Indiana health officials released for the first time a detailed map and analysis of COVID-19’s impact on long-term care facilities and nursing homes.
The release from Indiana follows more than 30 states and months of questions from advocacy groups and journalists.
Of 754 facilities required to submit data, almost half or 344 have experienced at least one positive resident case. At least one resident death has been reported by 235 facilities.
All facilities that were required to submit data have done so, according to Dr. Dan Rusyniak, chief medical officer for Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration. He says steps are in place to protect residents.
"To preserve privacy, we will not report specific number of cases by facility if the total is less than five," he said.
The state previously cited patient confidentiality and other pandemic priorities while keeping the data private.
Officials last week expressed similar concerns about releasing COVID-19 school-level data. State health commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said, incorrectly, that HIPAA and FERPA rules prevent the release of that data.
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