New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a four-part plan Wednesday to address the needs of seniors, especially those in nursing homes. There are 169 nursing homes in the city, many of which are for-profit enterprises.

Here are the four parts that the mayor laid out...

Part one:

New York City will offer free, on-site testing to all nursing homes starting next week. ”As many test kits as the nursing home needs, we will provide,” the mayor said.

The mayor says the anticipated need is to run 3,000 tests a day through a city contracted lab. There will be a two-week “blitz” followed by regular weekly testing.

Part two:

The city will provide more staff and mandatory staff testing which has already begun. The mayor said the staff is among the “unsung heroes” fighting the virus.

Staff who test positive are required to stay out of work for 14 days which will cause shortages, said de Blasio. The city has already provided 250 additional personnel, but the city is asking all facilities to submit requests.

“We will continue to fulfill the request for every nursing home,” de Blasio said. He also pledged all staffing requests will be filled.

Part three:

Outbreak response teams consisting of a minimum of three people will be deployed to nursing homes and congregate living facilities like other senior centers.

The mayor said 10 teams are ready and all will have an epidemiologist, mental health or social work experts – whichever is needed.

The teams will address infection control, PPE management, resident and staff re-testing

Part four:

The city is planning long-term to maximize home-based care for the future.
This is “part of our recovering planning,” de Blasio said.