHealth reimbursement rates for the state’s nursing facilities. The last time these rates were adjusted? Twelve years ago.
Many facilities have closed across the Commonwealth as a direct result of chronic underfunding for these vital health care centers. There are certainly other factors involved and none are unique to Massachusetts. However, the situation is so dire that a ballot question may be coming to a polling place near you this fall, if legislators do not pass it by May 5th. Should this occur, proponents have until July 1st to gather more signatures, which would place the question on the 2020 ballot this November.
The proposed measure would mandate the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to base reimbursement rates on costs within the previous two years. It would also require that the amount be “sufficient to pay all allowable costs of caring for beneficiaries” of state and federal health programs, according to The Boston Globe.
The Berkshires are lucky to have some of the best nursing facilities in the state. I know this firsthand, from covering a maternity leave in 2017 at Craneville Place in Dalton to participating in mock survey teams at Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center in Lenox and Mt. Greylock Extended Care in Pittsfield earlier this year. I was also part of a mock survey team at Sweet Brook in Williamstown last year when it was developing its plan of correction after several troubling state surveys by the Department of Public Health. More recently, I’ve consulted to Great Barrington Health Care Center as it prepares to close this spring. Suffice it to say the last residents to transfer when a facility is closing often represent the most complex cases.
Berkshire County residents need to remember that while there are six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon, we are all likely only two or three degrees away from one another. We have one hospital system, doing its utmost best to ensure everyone’s health and safety. In the days and weeks ahead, whether or not the governor declares a state of emergency, we will get through this. We will also face challenges to our normal daily life as the situation continues to unfold.
Thankfully, we are a caring community. I am grateful for this and salute every single one of my health care colleagues. Let’s provide the best possible care for one another.
