Jun 19, 2020   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

Neil L. Pruitt Jr., Chairman and CEO of PruittHealth, Appointed to Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes

NORCROSS, Ga., June 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- One of 25 experts selected nationwide, Neil L. Pruitt Jr., chairman and CEO of PruittHealth, has been appointed to serve on a new, independent commission set to begin a comprehensive assessment of the nursing home response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is an honor and a privilege to be selected as a member of this commission and advocate for one of the most vulnerable patient populations our company proudly has served for 50 years," Pruitt said. "For me, this commission is an extension of our Commitment to Caring, and I look forward to sharing with fellow members the valuable experiences and lessons learned as our country grapples with COVID-19."

The commission's work will inform efforts to safeguard the health and quality of life of vulnerable Americans, as well as prepare for future threats to nursing home residents' safety and to public health.

Specifically, the commission is tasked to:

    --  Identify best practices for facilities to enable rapid and effective
        identification and mitigation of transmission of COVID-19 and other
        infectious diseases in nursing homes;
    --  Work to recommend best practices as exemplars of rigorous infection
        control practices and facility resiliency that can serve as a framework
        for enhanced oversight and quality monitoring activities;
    --  Identify best practices for improved care delivery and responsiveness to
        the needs of all nursing home residents in preparation for, during, and
        following an emergency; and
    --  Identify opportunities to leverage new sources of data to improve
        existing infection control policies and enable coordination across
        federal surveyors, contractors, and state and local entities to mitigate
        coronavirus and future emergencies.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the formation of the Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes on May 14. MITRE, an independent, not-for-profit organization, is standing up the commission and facilitating its activities and will independently author and deliver a report on the commission's findings and recommendations to CMS on September 1.

Learn more about the Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes at https://sites.mitre.org/nhcovidcomm/.

About PruittHealth
A family-owned organization for 50 years, PruittHealth provides a seamless network of post-acute care services and resources, offering skilled nursing care, home health care, end-of-life hospice care, therapy services, as well as pharmacy and infusion services across the Southeast. Our 16,000 employed partners serve approximately 24,000 patients daily in more than 180 locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. For more information about our commitment to caring, visit pruitthealth.com.

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SOURCE PruittHealth