Claudia Tenney: “The COVID-19 pandemic exposed so many vulnerabilities in our communities, our economy, and our healthcare system. None…”

“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed so many vulnerabilities in our communities, our economy, and our healthcare system. None of us were prepared for the endless virtual meetings, school closings, and weeks spent in quarantine. Nor could we have been ready for the tragic loss of our neighbors and loved ones who were living in long-term care facilities across the Nation. Mr. Speaker, I rise today about the grave impact the negligent policies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic had on the most vulnerable in our communities. Over the past nearly 2 years, we watched our grandparents in nursing homes and our family and friends in group homes struggling to maintain their health, dignity, and will to go on as they were left without the care and attention they deserved over long periods of isolation. When I was sworn in to serve in the 117th Congress, one of the first bills I introduced was the bipartisan Essential Caregivers Act. This bill is a critical step to ensure that residents of long-term care facilities are not left to suffer in isolation during this or any future public health emergency. While shut out from their family and loved ones in isolation, many long-term care residents began suffering from depression, extreme loneliness, and a major decline in mental and physical health. It is the injustice of this century that this is going unaddressed by Congress.…”