Congresswoman Claudia Tenney hosted a press conference on June 30, 2021 to call for Congress to pass the Essential Caregivers Act. The Act would amend the Social Security Act to create an Essential Caregiver Program that grants residents in long-term care facilities the right to designate two essential caregivers to be permitted access to the resident. This is largely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, where facilities were forced to enter lockdowns and restrict access to their essential caregivers. In the event of a future public health emergency, the Act would prevent that access from being cut off again. While an essential caregiver would still have to follow health standards such as testing, social distancing, or PPE use, they would be permitted to provide care such as emotional support and companionship, and assist with necessary activities of daily living. According to a press release on Tenney’s website, “the bipartisan bill is co-led by Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01), and cosponsored by Reps. John Rutherford (FL-04), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Yvette Herrell (NM-02), Madison Cawthorn (NC-11), Abigail Spanberger (VA-07), Ted Budd (NC-13), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), and Steve Cohen (TN-09).”
To learn more about the Essential Caregivers Act, view the whole press release below: