Forty-five national and state organizations signed on to a letter that was sent today to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator. The letter advocates for better protections for nursing home residents and better support of residents’ ability to make decisions about their health care and place of residence.

The organizations call for immediate action by CMS and make six recommendations, including:

1. Requiring immediate full disclosure of COVID-19 outbreaks by nursing facilities.

2. Setting higher standards for the necessary staff, training, and equipment to care for residents with COVID-19 and those without.

3. Increasing staff assistance to facilitate communication between residents and their families.

4. Requiring facilities and states to work collaboratively with residents and their families when making transfers designed to “cohort” residents with others who also are COVID-positive or COVID-negative.

5. Guaranteeing a resident’s right to return to the facility, if desired, and facilitating access to Medicaid home and community-based services.

6. Protecting resident access to Medicaid by requiring all federally-certified facilities to be 100% Medicaid-certified during this emergency.

Read the full letter here