The next Connecticut income tax debate is heating up — but not at the Capitol. A key state legislative caucus is crafting a letter urging town and city councils, local political committees and other grassroots groups to press Gov. Ned Lamont to tax Connecticut’s wealthy to close pandemic-induced state budget deficits. “As much as Governor
With the coronavirus tearing through the Chelsea Place Care Center in Hartford, Cassondra Diaz was careful to take precautions. She always wore a mask, even though she worked as a bookkeeper in the front office, not providing direct care to patients. Every night, when she returned home to her New Britain apartment, she sprayed down
As Connecticut leaders this week unveiled plans to ramp up testing among the most vulnerable communities hit by COVID-19, the number of infections and deaths at senior care facilities continued to rise, data released by the state Thursday shows. The data showed that as of Wednesday, 1,927 Connecticut nursing home patients died with coronavirus or
The US nursing home industry is clamoring for legal immunity during the coronavirus pandemic, even as horror stories from hard-hit facilities enrage families, consumer advocates and the American public. Healthcare organizations insist liability protections are essential for under-resourced nursing homes fighting against Covid-19, while an already staggering death toll continues to climb. Tricia Neuman, senior vice-president of
Widespread testing at nursing homes across Connecticut has begun, part of a push by Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration to curb the spread of COVID-19 among one of the state’s most vulnerable populations. But operators at some of the homes said Tuesday that while all residents are being tested, staff members are not. That has raised concerns about
The single-story red brick building looks unremarkable on the outside. But this nursing home in central Connecticut is now the site of a novel approach to protect the population most vulnerable to the coronavirus. Connecticut is among a handful of states to open COVID-19-only facilities that provide an environment specially designed to handle infected patients —
Janell Roberts was stunned when she opened a box of personal protective equipment shipped by the state Department of Social Services to her home care client last week. West Haven resident Michael Whelan has four aides, including Roberts, come to his home every day to help with all his needs including bathing and meal preparation.
When the pandemic struck, the majority of the nation’s nursing homes were losing money, some were falling into disrepair, and others were struggling to attract new occupants, leaving many of them ill equipped to protect workers and residents as the coronavirus raged through their properties. Their troubled state was years in the making. Decades of ownership
As Connecticut looks to gradually reopen some businesses this month, public health care workers raised concerns Wednesday that the state could see a resurgence of coronavirus infections in the fall, leading some to suggest the opening could be too soon. “This is a game of attrition right now, and we may not be winning this
Last summer – months before the novel coronavirus began its deadly race across Connecticut – dozens of residents at a Waterbury nursing home started wheezing. Some had trouble breathing. Others became congested. The “respiratory outbreak” at Abbott Terrace Health Center touched 33 elderly or disabled people in all six units at the sprawling, red-brick complex.