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| Why Are Nursing Homes Being Hit so Hard? |
Why are nursing homes being hit so hard by the COVID-19 outbreak? One reason is that they are a target of the Trump administration's aggressive deregulation agenda. In another instance of reversing policies implemented by President Barack Obama—and even President George W. Bush—the Trump administration and congressional Republicans have worked hand in hand with the nursing home lobby to loosen and eliminate nursing home emergency and preparedness standards.
In fact, in July 2019, the Trump administration proposed new rules that relaxed the requirements tied to infection control. It suggested that instead of requiring infection specialists to be employed at the site, consultants could be used, thus removing the requirement for a full-time, hands-on expert in infection contamination on-site. This lack of additional oversight—combined with the prior regulatory rollbacks on staffing ratios, fines levied for injuries, and requirements for arbitration—served to undermine safety for nursing home patients and staff.
Now, lobbyists are actively pushing to limit the legal recourse of nursing home residents who were exposed to COVID-19.
Read more »
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In the Spotlight |
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Digital Contact Tracing as a Method for Slowing the Spread of COVID-19 |
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Imagine, later this fall, an alert pops up on your phone: Someone you've been in close contact with has tested positive for COVID-19.
You had voluntarily opted into digital contact tracing weeks ago, once you were satisfied that the program respected your privacy and civil rights and wasn't tracking your location. You open your state's COVID-19 public health app, and it guides you through your next steps.
When you call the number provided to book a testing appointment, you learn that your city wants you to get in touch right away if you've been in large groups. You call as directed, and a local public health worker interviews you about your life over the past couple of weeks. Then, you cancel your plans and start your self-isolation process.
Between increased manual contact tracing and voluntary digital contact tracing, your state has curbed new outbreaks, saved lives, and avoided a return to mass shelter-in-place.
The voluntary digital contact tracing in this scenario, while not a reality today, is one possibility under consideration for future pandemic response programs; but states can only realize this potential by committing to achieving public health goals and safeguarding civil liberties from the start.
Read more »
[Related: A National and State Plan To End the Coronavirus Crisis]
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Major Stories This Week |
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COVID-19 Exacerbates the Middle East's Governance Problems
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Right now, hundreds of thousands of people are detained in prisons across the Middle East, which will almost certainly prove impossible to sanitize or enforce effective physical distancing. Even worse, rampant torture and poor nutrition leave prisoners highly susceptible to complications from COVID-19.
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States Must Implement Vote by Mail While Maintaining In-Person Voting
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Expandin vote by mail is vital for helping to stem outbreaks and for ensuring that people who are quarantined or acting as caregivers during these difficult times can participate in the democratic process. That said, officials must be careful to maintain, and in some cases even expand, in-person voting options.
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Protect Farm Workers from Coronavirus
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An outbreak among farmworkers can potentially shutter entire farm operations at a time when the supply chain is already experiencing unprecedented disruption. Bringing in still more workers to the U.S. without taking extra precautions to protect their health and safety would be shortsighted.
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Lessons From This Year's Earth Week
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The COVID-19 pandemic has put many things in perspective. Not the least of which, is human's effect on the earth and the damage that has been done. This Earth Week, humans should take stock of the fact that if we wish to save ourselves, we must focus on saving nature.
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COVID-19 Facts From CAP Experts
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