Florida nursing homes have a rate of COVID-19 infections twice as high as the rest of the nation, an AARP report says.
“COVID-19 cases across the U.S. are again on the rise, and nursing homes remain a hotbed for the virus,” AARP said in a news release on Wednesday.
The organization cited statistics from the Kaiser Family Foundation that showed deaths in Florida are about 0.7 per 100 nursing home residents, and in the U.S., the average is 0.5. The number of cases per 100 residents is higher in Florida, too, 4.5 compared with about 2.5 nationally.
Gov. Ron DeSantis lifted the restrictions last month that prohibited visitation in long-term care facilities.
To enter a facility, general visitors must wear adequate personal protective equipment and follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
The AARP study found that there have been over 6,000 deaths of Florida nursing home residents and staff due to COVID.
Eight-hundred nursing homes in Florida have received the BinaxNOW COVID tests for staff and resident screenings to help prevent the spread of the virus.
“Now that you have a 15-minute test, this can also help visitation in our long-term care facilities,” said DeSantis.
For the months prior to the lifting of the ban, patients were unable to see their family and loved ones.
“They don’t understand that their loved ones can’t come visit them,” said Minnie Cone, director of nurses at Life Care Center of Ocala.
USF to cut undergraduate program at the College of Education
The University of South Florida COVID-19 related budget cuts has forced the College of Education to remove its undergraduate program.
The university has not yet released an official announcement. The news was broken by the Crow’s Nest at USF St. Petersburg and later confirmed by the Tampa student newspaper.
The College of Education’s annual budget allocation will be reduced by 35 percent. The $6.8 million cut will change the structure of the College of Education.
Interim Dean Judith A. Ponticell said the college will be reconfigured to focus on a Graduate School of Education with affiliation to the College of Behavioral and Community Science.
“Re-envisioning the College of Education as a graduate school enables us to leverage our strengths in our master’s, educational specialists, and doctoral degree programs,” Ponticell said in an email.
Currently enrolled students will be able to complete their undergraduate degrees at USF.
HART, state offers free, driverless shuttle
The Florida Department of Transportation has worked together with the Hillsborough transit system and autonomous mobility company Beep to offer an Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Program, HART SMART AV.
HART SMART AV will launch its phase one of operations Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Phase two will increase hours of operation from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., though the start date has not been released.
The driverless shuttle will have an operator on board at the beginning of its launch. The operator will be able to control the vehicle if need be.
At a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour, the HART SMART AV will run its route through downtown Tampa and will connect to the Marion Transit Center.
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