New York State undercounted COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50%, according to a scathing report from the state attorney general that adds to long-running complaints about how Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo handled the long-term care population.
Attorney General Letitia James said investigators found data that suggest many nursing home residents died after being transferred to the hospital. But that wasn’t reflected in the Cuomo administration’s tally of 8,500 deaths, she said.
Some nursing homes appeared to underreport their deaths to state authorities, and Ms. James found that lackluster compliance with infection-control protocols, putting residents at risk.
Facilities with poor pre-pandemic staffing ratings also had higher fatality rates from COVID-19. Other facilities had insufficient personal protective equipment, which put residents in harm’s way.
All told, she is investigating 20 facilities and their conduct.
“As the pandemic and our investigations continue, it is imperative that we understand why the residents of nursing homes in New York unnecessarily suffered at such an alarming rate,” said Ms. James, a Democrat who’s also probed former President Donald Trump’s businesses and the National Rifle Association. “While we cannot bring back the individuals we lost to this crisis, this report seeks to offer transparency that the public deserves and to spur increased action to protect our most vulnerable residents.”
New York was a major hotspot at the start of the coronavirus crisis last spring.
Mr. Cuomo faced widespread denunciation over a directive that said nursing homes should accept residents who had or were suspected of having COVID-19, so long as they were medically stable. The region was clamoring for hospital space at the time.
Many facilities took it as a mandate and weren’t prepared, even as the virus tore through nursing homes, prompting withering criticism of the governor and an inquiry by the Trump Justice Department.
Mr. Cuomo changed his March order in May, prohibiting hospitals from discharging patients to nursing homes unless they tested negative for COVID-19.
The governor’s health department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the attorney general’s report.
