HARTFORD, CT- The Connecticut Department of Public Health on Thursday issued an order that demanded long term care facilities and nursing homes to accept COVID-19 positive patients after being discharged from the hospital, even if they test positive for the virus
“This guidance outlines expectations for safe and timely transfer of patients to post-acute care after hospital discharge and updates prior guidance from November 2020 (now archived) on this topic. Since that time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have published comprehensive COVID-19 infection prevention and control recommendations for healthcare settings, with guidance specifically for nursing homes,” the CDPH said in a memo.
“Hospitalized patients should be discharged from acute care whenever clinically indicated, regardless of COVID-19 status,” the CDPH said. “Meeting criteria for discontinuation of isolation precautions (also known as transmission-based precautions) is not a prerequisite for discharge from a hospital. PAC providers should be equipped to safely care for individuals with active COVID-19 who are ready for discharge from acute care.”
The measure is similar to the ones issued by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in 2020 that led to the deaths of thousands of seniors and dozens of nursing home staff members.