On May 5, U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (Illinois), introduced the Quality Care for Nursing Home Residents and Workers During COVID-19 Act (H.R. 6698). Nursing homes have been devastated by the coronavirus, and Schakowsky’s bill outlines a plan to address many of the failings in nursing homes and the agencies that oversee them.
“No segment of society has suffered the impact of COVID-19 more than the residents of nursing homes and the workers who serve them,” said Leah Barron, a founding partner at Brown & Barron, a law firm that specializes in cases of nursing home abuse and neglect. “Those of us who passionately fight for the rights of the elderly in nursing homes have been waiting for a federal response like this for months, and we thank Congresswoman Schakowsky for making our voices heard.”
As summarized in Schakowsky’s post on Facebook, the new legislation will accomplish the following:
“Increase stringent infection control & prevention, testing, and PPE,
Surge $500 million for expert strike teams to the hardest hit nursing homes,
Mandate transparent reporting of COVID-19 cases & fatalities, and
Require CMS to do better oversight, including inspections and guidance.”
The full text of the bill H.R. 6698 can be found here.
According to a press release by Congresswoman Schakowsky, Senators Cory Booker (NJ) and Richard Blumenthal (CT) will support the bill in the Senate with complementary legislation. Schakowsky, who is also co-founder and Co-Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Aging and Families (TFAF), is working with her colleagues in TFAF to ensure this bill is included in the next coronavirus relief package.
Our attorneys at Brown & Barron, LLC focus on representing nursing home residents who have been neglected or abused. We know first-hand how these facilities function, and just how vulnerable residents are to injuries. If you believe you or a family member has suffered as a result of nursing home negligence, we invite you to contact our team as soon as possible to learn more about your rights and options.
To learn more about how the coronavirus is affecting nursing homes and their residents, visit our coronavirus update blog. To contact our team, call (410) 698-1717 today for a consultation.