A nurse and former LPN at a New Jersey nursing home have been indicted in the 2017 death of a patient, the acting Attorney General of New Jersey said Feb. 4. 

Nursing homes need to provide more data on staffing in order for consumers to make informed decisions when choosing facilities, Forbes senior contributor Howard Gleckman wrote Feb. 3.

A Bakersfield, Calif., nursing home dubbed a "house of horrors" by residents is set to close after losing its license with Medicare and Medicaid, NBC affiliate KGET reported Feb. 3.

More than 201,000 residents and staff of long-term care facilities have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, an analysis published Feb. 3 by the Kaiser Family Foundation found.

Nursing homes nationwide are experiencing slow COVID-19 test turnaround times and shortages of antigen tests as cases surge, Kaiser Health News reported Feb. 2. 

South Carolina ranks the highest among U.S. states and the District of Columbia for nursing home residents testing positive for COVID-19 weekly in the nation, and Montana ranks the lowest, according to CMS data updated Jan. 16. 

Two studies from University of Minnesota researchers found resident-reported quality of life, including those with dementia, are typically reliable and should be included in nursing home report cards to allow consumers to make more-informed decisions about care. 

A federal court in Virginia ordered a Norfolk-based medical staffing agency that worked with nursing homes and other healthcare facilities to pay more than $7.2 million in back pay and liquidated damages after it was found to have intentionally violated federal laws by denying 1,105 workers overtime pay.

Between 78 and 98 beds will be added to nursing homes in three of Nebraska's largest cities as part of a state program to relieve pressure on facilities amid the COVID-19 surge, the state's Department of Health and Human Services said Jan. 25.

CMS will begin posting staff turnover rates and weekend staff levels for nursing homes on its Care Compare website, it said Jan. 26.

Two North Carolina nursing home residents were found dead and two more were hospitalized after a wellness check uncovered just three staff members caring for the facility's 98 residents, CBS affiliate WFMY News 2 reported Jan. 18. 

AARP called on nursing homes across the nation to require COVID-19 booster shots for residents and staff amid a rise in infections and lag in booster rates, the organization said Jan. 20.  

A former Arkansas nursing home owner was arrested and charged in federal court in New Jersey with failing to pay $29.5 million in payroll and unemployment taxes and benefit plan fraud, the Department of Justice said Jan. 20.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued a new order Jan. 20 requiring nursing homes to offer COVID-19 booster shots to residents on-site.

Pennsylvania has the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths in nursing homes in the country, according to weekly data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updated Jan. 2.

A Jan. 17 report  of an additional 1,511 COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes across the state of Michigan is drawing criticism from health officials, FOX 2 Detroit reported.

Several states have recently announced new guidelines and initiatives to combat rising COVID-19 infections among residents and staff at nursing homes.

COVID-19 infections are rising among both nursing home residents and staff nationwide, The Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 11. 

Rhode Island has the highest percentage of nursing home staff who have received the COVID-19 vaccine while Missouri ranks the lowest in the country, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last updated Jan. 6.

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living wrote a letter Jan. 5 urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to extend the public health emergency set to expire on Jan. 16, 2022, to ensure long-term and post-acute care providers can continue to offer efficient and effective care as the pandemic continues.