Mass. Reporting Inaccurate Data For Coronavirus At Some Nursing Homes
BOSTON (CBS) - Tracy Crowe just got word that her mother tested positive for coronavirus. The blind 97-year-old lives at the Shrewsbury Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. "She told me that she had been vomiting for two days," said Crowe.
With visits now off-limits, the home's administrator sent Crowe and other families a letter, saying 51 residents had tested positive. That doesn't match the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's public database, which indicates the Shrewsbury facility had fewer than 10 cases.
"What went on in my mind first, is that the numbers don't match up," said Crowe. She said staff members there told her they don't have enough protective equipment, or PPE. "Maybe they're going by that inaccurate information in order to supply that PPE," said Crowe.
Another nursing home, Mary Ann Morse Nursing & Rehab Center in Natick, is also dealing with an outbreak, having lost 17 residents. The administration reports 75 have tested positive, but a check of the state's database just shows more than 30.
"There just hasn't been proper oversight or authority," said Massachusetts Senator Jamie Eldridge. He filed state legislation calling for better state oversight of nursing homes. "I think it's really critical to get done quickly because I'm getting calls…from family members that have their mother or father at nursing homes, some of whom are COVID-19 positive, but they're not getting very much information from the nursing home."
A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health sent WBZ a statement. "COVID-19 data comes from several sources including labs, hospitals, nursing homes and other care settings, and is being constantly reconciled to ensure accuracy and completeness. DPH releases daily data based on the most accurate information provided from thousands of records sent to it each day. Nursing Homes and other care facilities are required to report cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, and new federal requirements for reporting were announced last week."
