HARTFORD, Conn. – The Connecticut Army and Air National Guard have teamed up with the Department of Public Health to inspect nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout Connecticut during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Across the country, long-term care facilities have been hotspots for COVID-19 infections. The Guard and the DPH are surveying all long-term care facilities in Connecticut to ensure adherence to COVID-19 guidelines as directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Support from the Guard has enabled the DPH to inspect more long-term care facilities more frequently. The collaboration is part of Connecticut’s continued effort to combat the spread of the virus.
“These inspections are crucial,” said Air Force Capt. Gregory Flis, a member of the 103rd Medical Group overseeing the Guard’s long-term care facility inspections. “I’ve said this to my Soldiers and Airmen that I’ve trained, from April to now. What we’re doing very much matters to the health and safety of residents, health and safety of staff, and definitely the health and safety of the families and communities around the staff members, because if one part of our infection control chain is broken, it all falls apart.”
In June, Connecticut and Rhode Island were the only states to report a decrease in COVID-19 infections. As the number of new COVID-19 infections in long-term care facilities decreased across Connecticut, the state’s unified command structure prepared for a possible second wave of the virus. Flis, who works as a geriatric nurse practitioner in his civilian job, stressed the importance of holding long-term care facility staff accountable for the safety of Connecticut’s most vulnerable population.
“Being in health care, you’re well aware of the disparities in health care in these types of facilities,” said Flis. “Being able to get boots on the ground and see what these facilities are doing was an intrinsic goal for myself.”
The inspections serve as both a preventative and corrective safety measure. Senior Master Sgt. Melissa Kelly, a member of the 103rd Force Support Squadron, said the Guard had completed more than 1,000 missions in support of DPH from April to July. While on those missions, DPH inspectors identified compliance issues in nursing homes and assisted living facilities that have been rectified.
“The Airmen and the Soldiers are an extra set of eyes to help the Department of Public Health representative,” said Kelly. “They go out to the facilities, making sure that all of the people who work within the facility are following the new COVID-19 guidelines that have been put into place by the CDC. Sometimes we go back with the surveyors to investigate complaints and do infectious control.”
The inspection teams document the number of residents and staff that have tested positive for COVID-19 and report the findings to state officials. All long-term care facilities in Connecticut are inspected regularly.
The Guard’s involvement in Connecticut’s COVID-19 response has been far-reaching, with the Army and Air Guard deploying nearly 1,000 troops since March. In addition to inspections, the Guard is providing personal protective equipment and tracking PPE inventory at each long-term care facility. The effort is part of a push to distribute $91 million of PPE to essential workers throughout the state.
“These nursing homes, at baseline, can have issues with their own inventories and so that was a big part of it,” said Kelly. “We’re making sure that they have their own equipment to protect the residents, to protect the staff and to protect the staff’s families when they go home.”
Kelly said the mission is expected to continue through August and possibly the fall if deemed necessary by state officials. For now, she wants the family members of Connecticut long-term care facility residents to know that the Guard and the DPH are doing what they can to keep their relatives safe.
“To the family members, we’re out there trying to really minimize the spread of this awful virus,” said Kelly. “We hope that they can see their loved ones soon and that we can return to a safer environment. Keep being hopeful and communicate with your family as much as you can and know that we’re doing what we can.”
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