This is the statement RID issued on March 25, 2020 to protest Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s edict endangering New York seniors. On May 10, the policy was reversed.
RID calls on the Cuomo administration to withdraw its Nursing Home edict before it causes harm
Dear RID Friends and Healthcare Providers:
The State of New York is adopting a dangerous new policy requiring nursing homes to blindly admit patients infected with Covid-19, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal.
Cuomo’s edict, if reported correctly, dooms thousands of elderly to illness and likely death. Basic infection control says to identify and contain. Cuomo’s edict does the opposite: conceal and spread. It spreads the infections to nursing homes and forcing homes to operate in the blind, not even knowing which incoming patients are coronavirus carriers.
A model of what should be done is how CareOne, an exemplary facility in New Jersey, knowingly emptied one of its locations to protect other uninfected residents and then welcomed coronavirus patients from St. Josephs to that facility.
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