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AHCA Documentary: “Closed Doors, Open Hearts: Nursing Homes and COVID-19”

The American Health Care Association has released its new, short documentary titled, “Closed Doors, Open Hearts: Nursing Homes and COVID-19.”  

The film was produced by the Association in 2021 to bring public attention to the many challenges for long term care residents and families, as well as the heroes that fought to keep residents safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It provides an intimate look at the day-to-day reality of the COVID-19 pandemic in two long term care facilities. Ararat Nursing Facility is a non-profit organization founded in 1949 that operates three residential care and nursing facilities on two campuses in Los Angeles and serves as a cultural center for the Armenian community. The Edgewood Centre is a family-owned, 150-bed senior care and rehab facility in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with the mission to provide resident-driven care.

These two providers are different in many ways – from geography to the sheer facility size – but they shared many of the same experiences throughout the course of the pandemic. Despite repeated requests for assistance, long term care residents and staff were not made a priority by public health agencies. Like many providers across the country, Ararat and Edgewood were forced to cope with inadequate and delayed access to testing and a national shortage of personal protective equipment. Yet, facing incredible obstacles, staff continued to care for residents when they were needed most.

“Closed Doors, Open Hearts: Nursing Homes and COVID-19” has a running time of approximately 26 minutes and can be viewed here



You are encouraged to watch the film and share it with residents, families, staff, the community, and local media. AHCA has developed a toolkit to help with media outreach, social media sharing, potential screenings/events, and other communications efforts.

This film is an important part of helping others from outside the profession understand what long term care has truly experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued support that is necessary. Please reach out to AHCA with any questions.

Staff contact: ngrosso@mehca.org