WASHINGTON — One year into the worst pandemic in a century, nursing homes and long-term care facilities have been ravaged by the deadly virus.

U.S. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., introduced a bipartisan bill to enhance accountability among the Nation’s poorest performing nursing homes. This national tragedy has reinforced the urgent need to improve care quality in a subset of nursing homes that persistently fall short. Currently, there are more than 500 facilities nationwide that have consistently failed to meet federal safety and care requirements. Of those facilities, only a maximum of 88 are chosen to participate in the Special Focus Facility (SFF) program, which provides additional oversight and inspections.

Drawing on the Senators’ 2019 investigation, the Nursing Home Reform Modernization Act of 2021 would expand the SFF program to ensure that all facilities nominated as candidates for the program can receive additional oversight and enforcement, as well as technical assistance and educational programming.

“Since the start of the pandemic, more than 178,000 residents and workers in nursing homes and long-term care facilities have died from the virus. We have a moral obligation to learn from this profound tragedy and deliver commonsense solutions,” said Casey. “We must also improve the quality of care in nursing homes—especially those that are consistently failing to meet health and safety standards required by the federal government. Residents in long-term care facilities deserve a safe place to live.”

Toomey agreed, saying the Senate should pass the bill without delay.

“Over half of Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities. Unfortunately, some of the largest outbreaks occurred in facilities with records of persistent failure to protect their residents,” said Toomey. “Even while vaccinating seniors helps us turn the corner on the pandemic, this bipartisan legislation remains as important as ever. Over the last month, AARP ranks Pennsylvania as having the fourth highest rate of COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents in the country.”

The Nursing Home Reform Modernization Act of 2021 would also increase educational resources for all underperforming facilities and establish an independent Advisory Council to inform the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on how to best rank nursing homes to foster quality improvements.