[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H2993]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NURSING HOME NEGLIGENCE

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, we continue to see 
appalling nursing home negligence nationwide, including my home State 
of Pennsylvania.
  Last week, my fellow Pennsylvania Republican Members and I joined the 
Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis to send a letter to State 
Attorney General Josh Shapiro demanding an explanation for Governor 
Wolf's deadly decision to readmit COVID-19-positive residents back into 
nursing homes.
  According to the most recent data, Pennsylvania has suffered 4,539 
nursing home deaths related to COVID-19. That is more than 68 percent 
of the State's total COVID-19 deaths and more than 3 percent of the 
State's entire nursing home population.
  The families who have lost loved ones as a result of this reckless 
policy deserve answers, they deserve an explanation, and they deserve 
closure.
  Prior to my being elected to Congress, I spent many years as a 
licensed nursing home administrator specializing in long-term care, and 
I have been horrified to see this avoidable crisis unfold.
  In closing, I would like to thank our frontline employees in nursing 
homes. They work so hard to protect the residents. And my sincerest 
condolences to the families who are grieving.

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