VOYCE

Around this time last year, a quarter of nursing homes hadn’t been inspected in at least two years. Now the number is closer to 3%, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data.

Unions representing health care workers, including those who work in nursing homes, support a new federal rule that requires their members to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

A federal mandate will soon require all U.S. nursing homes to vaccinate their workers or risk losing government funding. But some worry vaccine mandates will worsen staff shortages.

Marjorie Moore, executive director of VOYCE, a nonprofit that advocates for nursing home residents, said the facilities are trying to keep residents and workers safe as infections rise.

Missouri lawmakers are considering legislation that would shield nursing homes and other businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits. Some advocates worry the proposal will prevent nursing home residents from holding facilities legally responsible for abuse and neglect.

At least 818 nursing home residents tested positive for the coronavirus in St. Louis County nursing homes in December. That’s about 200 fewer infections than were reported in November.

It's been more than two months since a new Missouri state law went into effect, allowing families to install cameras in the rooms of nursing home residents. But the logistics of installing these devices during a pandemic have proven challenging, leading to months of frustration for some families.

More than 400 people in St. Louis County long-term care facilities have died of COVID-19 since March, according to data from the county health department.

At least 253 nursing home residents in Missouri have died from COVID-19, according to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.In data…

Updated at 5 p.m., March 31 with latest number of cases at Frontier Health and RehabilitationWhen dozens of nursing home residents in a Seattle suburb…