Governor Lamont and Acting Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford, MD MPH are reacting to the final report from Mathematica Policy Research reviewing the response to COVID-19 in Connecticut nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The report evaluates the COVD-19 preparedness and response of both the State and the long term care industry and makes specific recommendations for handling future outbreaks. Governor Lamont ordered the independent, third-party review on June 8, 2020. An interim report was released to the public on August 15, 2020. Key Mathematica findings include that nursing homes in communities with high levels of COVID-19 were more likely to have severe COVID outbreaks and that the impact on Connecticut’s nursing homes was similar to the experience of neighboring states. The report also notes the adverse impact of visitation restrictions on health and well-being of nursing home residents.
