Harrisburg, Pa. – Mayo 12, 2020 — Senate Aging & Youth Democratic Chairwoman Senator Maria Collett (D-12 Montgomery/Bucks), who just last week pressed Secretary Levine on the Commonwealth’s ability to test long-term care residents and staff, was pleased and encouraged by today’s announcement that the Department of Health is now executing a universal, weekly testing strategy for residents and staff within long-term care facilities.

According to Senator Collett: “I have long maintained that that our nursing homes and long-term care facilities hold the key to mitigating the spread of the virus and reopening our region. With help from the federal government and the Pennsylvania National Guard, as well as private laboratories, we finally have the resources to address the virus where it is doing the most harm to our seniors and where the risk of spread from staff to the community at large is so heightened.”

Como antigua enfermera de control de infecciones en un centro de cuidados a largo plazo del condado de Bucks, la senadora Collett estaba especialmente cualificada para explicar los peligros de no incluir a estos residentes y al personal como parte de un panorama más amplio, destacando las distancias que recorren el personal y los médicos para llegar al trabajo y los múltiples centros en los que puede trabajar un miembro típico del personal. Otros panelistas subrayaron además que la naturaleza íntima de los cuidados que prestan, como el baño y la alimentación, no permite el distanciamiento social.

At last Jueves’s joint hearing of the Senate Aging & Youth and Health & Human Services Committees, Senator Collett and her colleagues on both sides of the aisle raised concerns about the lack of prioritization given to the exploding crisis at Pennsylvania’s nursing homes and long term care facilities, and called on the administration to act now.

According to Senator Collett: “I’m glad to see that last week’s hearing had such a swift and positive impact. Pennsylvania is home to more long-term living communities than any other state. Not only are they home to many of our loved ones, they are a major employer to many of our neighbors. We don’t reopen and rebuild by ignoring the problems at our nursing homes and long term living facilities. We reopen and rebuild by addressing them. I’m excited that we’re moving closer to that goal.”

El discurso de apertura del Senador Collett y las preguntas a los panelistas pueden consultarse aquí, aquí y aquí.