nursing homes

The Ohio Department of Health director has signed some new orders dealing with the care of older Ohioans. 

The nursing home COVID-19 death toll jumped by nearly 1,300 in the last week, as the Ohio Department of Health added in 4,000 unaccounted-for deaths to the state’s running total. But with lower overall statewide case numbers and vaccines, visits to nursing homes are allowed and even being encouraged.

More than half of the state’s COVID-19 deaths coming from nursing homes. So those and other long term care facilities are getting a lot of attention in the new state budget.

Ohio’s nursing home residents and workers are among the first in the state to be offered the new COVID-19 vaccines. Most residents are taking it, but Governor DeWine says as many as 60 percent of nursing home employees are opting out. Why are so many employees are  balking at vaccination?

More than 30,000 nursing home residents in Ohio have tested positive for COVID19 since April. And nearly 21,000 nursing home workers have tested positive during the same period. Advocates for those workers say that situation is worsening.

Ohio is expected to get about a half million doses of COVID-19 vaccines during the next month. And Gov. Mike DeWine has laid out the state’s plan for processing and distributing those vaccines. 

State senators are considering a proposal to move more of Ohio’s Medicaid population into managed care. And a new study from a group representing health insurance companies in Ohio shows that managed health care for certain people saves money and proves to be more effective.