Street view of the Life Care Center of Kirkland building, ground zero of the coronavirus outbreak in Kirkland.
With its exponential impact on the elderly, the coronavirus outbreak has hit nursing homes particularly hard. In the state of Washington, for example, 29 residents of Life Care Center of Kirkland near Seattle, Washington, died after a COVID-19 outbreak at the nursing home. So far, families of those who have died or gotten sick from COVID-19 at nursing homes have not filed lawsuits. But, on March 9, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued guidance related to the novel coronavirus, putting nursing homes on notice, said Michael Brusca, a partner at Davis & Brusca in Princeton, New Jersey, and a member of the American Association for Justice.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
