Nursing Home Vacancies in NY Jump During Pandemic; Cuomo Admits Mistakes

By: Cora McVeigh

The coronavirus pandemic has worked to empty out New York’s nursing homes in more ways than one.   A report provided to the Centers for Disease Control revealed that NYS’s nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities now have dwindling occupancy rates.   As reported by the NY Post, 146 of the state’s facilities experienced a drop in occupancy in excess of 20 percent since the end of 2019.  Most of the soaring vacancies are centered in New York City and the nearby suburbs.

As per the data filed with the CDC last month, some nursing homes detailed that occupancy rates had toppled by more than 40 or 50 percent through the first week of June.  In total, the count of patients inside New York’s 600 nursing homes fell by 13 percent , posting the seventh highest drop in the nation.  The state of New Jersey led the list, posting the largest drop in nursing facility residents, with a 22 percent decline.

New York State has admitted that over 6,300 patients died in nursing homes, just due to the COVID-19 virus over the past few months. Gov. Andrew Cuomo had defended the state saying that elders are just more susceptible, and that Coronavirus cuts down senior citizens “like fire through dry grass.”  Cuomo was on the defense for his controversial March 25 order, to which committed nursing homes to take in recovering COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals.  Critics claim that it was this order, which has since been repealed, which led NY rehabs and nursing homes to have such  escalated levels of the COVID-19 spread, and such high mortality rates.   In a recent report, the governor’s state Health Department contended that it was not the policy that drove up the numbers, but rather the incoming nursing home workers and visitors who were responsible for spreading the virus in nursing homes.

Coronavirus deaths are not the main thing causing empty beds at the facilities, however.  New York families, of the elderly who had resided at the nursing homes and rehab facility, are fearful that their loved one can be infected, and are rethinking their residency.  In addition, the new visitation restrictions have put a damper on the prospect for forthcoming nursing home residents, industry sources said.  The sources also added that nursing homes and rehab centers are getting less hospital referrals for patients who need post-surgical care.  Elective surgeries had formerly been halted, which may have also lent a hand to lowering incoming rehab patients last month.  “Three factors are driving the lower occupancy rate: lack of hospital discharges where the vast majority of nursing home placements come from; the high death rate of the people over age 75 in NYS (large majority of nursing home residents are over 75); and a general concern from the public about going to health care providers,” said Jim Clyne, executive director of Leading Age.

“With the worst behind us, everything we’re doing is focused on creating an even safer, more comfortable care environment for our residents and staff. Infection control is our top priority and we have taken extraordinary measures to guard against future spread of COVID,” said Richard J. Brum, general Counsel of the Allure Group, which operates the King David Nursing Home in Gravesend Brooklyn. “We are so grateful for those who stood with nursing homes during this unprecedented health crisis and join all New Yorkers in our readiness to keep moving forward.”