The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) recently announced its’ ) decision to launch a task force to examine why a disproportionate number of residents died from Covid-19 in nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the state. See, “New York State Bar Association Convenes Task Force to Review Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care Facilities” by Brendan Kennedy.
The task force, co-chaired by Sandra D. Rivera and Hermes Fernandez, both of Albany was created amid reports that the U.S. Justice Department is seeking data about “orders which may have resulted in the deaths of thousands of elderly nursing home residents”. Advocacy groups, providers and other interested parties will be invited by the task force to meet with the panel as it prepares recommendations for the April 2021 meeting of the NYSBA’s governing body, the House of Delegates.
According to the New York Times, 41% of all coronavirus deaths in the United States are linked to nursing homes and they account for 8% of all the cases in the country. More than 6,600 coronavirus deaths occurred in nursing homes in New York State, the most of any state.
President of the NYSBA, Scott M. Karson remarked “Nursing homes and long-term care facilities were Ground Zero for COVID-19 in New York and many other states. We entrust these facilities to care for our loved ones and as lawyers, we must do our part to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”
NYSBA’s task force will review current laws and regulations and determine whether changes are necessary to make sure that this tragic situation does not reoccur.
Lacy Katzen LLP is proud to help those injured by the negligence of nursing home providers. If you or a loved one has suffered harm at a nursing home, please contact us.
