Pa. had plan to protect nursing home during pandemic that was never fully implemented

In mid-March, before the coronavirus had widely taken hold in Pennsylvania, officials drafted a blueprint for quick strike teams of medical professionals that would respond to facilities as soon as a few positive cases were confirmed., according to an article on the Levittown Now website.

The teams — made of epidemiologists, nurses, emergency management personnel, and medical experts — would show up at a facility within six hours of a call for help. Within two hours, they would complete an assessment of the facility’s needs and create a plan to address them.

The quick response plan was circulated within the health department, with emails showing staff nurses and others were asked to volunteer. In the third week of March, it was shared with providers.

But the plan was never fully implemented, and a similar — though far more limited — effort wasn’t activated until mid-April, long after major outbreaks had already taken hold, the article said.

Read the article.