“Infection rates are continuing to decline while more and more people across the North Country are getting vaccinated, especially residents of nursing homes where the vaccination rate has reached 87%. With that in mind, the Department of Health needs to provide clear guidance to nursing homes that allows more visitation. Too many people have been separated from their loved ones over the past year and continue to struggle to navigate inconsistent visitation guidelines so that they can finally be reunited. The state legislature recently passed legislation that would allow for more compassionate care visitation at nursing homes and residential health care facilities, while the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released guidance for nursing homes that would allow more people to visit nursing homes. I am calling on DOH to apply this guidance statewide because it is time for people to be reunited with their loved ones. Families and residents deserve clear guidelines from DOH, and nursing homes need to make visitation as accessible as possible.”