Pa. initiative touts success helping nursing homes fight covid-19

As Pennsylvania moves through a fall resurgence of the coronavirus, health experts in a regional collaborative to help long-term care facilities are hoping to maintain their funding.

Established in July, the Regional Response Health Collaboratives (RRHC) program is a statewide initiative designed to support long-term care facilities preparing for or facing outbreaks of covid-19. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, a regional team led by UPMC and Allegheny Health Network serve facilities in 11 counties.

During a media briefing Wednesday, leaders from the regional group, the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services touted the success of the program statewide.

“The RRHC is undoubtedly strengthening our response at the state level and making local facilities better equipped to respond,” said Teresa Miller, secretary of the Pennsylvnaia Department of Human Services. “At this time, the RHHC program will end on Dec. 1, 2020. I am hopeful though, that the value of this program will be recognized, and we can continue this support.”

Long-term care providers can reach out to the RRHCs for help when they’re facing an outbreak, and those requests are reviewed on a daily basis, officials said. Team members from all regions meet daily with the Department of Human Services, Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to discuss resources and make decisions about deploying rapid response teams.

During a rapid response mission — which can take between days and weeks to complete — the team provides facilities with resources including crisis staff, personal protective equipment and fittings, educational resources and more.

The team is composed of nurses, nurse practitioners, epidemiologists, social workers and others who help facilities tailor state guidance to their individual circumstances, said Dr. David Nace, chief medical officer at UPMC Senior Communities.

“The program is not led by a health system,” Nace said. “It’s led by a community.”

Since the group’s implementation in July, officials said, UPMC and AHN have visited about 700 facilities. Statewide, the different regional groups have completed more than 2,100 missions.

Physicians on the call related numerous “success stories,” with facilities implementing new procedures and effectively quelling the spread of the virus. Still, infections in nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the region spiked over the summer, according to state data.

Officials linked continued outbreaks within facilities to community spread among the general public. Keara Klinepeter, special adviser to the secretary of the Department of Health, said staff members in long-term care facilities sometimes pick up the virus and bring it inside, often through no fault of their own.

“It’s unavoidable, but the program is set up to detect that and stop it as soon as possible,” said Dr. Emily Jaffe, Allegheny Health Network’s medical director of post-acute care and HM Home and Community Services.

The inevitability of outbreaks in facilities is evidence of the task force’s necessity, Miller said. The group’s job is to stabilize outbreaks and prevent further spread.

“The unfortunate reality of this pandemic is than an outbreak can and will happen,” Miller said. “And an outbreak doesn’t automatically suggest negligence. These facilities and staff do not exist in a bubble.”

But funding for the program comes from the federal CARES Act, Miller said, and is set to expire Dec. 1. After that, barring some intervention from state legislators, the program will cease to exist despite a likely virus surge during cold and flu season.

“This program could disappear when we need it most,” she said. “I hope lawmakers will recognize the value of this program.”

The regional group’s update comes as local facility operators brace for a third wave of infections during the fall and winter months. In Allegheny County, the Kane Center in Scott is now reporting 77 active cases and 15 deaths from the virus, up from last week’s figures. Allegheny County Health Director Debra Bogen said the regional collaborative has been essential in assisting facilities.

“I’m certain their work has saved lives in our community,” Bogen said.

The pandemic response within nursing homes is also facing renewed scrutiny. Wednesday morning, a trio of law firms filed a 284-page complaint against Brighton Rehabilitation & Wellness in Beaver County for wrongful death and various counts of negligence. The suit represents five living and 10 deceased residents who contracted covid-19, after what they called the facility’s “reckless” response to the pandemic.