Long Term Care

Missouri lost 6,000 workers across nursing and residential care facilities during the coronavirus pandemic, and the state ranks 51st in hours of care nursing home residents receive from nurses. Experts and advocates say inadequate staffing endangers residents.

St. Louis County nursing homes reported a big increase in coronavirus cases in January, the highest in nearly a year. County health officials recorded 968 cases at nursing homes last month, up from 262 cases in December.

A federal mandate will soon require all U.S. nursing homes to vaccinate their workers or risk losing government funding. But some worry vaccine mandates will worsen staff shortages.

Advocates for nursing home residents and union representatives say President Joe Biden's order that nursing homes require employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine will help keep the coronavirus from spreading.

Missouri lawmakers are considering legislation that would shield nursing homes and other businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits. Some advocates worry the proposal will prevent nursing home residents from holding facilities legally responsible for abuse and neglect.

New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are permitting indoor visits in nursing homes. Missouri health officials are following federal guidelines in new recommendations for nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

Ever since it opened in 1997, Cooper House has prided itself on offering a vibrant quality of life to people who are unable to live independently as a result of HIV/AIDS. The residential facility, located in St. Louis’ Central West End neighborhood, typically serves 36 individuals. But in 2020, that community dwindled to 27 people.

The number of new infections among nursing home residents in St. Louis County had been mostly declining since late spring. The most recent spike in cases represents a more than threefold increase compared to October.

Missouri health officials say nursing homes can allow visitors to see family members. But relatives of nursing home residents fear those visits will be few this winter. They also worry that people aren’t taking the virus seriously and wearing masks, leaving the most vulnerable at risk and isolated.

Nursing homes across the U.S. have long struggled with staff shortages, but families and workers in St. Louis say the crisis has worsened in recent months, as the pandemic has pushed some facilities to a breaking point.