Shirley Gooding, a physical Therapy Aid, helps William Rexroat, a WWII Navy veteran exercise during a physical therapy session at the Quincy Veterans Home February 17, 2005 in Quincy, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
When COVID-19 first tore through our nursing homes five years ago, I’ll never forget seeing the photo Shanrika Nelson, a certified nursing assistant and union member from Philadelphia, posted online. She wanted the public to see the makeshift PPE that she and her coworkers wore every day to protect their residents and themselves the best they could: a trash bag over her body.
Led by caregivers’ hard work and advocacy, we have made progress since the pandemic to fix and transform Pennsylvania’s nursing home system. But now we are facing a new existential threat – potential – Medicaid cuts that will topple nursing homes still hanging by a thread…