Legislation which would have allocated $25 million left from the CARES act funding to a trust fund supporting nursing homes and long term care facilities was vetoed by Governor Sununu. In addition, this legislation would have authorized pharmacists to administer a COVID-19 vaccine if one becomes available, and would have created an independent review of long term care needs.
This legislation would have allocated $25 million of CARES act dollars to a fund completely devoted to long-term care facilities. These facilities need and deserve more support than they have received to date. Additionally, this legislation would have created an independent review of long-term care needs to ensure we avoid shortfalls in protective equipment and supplies that could cost more needless loss of life if we are faced with a second-wave of this pandemic
Importantly, too, the veto blocked authorizing pharmacists to administer a COVID-19 vaccine if one becomes available, which could be of utmost importance in the future to ensure our communities can return to normal sooner rather than later .
New Hampshire healthcare providers, faced with the unprecedented, have been unquestionably heroic this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our long-term care and nursing home facilities and their vulnerable residents disproportionately, accounting for over 80% of the COVID-19 deaths here in New Hampshire.
Many of our long-term care facilities cited lacking appropriate protective gear for both staff and residents, placing these facilities at needless and tragic risk. Supporting these facilities, as we continue into an unforeseeable future in the fall and a potential second wave of the virus, is incredibly important to maintaining a flattened curve in the Granite State and should be the Governor’s highest priority.