Joint legislative committee plans to address staffing, inclement weather

• An overview of the state’s health-care facility immunity law;

• Hospitals’ challenges with COVID-19 patient capacity, staffing levels and patient visitation policies; and

• Long-term care facilities’ challenges with COVID-19 resident capacity, staffing levels, inclement weather policies and staff inspection and monitoring processes.

Potts said that while the committee won’t be able to focus on the Pine Ridge issues, “everyone knows there was a calamity of errors that we can address in generalities.”

“We want the investigation process to work as it’s supposed to,” Potts said. “But, we can become more acutely aware of what goes inside those nursing homes, how they are run and what level of staffing is necessary to serve all of their residents.

“We want to know how it happened, so we can help prevent it from happening again.”

According to a Jan. 18 Thomasville police report, responding officers determined there were three staff members to care for the 98 patients at the Pine Ridge Health & Rehabilitation Center at 706 Pineywood Road.

One licensed practical nurse and two certified nursing assistants were at the facility when investigators arrived Jan. 16.