AUSTIN – It cannot be denied that nursing homes and assisted living communities are on the frontline in the war against COVID-19. Nursing homes are enduring the greatest concentration of outbreaks, and deaths in Texas and across the nation. The numbers are heartbreaking.
The long-term care system was caring for our most vulnerable population long before the COVID-19 pandemic started. Our providers are putting forth heroic efforts to care for older Texans despite funding and workforce shortages. Long-term care communities have limited access to testing, and a majority lack adequate personal protective equipment for residents and staff. They have encountered difficulty ...