Letter to the editor: Questions about nursing homes

There are a number of extremely pertinent omissions in the article “Long-term care residents, employees to be tested weekly for covid-19, Gov. Wolf says” (May 12, TribLIVE).

1. Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine’s mother moved out of a personal care facility in January. This move should raise red flags no matter what reasons are given.

2. According to a March 18 Department of Health Guidance Directive, “Nursing care facilities must continue to accept new admissions and receive readmissions for current residents who have been discharged from the hospital who are stable to alleviate the increasing burden in the acute care settings. This may include stable patients who have had the covid-19 virus.”

3. What inspections have been done/completed by the Department of Health? If no inspections, why not? What information has been gathered from all these facilities to determine what has been happening? The Department of Health has a separate division that is funded by the U.S. government to inspect nursing homes.

4. Why are nursing homes just now, as of May 12, being required to test people being admitted from hospitals?

5. Redstone Presbyterian SeniorCare president John Dickson has said that he as yet to see any guidance from the state. Why not?

Joseph Krill

Murrysville