In mid-March, Pennsylvania already had an aggressive and robust plan to protect residents in nursing homes, but it never got fully implemented, write Aneri Pattani and Rebecca Moss for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Before the coronavirus had become widespread statewide, emergency response officials had created a three-page draft for quick-strike teams of medical professionals to be dispatched to facilities as soon as some positive cases of COVID-19 infection were confirmed. The teams would then complete an assessment of the needs at the facility and create a plan to address them.

But despite being circulated within the Health Department, the plan was never fully implemented. Instead, a similar but far more limited effort was activated mid-April, long after several major outbreaks had taken hold.

“I have to believe if these teams had been ready and prepared, we’d be in a much better place than we are today,” said Zachary Shamberg, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association that represents over 400 long-term care facilities.

As of last week, state officials reported infections at 522 facilities and 2,458 deaths. This represents 68 percent of all COVID-19 fatalities statewide.

Read more about the issue at The Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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