Nursing homes with greater proportion of minority residents reported more COVID-19 deaths, study finds

COVID-19 deaths at nursing homes where more than 40 percent of residents were Black or Hispanic were about 3.3 times higher than those in nursing homes with the highest proportions of white residents, according to a study published Feb. 10 in JAMA Network Open.

Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study of 13,312 U.S. nursing homes that reported COVID-19 data to CMS and the CDC between May 24 and Sept. 13, 2020. Data were analyzed from July 18 to Dec. 18. The scientists created quintile categories based on the percentage of nursing home residents who were white, ranging from quintile 1, where less than 60 percent of residents were white, to quintile 5, where more than 97 percent of residents were white. 

The mean number of COVID-19 deaths in quintile 1 facilities was 5.6, compared to 1.7 in quintile 5, representing a 3.3 fold increase in the number of deaths reported at facilities with more minority residents. 

"Because minority communities experience the highest rates of COVID-19 infection and nursing homes in those communities are generally of lower quality, non-white nursing home residents are in the eye of that perfect storm," the study authors wrote. "Focusing limited available resources on facilities with high proportions of non-white residents is needed to support nursing homes during potential future outbreaks." 

The study acknowledged several limitations, including that available data only allowed for white, Black and Hispanic racial classifications, as well as a lack of individual-level data. 

To view the full study, click here. 

 
 

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