By JEFF STITT
The executive director of a group of senior and assisted living centers in Allegheny County, which includes a location in McKeesport, participated in a public hearing via Zoom last week to talk to state senators about issues nursing homes are facing.
Dennis Biondo of Allegheny County’s Kane Community Living Centers testified that oversight of nursing home and community care centers is done via surveys — which are commonly referred to as inspections — through the Pennsylvania Department of Health. He feels the current process is, “not going to improve nursing home care,” because instead of creating meaningful change, the surveys are just a way to “check off boxes.”
At the request of state Sens. Wayne Fontana, Jim Brewster, Lindsey Williams and Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual public hearing on issues at nursing homes and what needs to be done to make improvements.
“The COVID-19 pandemic was a wakeup call for us all that certain aspects of our society are not equipped to quickly and efficiently respond to crisis, and that many sectors of our society that were already struggling suffered the greatest losses due to the pandemic,” Costa said. “Our nursing homes care for some of the most vulnerable members of our society, and it is imperative that these care facilities are not only equipped to respond to crisis like pandemics, but that even in the best of times they are properly staffed and overseen.”
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