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The federal government released a trove of data Thursday that shows at least one in three Arizona nursing homes reported a case of COVID-19, and nearly one in five had a death related to the disease.  

The data released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services allows the public to see the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths at each of Arizona’s nearly 150 skilled nursing homes. It’s the same information the Arizona Department of Health Services has fought to keep secret, citing confidentiality under state law.

The federal data shows 129 Arizona nursing home residents have died.

The death toll among senior communities is, however, much higher. The federal data doesn’t include assisted-living facilities and only requires nursing homes to report cases dating back to May 8; reporting previous cases and deaths is optional. 

Fourteen of the state’s 146 nursing homes did not report data as required. Facilities that fail to report are subject to potential fines that get steeper the longer they don’t report. 

Nationally, 88% of the nation’s nursing homes are reporting more than 95,000 COVID-19 cases among residents and staff and nearly 32,000 deaths. One in four nursing homes had at least one COVID-19 case, while one in five had a death related to COVID-19. 

CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the federal agency will update the COVID-19 numbers at each nursing home again in two weeks and weekly thereafter. 

The federal government on May 8 began requiring nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding to report weekly the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths. While more than 30 states had already released similar data, Arizona was among those states that had not despite repeated requests from news media and senior advocacy groups, such as AARP, and a lawsuit filed by The Arizona Republic and several local news stations.

In a statement, the federal government said reporting the data supports CMS’s responsibility to protect and ensure the health of residents and to make sure there is appropriate tracking of and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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The federal data underscores what news reports have chronicled for weeks: Long-term care facilities are ground zero for the highly infectious virus. Many of their residents are elderly and have underlying health conditions, making them vulnerable to complications after contracting the disease. 

In Maricopa County alone, 70% of the total COVID-19 deaths have been among residents of long-term care facilities, an umbrella term that includes nursing homes, assisted living, hospice and rehabilitation centers.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Coury last week denied requests by The Republic and other local news media to obtain information about COVID-19 in Arizona nursing homes. Coury ruled that Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration, which hired two private law firms to fight the news organizations’ lawsuit, could keep the information secret, saying the state’s privacy laws trump Arizona’s Public Records law.

Reach reporter Caitlin McGlade at [email protected] or 602-444-0582. Follow her on Twitter @caitmcglade. 

Reach reporter Anne Ryman at [email protected] or 602-444-8072. Follow her on Twitter @anneryman

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