WASHINGTON — The Maryland nursing home where two men have died and another 77 have tested positive for coronavirus has the worst possible rating from Medicare – largely because of staff shortages.
Governor Larry Hogan (R-Maryland) said Monday that he's worried the virus could rampage through literally thousands of vulnerable facilities across the state.
The governor said 27 staff members at the Pleasant View Nursing Home in Mount Airy in Carroll County are suffering with symptoms of COVID-19.
"The worst case scenario, the most frightening one today, is this nursing home," said Gov. Hogan.
Health officials found the nursing home was short on staff, and short on masks and gowns.
At Medicare.gov, the facility is rated "Much Below Average," largely because of staff shortages. Nurse's aides do much of the work there.
But, the governor warns, many other facilities are vulnerable.
"We have smaller outbreaks in a number of other places around the state that we are concerned about, nursing homes, or with staff at hospitals, or people in sensitive facilities," he said.
Across the country, nursing homes have been hit hard, starting with the Life Care facility in Washington state, where more than 35 people died and dozens more tested positive.
"We literally are looking at him being treated as an inmate at a prison rather that a patient in a hospital," said one anguished son as he stood outside the facility where his dad had gone to recover from a fall.
In Tennessee over the weekend, the governor said two people died at the Gallatin Center and 33 staffers and 59 patients had tested positive.
"I don't know to what degree she understands this, because it's a circus," said Jamie Vinson, whose mother was inside.
If you want to see how a nursing home rates, you can check on the Medicare.gov website.
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