Ohio's long-term care facilities provide safe, high-quality care for more than 400,000 of the state's most frail, elderly citizens. While the COVID-19 pandemic may be unprecedented, the industry's commitment to providing compassionate, resident-centered care is unwavering. But this critical work requires adequate resources.
Eliza Bryant Village, a nonprofit incorporated in 1896, is the oldest African-American-founded long-term care facility that remains in operation in the country. Through our skilled nursing, adult day care, home care, affordable housing and elder abuse services, we care for more than 1,000 seniors each year. However, inadequate public funding severely hinders our long-term capacity to meet the needs our predominantly Medicaid-eligible residents require and deserve.
Many media stories have rightly focused on COVID-19's impact, but far fewer address the obstacles long-term care facilities face. Nonprofit nursing homes need fair financial reimbursement from government sources and less restrictive support from foundation and other private funders. Recent research reported on in the Chronicle of Philanthropy documented that nonprofits led by minorities and focused on minority issues, such as Eliza Bryant, are typically awarded less funding, with more strings, than their majority-led counterparts. This too needs to change.
COVID-19 has shined a light on many deficiencies in our elder care systems, which need to be addressed. However, one way we can all ensure older adults are properly cared for when they need it most is to substitute for that nameless, impoverished senior, the face of someone we love.
Danny Williams
President and CEO of Eliza Bryant Village
(In response to Elizabeth McIntyre's Oct. 19 column on Sokolowski's University Inn being put up for sale): Why is it that people in media continue to try to spread panic over the COVID crisis? It is a terrible, highly contagious disease that is not nearly as deadly as the media portrays. First, we were told that we needed to stop the spread to stop hospitals from being overrun. When that never materialized, you focused instead on number of cases — and said that wearing a mask will prevent the spread. Yet, since all of Ohio has been under a mask-wearing mandate, the number of cases has continued to rise. Why? Because the disease is extremely contagious. BUT not deadly as the media tries to propagate.
Your own quoted statistics say that more people have died of this than from the Korean and Vietnam wars combined. That is simply a scare fact. How many during those combined 10 years of war as compared to coronavirus is meant simply to scare.
That more than 5,000 Ohioans have died is very, very sad. But how many of those are over 70 and had pre-existing conditions? Now don't go running out with, "He doesn't care about our Ohio citizens over 70." That, too, is the lie you folks promote when you disagree with our position. Many of my friends and I are in the at-risk category, and so we take precautions.
But look at the real numbers. Let's round up to 250,000 people die from COVID. (The number isn't that high, but let's use it.) How about a spin that says, of all the residents in the U.S., only 0.0007% have died from COVID — considering the U.S. population is about 330 million. This means, and should be stated, as there is almost no chance you will die from COVID — and your chances jump by nearly three times if you have a pre-existing condition and are over 70. Two things on that. For those under 70, your chances are one-third of that number. Just as importantly, even for those over 70, tripling the number doesn't get you to anything but a 0.002% chance of death.
There is enough negative information out there every day. Don't look at how bad things are. How about a look toward something positive for a change. This kind of reporting is why Sokolowski's has failed, like many small businesses, due to COVID. It is the warped COVID reporting that caused them and many other small businesses to fail.
Even today, there have been 8.8 million cases of the virus in the U.S. Out of 330 million residents, that works out to be 0.002% of the U.S. population tested positive. That is NOT how many actually showed symptoms. That is tested positive. Now go ahead, and tear these numbers apart and show the negative: It is what you and the media do best. Because it doesn't fit the narrative.
So very, very sad.
Dan Traci
Westlake
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