Facing serious public health concerns about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on nursing homes, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed a bill from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that will allow seniors and people with disabilities to receive care in their homes, improving their lives and reducing their risk of exposure.
“Protecting our most vulnerable, especially during the pandemic, is absolutely essential,” Sen. Dodd said. “This will do that by allowing people to stay in their own homes and avoid potential exposure. At the same time, it saves taxpayer money. I thank Gov. Newsom for signing it into law.”
Senate Bill 214 would allow low-income seniors and people with disabilities to receive support in making the transition from skilled nursing facilities to receiving care in their homes, getting residents in the most integrated community settings possible. It allows for the expansion of an existing program. The program, California Community Transitions, successfully transitioned 3,629 from institutional settings since 2007 for an average savings of $60,000 per person per year.
The bill is co-sponsored by Disability Rights California and East Bay Innovations.
“COVID-19 is putting older individuals at high risk for becoming critically ill very quickly and nursing homes have become tragic hotspots for virus transmission and deaths. I commend Gov. Newsom for signing Sen. Dodd’s bill to provide the state with new tools to help people in nursing homes transition to safer settings in the community, said Tom Heinz, East Bay Innovations executive director.
