Hospital Staffing Shortages As reported in multiple sources, including this STAT article and this NPR article, hospitals across at least 25 states are experiencing critical staff shortages. While many of these hospitals have built up their reserves of other resources
Read More
Resource Allocation This article by Buckwalter and Peterson examines U.S. public attitudes toward scarce resource allocation strategies using a set of three studies involving a combined 1,868 participants through online platforms. The research questions targeted attitudes about specific principles used
Read More
Vulnerable Populations This study by Clift, et al. from the United Kingdom assessed COVID-19 mortality risk among persons with Down syndrome. Down syndrome has not been included among known risk factors by UK or US health authorities, but it is
Read More
OSHA Fines As detailed in this Bloomberg Law article, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued fines for 85 businesses nationally for safety violations related to COVID-19. Among the latest targets are 23 health care facilities (hospitals,
Read More
Facilities This article by Bowblis and Applebaum analyses the prevalence of COVID-19 in nursing homes in Ohio, finding that prevalence was not associated with facility quality ratings. Due to factors including resident frailty and staff inability to social distance at
Read More
Facilities This virtual presentation hosted by the Jefferson College of Public Health and the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems addresses data, experiences, challenges, and recommendations related to crisis management in long-term care facilities during the pandemic. There is
Read More
Supplies This Health Affairs Blog by DeVore breaks down the supply chain flaws that have contributed to shortages of needed PPE and other medical supplies during the pandemic. The post identifies multiple waves of challenges that require response during the
Read More
Testing This CDC MMWR analysis provides data on the impact of preemptive testing of residents and staff members in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) to prevent COVID-19 outbreak. LTCF residents have been and remain at especially high risk during the pandemic
Read More
Testing This N.Y. Times article describes difficulties in obtaining timely and nearby testing for children and the implications for public health mitigation efforts. In many instances, existing free testing sites set a minimum age that does not include many school-age
Read More
Resource Allocation This ethics roundtable by Baumrucker et al. discusses the difficult case of critical care resource priority in the context of COVID-19, presenting a case in which an otherwise healthy 59-year-old and a 17-year-old both require ventilator care with
Read More