President Trump on Thursday outlined several new initiatives aimed at protecting elderly Americans who live in nursing homes as the coronavirus pandemic takes a disproportionate toll on the elderly.
“That’s a spot — that’s a spot that we have to take care of. I guess you could call it a little bit of a weak spot, because things are happening at the nursing homes, and we’re not happy about that. We don’t want it to happen,” the president said at the White House as he announced the initiatives.
Trump said he ordered the creation of a commission that includes industry experts, patient advocates and state and local officials that will meet in May and come up with recommendations to protect seniors.
The administration will also spend $81 million to ramp up inspections of nursing homes to make sure they are complying with infectious disease protocols, The Hill reported.
The feds will also require nursing homes to report information about coronavirus cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“My administration will never waver in its relentless commitment to America’s seniors. We owe them a sacred and unbreakable obligation, and we will fulfill that obligation with every resource and power that we have,” Trump said.
The coronavirus has ripped through nursing homes and eldercare facilities, where many residents already have weakened immune systems and preexisting conditions.
“The tragic reality is the coronavirus seemed almost tailor made to put major pressure on nursing homes,” said Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The New York Department of Health reported there were 3,688 coronavirus deaths in nursing homes or other adult care facilities as of Wednesday.