Some Arkansas nursing homes reopen
Facilities that meet criteria allowing limited access to families after more than three months
ralphhardin@gmail.com Next to a rash of outbreaks in some of the state's prisons, some of the hardest-hit facilities in Arkansas during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been nursing homes and long-term care centers. A large percentage of the state's 265 coronavirusrelated deaths have come from nursing home patients and with that demographic (older people, individual with compromised immune systems) being the highest at risk for the virus, there was a quick rush to close those facilities to the public and enact regulations to keep those places isolated.
For months, nursing homes have had very limited access, with families cut off from their loved ones in hopes of containing the
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spread of COVID-19 and keeping vulnerable senior citizens from contracting the virus. That changed yesterday when the first wave of reopenings occurred in some state nursing homes.
'We set a goal to test every resident and staff member in long-term care in June, and I’m pleased to say that nursing homes, and assisted- living and residentialcare facilities will be able to resume limited family visits and other activities July 1 if they have complied with the public health guidelines of the Arkansas Department of Health,' Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said last week.
'This is an important step.
The residents of nursing homes have been cut off from direct visits with family and friends for three months. This isolation is very difficult on our loved ones, and because of our testing and other measures in place, we are ready to have visitors again.'
Hutchinson said the decision was made after positive numbers among nursing home staff and residents reached target numbers under expanded testing.
'In terms of testing, as of last week, we had tested over 19,000 of our nursing home residents and staff with only 150 positive cases,' said Hutchinson.
'This indicates we are doing a good job of protecting some of our most vulnerable Arkansans.'
The governor touted efforts to keep the coronavirus out of nursing homes, even as total numbers of COVID19 cases in the state continue
'Many of our nursing homes are completely free of COVID-19,' said Hutchinson. 'Arkansas’ rate of positive cases is less than half the national average.'
The Arkansas Health Care Association coordinated with the Arkansas Department of Health on the June initiative.
Executive Director Rachel Bunch said that the increase in testing will initially produce an increase in the number of positive cases.
'But the testing will allow us to create a baseline to guide our decisions,' said Hutchinson. 'She also said that a large number of patients who test positive don’t show any symptoms.
A person with a positive test isn’t necessarily sick.'
The directive that visitors would not be allowed into nursing homes went into effect on March 14. In the ensuing 3 1/2 months, nursing homes across the state, including here in Crittenden County, saw a number of deaths from COVID-19, many of whom passed away isolated from loved ones and quarantined for the safety of others.
'This decision hit close to home,' Hutchinson said at the time. 'A member of my own staff wasn’t allowed to visit her father. The directive included an end-of-life exception for family members, so that she was allowed to put on personal protective equipment to see him before he passed.'
Hutchinson has drawn criticism for his overall handling of the coronavirus pandemic, specifically declining to issue a stay-athome order and refusing to mandate churches close.
Hutchinson also opted to begin reopening the state, going against federal phase one benchmarks. The number of cases in the state has now reached a cumulative total surpassing 20,000 as of Tuesday morning, with nearly 6,000 active cases.
Crittenden County currently has its highest active number of cases to date, with 170 active cases. So far, there have been 11 COVID-19 deaths in the county.
