KREMMLING — Alta Sue Hawkins’ room is filled with what she calls her most important things. The sewing machine she likes to make aprons on. Dozens of books. A wall of family photos. It’s been her home for the last three years, tucked inside Grand County’s only assisted living facility. And it’s the place where […]
nursing homes
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
Biden will require COVID vaccines for U.S. nursing home staff
By Zeke Miller, The Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced that his administration will require that nursing home staff be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for those facilities to continue receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid funding. Biden unveiled the new policy Wednesday afternoon in a White House address as the […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
Colorado reenacts mask mandate for nursing homes, regardless of vaccination status
Colorado health officials Tuesday night reinstated a mask mandate for everyone who enters a nursing home, regardless of their vaccination status. The restriction, while subtle and affecting only a limited number of people, is another hint at the worsening coronavirus situation in Colorado and across the country, driven by spread of the more contagious delta […]
Posted inHealth, News
Unvaccinated staff at the center of federal investigation into rising nursing home deaths in Grand Junction
By Jason Dearen and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Lagging vaccination rates among nursing home staff are being linked to a national increase in COVID-19 infections and deaths at senior facilities, and are at the center of a federal investigation in a hard-hit Colorado location where disease detectives found many workers were not […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News, Politics and Government
117 Colorado nursing homes with COVID outbreaks received both fines and financial assistance from the federal government
By Zack Newman and Kevin Vaughn, 9News More than 100 Colorado nursing homes that experienced COVID-19 outbreaks were fined for poor infection control and other pandemic-related failures — but those very same facilities also pocketed financial bonuses tied to infection rates, a 9Wants to Know investigation discovered. The fines and bonuses all came from the […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
Schools and nursing homes drive increase in Colorado coronavirus outbreaks
DENVER — Health officials in Colorado say virus outbreaks have increased this week, reaching a total last seen in February, with the most outbreaks reported in schools and nursing homes. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said there were 722 active COVID-19 outbreaks as of Wednesday, The Denver Post reported Thursday. An outbreak […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, COVID, Health, News
Too many empty beds at Colorado nursing homes leave the industry in financial distress
State health officials are worried about the future of a handful of Colorado nursing homes with “severe financial concerns” after a bruising pandemic year that resulted in too many empty beds. Two major nursing home operators, meanwhile, are making plans to back out of Colorado or at least decrease operations after occupancy has been reduced […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Health, News
Colorado nursing homes with the most coronavirus deaths were cited for poor infection control
Last February, a month before coronavirus crawled through a Greeley nursing home, inspectors alerted the center’s managers of infection-control problems. Back then, before the pandemic had even arrived in Colorado, state regulators were worried about the way two nurses at Centennial Health Center cleaned a resident’s wound. The nursing home was cited for federal protocol […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Health, News
“Hug tent” allows for safe family embraces at Colorado home for the elderly
By Thomas Peipert, The Associated Press Lynda Hartman needed a hug. It had been at least eight months since she touched her 77-year-old husband, Len, who has dementia and has been at an assisted living center in suburban Denver for the last year. On Wednesday, she got a small taste of what life was like […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Seniors deserve better than what they’re getting — and need your help
By now, you have heard it many times, from the governor to the news media to local and state public health officials: COVID-19 cases in Colorado are on a dramatic rise. It is up to everyone to help get this pandemic under control before the vaccine is available in order for it to be most […]