BOSTON — 25 Investigates told you how families and advocates are calling for more transparency when it comes to what’s happening inside Massachusetts nursing homes. They want to know the exact number of deaths and cases inside each home.
Now, the Massachusetts Attorney General is asking for the same.
"Families have a right to know,” said Attorney General Maura Healey. “They need to know. And, we should make that happen here in Massachusetts where nursing homes to continue to account for half of the deaths here as well as across the nation. This kind of data is really important.”
Healey says since some homes are sharing this information with families and others are not, it's important the state makes sure all families have the information they need.
As 25 Investigates showed you earlier this week, the state reports COVID-19 cases in ranges, capping the range at more than 30. Deaths are aggregated into a total number, without location.
We spoke with Patricia Odnak, who says her family still doesn't know the true extent of the outbreak at her mother’s Weymouth nursing home. Her mother, Marie, died on Easter.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health told us it was difficult to report out this data during a pandemic. But other states are.
In states, like New Jersey, Maryland and Colorado, coronavirus cases and deaths are reported by exact numbers and exact location.
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