According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), nursing home residents are among the most vulnerable populations for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. Proper infection control practices—like handwashing—remain critical to the safety of over 1 million US nursing home residents. GAO convened a panel of infectious disease specialists, nursing home staff, advocates, and other experts to examine infection control practices in nursing homes. These experts identified 14 actions for the Department of Health and Human Services to continue, enhance, or discontinue—some of which are consistent with GAO’s prior recommendations, including developing solutions to ensure adequate staffing.
