On September 16, 2016, the Cleveland Plain Dealer published this op-ed by PLF Executive Director Christian John Lillis and Board member Dr. Julie Reagan

One myth of the globalized market is that place doesn’t matter. Distance learning and the gig economy depend more on Internet connections than work sites or the human touch.

Such notions go out the window at nursing homes. Even when managed by large corporate chains, they are intrinsically local.

Like hospitals, nursing homes can be hot zones for the deadliest infection in our health care system, Clostridium difficile, or C. diff.

But unlike hospitals, nursing homes do not have to report cases and fatalities tied to C. diff infections, or CDIs. That needs to change. Doing so will overcome a tragic flaw in state laws, including Ohio’s, that ignore the importance of place in measuring, treating, and preventing diseases at nursing homes.

Making data on CDIs at each nursing home available to the public will allow consumers to choose facilities more wisely and reward the places with healthier, safer conditions.  Read the full article on the Plain Dealer website.