The New Normal COVID-19 and Post-Acute Care Limited personal protective equipment for long-term care providers poses a major risk to vulnerable patient-base
While hospitals were at the center of the initial wave
of supply needs for the U.S. healthcare system, survey results released mid-April by Premier Inc. indicated that the U.S. supply chain was facing a second wave, and second front, in combatting COVID-10. Senior nursing and assisted living facilities have limited personal protective equipment (PPE) to care for a greater volume of patients, according to a Premier Inc. survey. This indicates a second critical wave of supply shortages, according to Premier, as hospitals move to reserve beds for severe COVID-19 cases and post-acute settings see an influx of patients. “While senior nursing 24
June 2020
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and assisted living facilities can serve as excellent sites for less critical cases, such moves cannot overlook supply and resourcing demands,” Premier’s survey suggests. Premier’s survey of nearly 2,500 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities found that at the time of the survey, 24% of facilities did not have N95 masks on hand, and the majority of respondents had fewer than two weeks’ supply of surgical masks, isolation gowns and face shields. Other key products for which they had supply concerns included thermometers, exam gloves, alcohol pads, soap/detergent and hand sanitizer. Ninety-six percent were implementing PPE conservation strategies.
