Nursing homes have weathered more than 100 outbreaks of COVID-19 in North Carolina. More than 40% of the state’s deaths from the virus are from residents at those facilities. Some of those facilities are state-run nursing homes for veterans, and there is now scrutiny over government accountability amidst ongoing outbreaks.
As of Friday, July 31, 36 residents have died of COVID-19 in North Carolina’s veterans nursing homes. Meanwhile, facilities in the neighboring states of Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina have maintained zero COVID-related fatalities. There are more than 130 such state-run nursing homes in the nation, and the four in North Carolina house 342 veterans.
The outbreaks are raising questions about why a facility in Salisbury allowed outside visits while under an Alert Code Red.
Thomas Goldsmith, a reporter for North Carolina Health News, probed the cost and effectiveness of the state contracting out management of the public nursing homes with PruittHealth, a Georgia-based conglomerate. Host Frank Stasio talks with Goldsmith about how lawmakers are responding as PruittHealth awaits a renewal of its contract in December.