During their Wednesday press conference, Governor Holcomb and ISDH Commissioner Dr. Box were questioned about the letter sent by Democratic members of the Senate Health Committee, which asked the governor to collect and release COVID-19 data for individual long-term care centers.

Neither the governor nor Dr. Box agreed to release this data even as nearly 48 percent of all COVID-19 deaths are attributed to these long-term health facilities.

State Senator Jean Breaux (D-Indianapolis), Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Health Committee, issued the following statement in response to the questions about releasing this data:

“Unfortunately, I still don’t have a response from either the governor or Dr. Box with regard to the requests stated in our letter. I also have yet to see a concise answer to an important question that constituents are asking: Consumers need to know the conditions that exist within long-term care facilities and nursing homes, so how are they supposed to find the information and answers to these concerns?

“Contrary to what we have been told in public press events, there is no coordinated or standardized method used by all facilities in order to collect and report this data. This is what my constituents are pleading for.

“Both the governor and Dr. Box have the authority to require the collection and reporting of individual long-term care facility data. I truly believe it’s their duty to do so during this public health crisis.”