Statement on Data from New York State Nursing Homes and Adult Care Facilities

New York State recently released each county's individual death statistics due to COVID-19 from nursing homes and adult care facilities. This information is accessible here: https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/diseases/covid-19/fatalities_nursing_home_acf.pdf The Center for Elder Law & Justice is grateful to the Governor for taking this first step in keeping nursing home residents, their families, and the public informed. However, we call upon the Governor and the Department of Health to fully disclose the status of COVID-19 cases in NYS nursing homes and adult care facilities. This is a public health necessity and key to properly gauging the problem, raising awareness, and directing resources where they are most needed. The disclosure of the number of positive cases and facility names does not violate HIPAA, nor does it infringe upon resident privacy rights. Our agency will continue to fight for this next step in ensuring our most vulnerable members of society remain safe and receive proper care.