RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY/WRIC/AP) — The calls are growing louder for Governor Ralph Northam and state health officials to release the names of nursing homes and long-term care facilities with coronavirus outbreaks.
WAVY-TV 10’s Capitol Bureau has learned a Northern Virginia lawmaker wants to do something about it.
Delegate Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax) is working on crafting a bill that could result in more transparency for families with loved ones in long-term care facilities.
To the north, Maryland’s Department of Health website has its own dedicated page for COVID-19 outbreaks that have occurred in nursing homes. Cases and deaths are broken down between residents and staff.
To the south, The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services agreed to specifically identify more than 70 long-term facilities, rehabilitation centers, adult care homes and other corporate living locations where outbreaks have occurred. Now it will give updates twice weekly.
In Virginia though, the state only shares the number of long-term care outbreaks by health district.
A process that frustrates groups like the AARP.
“We need public disclosure of which facilities have COVID-19. That needs to be made public to all on a regular basis,” said Elaine Ryan, AARP’s Vice President of State Advocacy.
Ryan said families have a right to know if the long-term care facility their loved one is living in is battling a coronavirus outbreak.
Currently, it’s up to the assisted living facility to decide whether or not it wants to disclose how many Covid-19 cases or deaths the facility has. The Virginia Department of Health has pointed to Virginia Code § 32.1-41 which calls for preserving patient privacy, and to Code § 32.1-3 which identifies a person as a corporation or business, as the reason why.
“Just like individuals have rights to their personal health information, nursing homes also have that right. It’s in support of that notion in the code that has to lead to our current practice,” said Dr. Daniel Carey, Virginia’s Secretary of Health And Human Resources, in a response to a question from a reporter during Gov. Ralph Northam’s Wednesday afternoon press conference.
The Governor however passed up on the opportunity to comment on the matter himself.
Carey, in his response, went on to reference that there have been media reports that claim legislators from both sides of the aisle have “expressed interest in changing the code.”
“I think that, I won’t speak for the Governor, by you’re open…” Carey said, turning to Northam who was standing several feet behind him.
At that moment he stopped his response, saying “I’ll let you speak, Governor, for yourself, excuse me.”
Northam nodded his head slightly and said “you’re doing fine” as he walked to the podium.
“What’s the next question?” Northam asked.
The next time a bill could possibly be heard on a code change would be in a Special Session.