BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) With concern over a rise Covid cases locally, as well as hospital capacity issues, you might think that nursing homes are bracing for a return of restrictions.
But Chris Koenig, the President and CEO of The Greenfields nursing home in
Lancaster is not very worried.
"The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the federal government held a call the other day with providers and they said they don't want to see any new restrictions with nursing homes," he said. "We're in a good place right now."
Nursing homes and adult care facilities get their guidance from the New York Department of Health which follows federal guidelines.
Koenig said he's not sure if Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has the authority to institute new regulations on nursing homes. Adding, "I know they're going to look at the numbers again on December 13. With mask mandates in place, maybe we can turn this around."
Nursing homes are fully open for visitation. And, Koenig said there have been
no problems since it opened up. While there are mandates in place for staffing, there are no mandates presently for visitors, outside of a temperature check and a questionnaire.
"We have not seen any uptick in spread. I think the vaccinations and boosters have really been helpful," said Koenig.
Several local hospitals, in a pro-active move, have been putting new restrictions in place, as they are nearing hospital capacity for inpatients. Currently, 89.3% of all staffed beds in Erie County hospitals are full. In addition, 86.7% of ICU beds are occupied.
On Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul signed an Executive Order giving the New York State Department of Health the authority to postpone non-essential, non-urgent elective surgeries at hospitals with limited
capacity. The Executive Order goes into effect Friday, December 3.
What would Koenig say to the Governor if she were to consider restrictions on nursing home facilities? "Visitation has done a lot for the morale of the residents and the staff. It's been a plus to have people back in the building. We haven't seen detrimental effects so far and I think it's important to keep the access open for the social well being of our patients."
Staffing continues to be an issue for nursing homes. "It's not just nursing homes. It's hospitals and healthcare everywhere." At The Greenfields, Koenig say they have tried to be inventive with sign-on and referral bonuses.
They gave mid-year raises and will be giving raises again in January. But he says it's not just pay. "There are not enough licensed professionals to match the number of residents and patients in hospitals and nursing homes."
