Nursing Home 'Outrage', Unemployment Glitches: Hogan Updates

MARYLAND — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Wednesday issued an executive order requiring universal COVID-19 testing at all nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

The Republican said facilities will be prioritized based on an "imminent outbreak or a current rising threat of an outbreak."

"I've issued an executive order requiring universal testing of all residents and staff at all Maryland nursing homes, regardless of whether they're symptomatic or not," Hogan said.

The announcement comes after newly released data showed that nursing homes and assisted living facilities accounted for nearly half of Maryland's coronavirus deaths. Based on the latest figures, the virus has killed 471 people in nursing homes. The state's death toll currently stands at 985.

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Under Hogan's executive order, all nursing home residents must be evaluated by either a physician, nurse practitioner, physician's assistant, or registered nurse on a daily basis.

"With our expanded universal testing, we should expect to see the number of positive cases significantly rise among both nursing home residents and staff," Hogan said.

Staff members who test positive will be immediately discharged and put into isolation. To ensure continuity of care in the event of an outbreak, Hogan said facilities must develop emergency surge staffing plans.

In addition to universal testing and daily medical evaluations, all nursing homes will now be required to fully comply and cooperate with strike teams.

Statewide strike teams — which consist of Maryland National Guard members, state health officials, and doctors and nurses — are tasked with supervising virus testing, assessing equipment and supply needs, and providing on-site medical triage to nursing homes.

The governor said the teams have already responded to 84 coronavirus-infected facilities.

While "a vast majority" of nursing home operators have complied with strike teams, others have not, Hogan said.

"We are increasingly concerned and, quite frankly, outraged that a few operators are not complying with directives from the state," he said.

To help the strike teams, Hogan said he was appointing Col. Eric Allely — the state surgeon of the Maryland National Guard — to serve as an emergency safety and compliance officer for Maryland nursing homes. Hogan also announced that he was creating bridge teams, which will provide emergency clinical staffing to nursing homes experiencing a crisis.

The teams are composed of 260 registered nurses and aides who have been contracted with the Maryland Department of Health. All of them have been vetted, Hogan said.

COUNTY CASE SPIKE LINKED TO POULTRY FACILITIES

Shifting gears, Hogan expressed his concerns over outbreaks at two poultry facilities on the Eastern Shore.

Hogan said he recently got off the phone with the White House, along with the governors of Delaware, Virginia, and more than a dozen other governors whose states have meat-processing plants.

"Currently, we now have at least 262 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 associated with poultry workers in Maryland, which is one reason why the case rate per 100,000 in Wicomico County is now the fifth-highest in the state, nearly equal to Baltimore City and higher than Baltimore County," Hogan said.

These outbreaks are not only a serious public health concern, they are also a potential threat to Maryland's leading agricultural industry and to our nation's essential food supply chain," he added.

After hearing about outbreaks at two processing plants in Delaware, Hogan said he worried about the impact it could have on Maryland and immediately took action.

"I first raised this issue on a call with Vice President Pence on Friday, who agreed right away to have Dr. Robert Redfield of the CDC follow up with us immediately," Hogan said. "We warned them that any disruption or interruption to processing at our poultry processing plants could lead to significant national supply chain issues."

Hogan said the state dispatched state epidemiologists to the affected areas to focus on testing support, contact tracing, and outreach.

A new testing site will open at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury. Tests will be reserved for employees at Perdue Salisbury and Amick Hurlock's processing plants, Hogan said.

UNEMPLOYMENT SITE GLITCHES

During Wednesday's press conference, Hogan also addressed technical issues with the state's unemployment website.

The new BEACON One-Stop application system — which launched Friday — allows Marylanders to file for many unemployment benefit programs all in one place. The site, however, crashed several times due to a high volume of claims.

"I want to take just a moment to personally address every Marylander who has had difficulty dealing with the serious problems on the state unemployment insurance website," Hogan said. "With all the economic struggles that people are already going through, they should not have to worry about getting the resources that they need and that they deserve."

Since the application system launched on April 24, more than 245,000 accounts have been activated, and more than 100,000 new claims have been filed, according to Hogan.

"The good news is that Maryland is now successfully handling an average of 33 new accounts every single minute. And an average of 780 claims are successfully filed every hour," Hogan said.

But while we have been able to handle this volume better than many other states in the country, it is simply not good enough," he added. "The IT contractor who developed this site and the Department of Labor have fallen short of the high standards that we have set. And the people of Maryland deserve better. The buck stops with me."

Hogan said he is doing whatever it takes to fix any site issues "so that every single Marylander gets every single penny of financial assistance that they deserve."

HONORING FRONTLINE HEALTH CARE WORKERS

To honor the state's frontline health care workers, Hogan has declared Saturday "Health Care Heroes Day."

"During this pandemic, our healthcare workers — including our doctors, nurses, EMTs, and first responders — have proven themselves to be not just essential workers but frontline heroes," Hogan said. "From managing a virus that can spread without symptoms to dealing with shortages in protective equipment while saving people's lives and often while being forced to isolate themselves from their loved ones, the challenges that these heroes face are immense, unprecedented, and truly inspiring."

On Saturday night, the Maryland State House dome, Camden Yards, and M&T Bank Stadium will be illuminated blue. Hogan is also encouraging residents to shine blue lights.

The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will perform a flyover.

SEE ALSO:

• Don't Consume Disinfectant, MD Officials Warn After Trump Comment
• Blue Angels, Thunderbirds Flyover To Honor Health Workers In MD
• MD Unemployment Website Back Online After Technical Issues