29 PA Nursing Homes Sanctioned Amid Staffing Shortage

PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania health officials are continuing to crack down on out of compliance nursing homes as the pandemic continues, with sanctions against 29 new facilities announced for the month of November. It's part of a larger effort to attempt to maintain quality of care in the state's long term care facilities even as hospitalizations rise and homes face issues of insufficient staffing.

The 29 sanctions came from 538 inspections of 368 different nursing homes last month. A total of 98 of those inspections were COVID-19-specific investigations.

The sanctions resulted in $261,000 in fines.

“The Department of Health continues to investigate complaints to ensure nursing home residents receive the best quality of life and care,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said in a statement, urging residents of homes, families, and members of the to public to contact authorities "if you see something that may jeopardize patients’ safety or well-being."

According to the Department of Health's reports, residents in many homes are not receiving basic care due to staffing issues.

At Blair County's Morrison's Cove Home, for instance, residents who struggle with walking on their own or who are in restorative and rehabilitative programs are given a set schedule to complete their exercise with a nurse. But in many cases, it's not happening; enough for officials to call it a "pattern."

"I love to walk and talk," one resident told inspectors. "They have not been walking me in the hallways lately. I think that sometimes they do not have the staff."

Mark Parkinson, President and CEO American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, said that such staffing issues require intervention from the government.

“As many caregivers are getting burned out by the pandemic, workers are leaving the field for jobs in other health care settings or other industries altogether," he said. “We desperately need the help of policymakers to attract and retain more caregivers, so that our nation’s most vulnerable have access to the long term care they need.”

Specifically, he pointed to a need for increased Medicaid funding and federal help for nursing homes and assisted living communities.

Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf filed a request with the federal government for emergency assistance to help handle the pandemic. Staffing support was one of the key areas he pointed to in his letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Meanwhile, inspectors continue their work in Pennsylvania. Homes that are cited for not following regulations must submit a plan fo correction to address the issues. Types of sanctions which the Department of Health can issue include fines, a ban on new admissions, revoking of licenses, and increased inspections.

The state's full Nov. 2021 report is available online here.