It’s no secret that nursing homes across the country have been hard-hit in this pandemic and residents and their families are rightly concerned about safety.

Here are two developments you will want to watch.

1. Commission on Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 30 announced a new independent commission, Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes, to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the nursing home response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Commission will provide independent recommendations and report to CMS to help inform immediate and future responses to COVID-19 in nursing homes.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) updated guidelines for nursing homes and long-term care facilities in regard to preparing for COVID-19. You can review the guidelines and additional resources on the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/long-term-care.html. You also can watch a 30-minute pre-recorded CDC webinar, Preparing Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care Facilities for COVID-19 on YouTube.

Resources: CMS.gov, CMS Announces Independent Commission to Address Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes, April 30, 2020; NPR, Trump Announces Panel to Look at Nursing Home Responses to Coronavirus Outbreak, April 30, 2020; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preparing for COVID-19: Long-term Care Facilities, Nursing Homes