DENVER — Inside nursing homes and senior care facilities across the state, healthcare workers are on the front lines of trying to stop COVID-19 outbreaks that are spreading quickly.
As the governor implements new measures to try and limit the spread, a lack of personal protective equipment and tests is causing problems.
"It’s very difficult to follow the guidelines that have been presented when the access to the personal protective equipment isn’t there," said Doug Farmer, President & CEO of the Colorado Health Care Association. "The challenge that we face right now is that we don’t have adequate access to rapid testing or personal protective equipment."
Farmer is the president of the Colorado Healthcare Association, advocating for long term care facilities and their employees. He points to a lack of equipment as one of the main problems.
More than 100 nursing homes and healthcare facilities across Colorado have reported multiple cases of COVID-19. 9Wants to Know found at least 138 people living in senior care families have died.
Even with regulations put in place limiting visitors to nursing homes, the virus has spread rapidly. Farmer says caregivers are struggling with the resources they have.
"We’ve been identified by the governor and others as a tier-one concern when it comes to the spread of this virus, but we continue to be a tier-two consideration for receiving PPE. That’s something that has to change if we want to see the outcomes changing," said Farmer. "Right now we have plenty of employees and frontline caregivers that are using a mask for an entire shift. I am aware of some who have began crafting gowns out of bed sheets. Anything they can do to protect their workers."
Behind the climbing number of deaths, there are families, stories.
Ashley Morger’s father Steven passed away last month after testing positive for COVID-19. He’s one of at least 18 people who have died at the Centennial Healthcare Facility in Greeley, the site of one of the deadliest outbreaks in the state.
"I got a call from Centennial that they sent him to the ER. He wasn’t breathing very well," Morger said. "I’m an only child and I was very close to my father so it’s definitely something you never really prepare yourself for."
Governor Jared Polis announced Friday new measures that would be taken to try and stop the spread of COVID-19 inside long-term care centers. That includes deploying the National Guard to help with testing at the largest nursing homes in the state.
If we're going to stop the spread of the virus inside long-term care facilities, Farmer says we need to equip the healthcare workers with the tools they need to stay safe.
Farmer says he's seen healthcare workers leaving the industry at a time when they need more workers than ever.
"They’re coming to work every day, they’re putting the needs of their residents over the needs of themselves and their families, they’re working long shifts under less than great circumstances," said Farmer. "They are the frontline heroes in the fight against this pandemic."
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