Lancaster County approves $3 million in grants to area nursing homes to offset COVID-19 costs

Lancaster County nursing homes will receive financial assistance aimed at helping them deal with the added costs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners approved distributing slightly over $3 million in CARES Act funds to area nursing homes.

Ed Hurston, who presented the proposal to the commissioners, said it was the board’s intent to offset the “extraordinary expenses” nursing homes have incurred through the pandemic.

There are 32 nursing homes in Lancaster County with a collective total of more than 4,000 beds, according to an information document from the Lancaster County Office of Aging.

According to the Lancaster County COVID-19 dashboard, nearly 60% of COVID-19 deaths have occurred in skilled and long-term care facilities like nursing homes.

The county’s facilities will receive $250 per licensed bed. They will also receive funding determined by the number of vacant beds at each facility to offset revenue lost because of the pandemic.

Additionally, facilities that care for residents whose stay is paid for by government programs may also receive funds based on how many government-assisted residents the facility has.

The federal CARES Act, passed in the spring, gave Lancaster County over $95 million in pandemic relief funds that must be spent by the end of the year. The county has already allocated over $900,000 to nursing home related endeavors, including testing and infection control training. Funds have also been directed to health care providers for testing and contact tracing, as well as businesses impacted by coronavirus restrictions.

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Crédito: CARTER WALKER | Staff Writer