A Black Lives Matter protest more accessible to those in the disabled community is being organized for next Friday in Portsmouth.
Medical malpractice lawsuits are expensive to pursue and could be difficult to prove in the context of a worldwide disease that has been especially hard on elderly and ailing nursing home residents.
Also, an opinion issued nearly a year ago from then-New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald, which was requested by Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette, has had a chilling effect on pandemic-related litigation, said personal injury attorney Anthony Carr.
Despite all that has been learned and all the precautions taken, COVID-19 has continued to find its way into New Hampshire nursing homes with alarming regularity and deadly consequences.
The virus has killed 168 people just in current or recently closed outbreaks in congregate living facilities in the state, according to statistics compiled by the Health and Human Services Department. Hundreds more died in previous outbreaks.
A variety of factors may contribute to some nursing homes having a much worse experience than others, Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette said.
New Hampshire officials plan to give nursing home owners and operators more control of a program that searches for signs of COVID-19 among 10,000 employees in the state’s high-level care facilities.
But some of the people running the 75 nursing homes in the state are worried about uncertain test costs and the threat of large deficits.
Since the pandemic hit, visits from family members and volunteers in nursing homes in New Hampshire have been severely curtailed. That’s to protect vulnerable residents — about 80% of COVID-related deaths in the state have occurred in long-term care facilities. Still, workers in nursing homes and family members say that residents are suffering mentally and emotionally from missing out on visits with their loved ones and social opportunities within the nursing home.
