Limited visits allowed to nursing homes
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Active cases drop to 12
The Knox County News-Courier
For the first time in nearly five months, visitors will be allowed in Texas nursing homes on a limited basis, state health officials announced last Thursday, reversing a policy intended to keep the state’s most vulnerable populations safe from a pandemic that has proved especially deadly for older people.
Conditions for limited visitation at nursing facilities require no confirmed COVID-19 cases in staff in the last 14 days, no active positive cases in residents, and for facility staff to be tested for COVID-19 weekly. Only outdoor visits will be allowed.
Senior Living Properties corporate office for Brazos Valley Care Home, did not respond to requests for comment about active cases.
The Munday Nursing Center still has active cases.
Judge Stan Wojcik announced that the number of active virus cases had dropped 12, with six in the hospital, adding that only one positive had been reported from 66 checked at Knox City last week. The total count now stands at 82.
“Masks are still required,” he added. “Once you have gone over the 20, the mandate from the governor remains in place.”
At long-term care facilities, some indoor visits will be permitted, provided there are plexiglass barriers, there are no active cases of the novel coronavirus among residents and there are no confirmed cases among staff in the last two weeks. Physical contact between residents and visitors will not be permitted, state officials said.
“This is a rapidly evolving situation, and we are constantly assessing what actions are necessary to keep residents and staff safe in these facilities,” said Phil Wilson, the acting executive commissioner of Texas Health and Human Services Commission. “By following these procedures and rules, facilities can more effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19 and help us achieve our shared goal of reuniting residents with their families and friends.”
Deaths in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities account for more than a third of Texas’ death toll.
Despite the need to protect a high-risk population, families and advocates have been urging the state to allow for limited visitation.
“These families and residents are more than deserving of these new guidelines that allow for limited visitation,” said Kevin Warren, President and CEO of Texas Health Care Association (THCA). “Many of us could not fathom the kind of prolonged separation from our own loved ones that they have endured, and I am glad that we have finally began to tackle this in Texas like other states.”
“While we are encouraged by yesterday’s announcement, families have already begun to ask about visiting, but many questions about the testing requirements and additional conditions remain unclear to begin scheduling those visits.
“Testing has been an ongoing challenge. Whether its administration costs, access, or delays in receiving results, there have been myriad of challenges in implementing a predictable and reliable testing protocol for long-term care. We look forward to working with HHSC and state leaders on this component.
“It must also be noted
that while the federal
government is providing
some testing support,
it has initially focused
on facilities with
confirmed positive cases
of COVID-19. As these
visitation guidelines are
laid out, a facility, rightly,
must have no active cases
so is therefore not eligible
for assistance with
testing from the federal
government.
“If we are finally acknowledging
the need for
safe visitation to begin,
then it is essential that
we have a commitment
to a long-term solution
for adequate and rapid
testing in our facilities,”
concluded Warren.
Some Texas lawmakers,
including Sen. Charles
Perry of Lubbock, had
been advocating for a
policy change for weeks,
saying “We will not stand
to let these Texans fall
through the cracks.”
