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At least 169 of Florida’s 748 COVID-19 deaths were related to infections in 303 long-term care facilities. Governor Ron DeSantis said that directors of the facilities were required to notify all staff members, residents, and their families when a positive case of COVID-19 was found at a facility. “I think they all have done that, but all it takes is if one doesn’t do it,” he said. “I think I would want to know that.”

Governor DeSantis called Florida “ground zero” for nursing homes because of the state’s high senior population. He announced that Florida has begun to release the names of nursing homes and assisted living facilities where there are confirmed cases of COVID-19. Governor DeSantis said the decision to release the facility names was based on concerns for public health.

“I told the surgeon general from the beginning that we want to put as much information out as we can. I have now directed him to determine that it is necessary for public health to release the names of facilities,” said Governor DeSantis.

Sean Leng, a geriatrician and professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said, “Immune function is not as robust as it is in younger people. Studies over the years have shown that in most people, their immune function is pretty okay in their 60s, or even in their 70s. The immune functions go down rather quickly after age 75 or 80.”

WebMD said on April 10 that COVID-19 shows the gaps in controls at nursing homes. There are 1.3 million elderly adults living permanently in about 15,000 nursing homes across the United States. Residents in long-term care facilities are most vulnerable to viral infections because of their age and other medical conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. They also live in a group setting. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that once residents of facilities are infected, they are likely to be hospitalized, admitted to an intensive care unit, and perhaps die.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) started targeted infection control inspections at long-term care facilities. The inspections took place nationwide over a 3-week period, starting the end of March.

The results of the first inspections showed that 36 percent of facilities did not follow proper hand-washing guidelines and 25 percent failed to show the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). “Both of these are longstanding infection control measures that all nursing homes are expected to follow per federal regulation,” says CMS Administrator Seema Verma.

“Should you or a loved one contract COVID-19 in a long-term care facility, please contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. We have an experienced legal team ready to assist you 24/7, and there are no costs or attorney fees until we receive a monetary recovery for you. All of our clients have unique personal injury cases, and our firm provides personal contact and communication along with aggressive representation,” said Fort Myers Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Randall Spivey.

Fort Myers Nursing Home Abuse Attorney  Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one  percent (1%) of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact  Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County at 239.793.7748.