Society Supports the ACCESS ACT

Last week, the Society—through its membership in the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO)—sent letters of support for the Advancing Connectivity during the Coronavirus to Ensure Support for Seniors Act (ACCESS Act, H.R. 6487 and S. 3517).

The ACCESS Act would provide grants to nursing homes to obtain and use technologies and services necessary to support virtual visits during the current public health emergency. The grants would help enable more residents and their loved ones to stay connected, including being able to see each other via video. “Such communication would help mitigate social isolation and loneliness for residents, which can have a significant impact not only on their mental health and well-being, but also on their physical health and well-being. In addition, virtual visits would provide much-needed reassurance for families, many of whom are very anxious about the well-being of their loved ones,” the letter stated.

The bill would also provide funding to the Telehealth Resource Center Program to help enable the development of telehealth technologies for nursing homes. It would also require a report to Congress on ways to expand access to telehealth in Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes during the pandemic.

Click here to read the entire letter.