265 Church Street, 14th Floor
New Haven, CT 06510
Phone: 203-687-4422
Fax: 475-202-6844
This edition is packed with very important information and resources.
 Please read through it carefully.
Dear CMG Members,

Essential updates for 1.21.21:
COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Updates from DPH:

Connecticut continues in Phase 1b of the state-wide COVID-19 vaccine roll-out. 

Currently Scheduling:
  • Individuals 75 years of and older

Individuals 75 and older can schedule directly through a provider ready for public vaccine distribution to eligible residents (YNHH, HHC, UCONN), online through the Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS), or on the phone by calling the CT COVID Vaccine Appointment Assist Line. Click here for details on all of these options.

Scheduling Next (likely in February):
  • Individuals between the ages of 65 and 74

Scheduling information coming soon:
  • Front line essential workers (view additional information here)
  • Those with an underlying medical condition with increased risk for severe illness
  • Individuals and staff in congregate settings (view additional information here)

For more information, visit the CT Vaccination Portal.

Update from Hartford Healthcare (HHC):

Patients can get scheduled for a vaccine online through HHC, online through MyChartPlus, or through the HHC call center (view call information here)

Update from YNHH:

Patients can schedule online directly here whether they have a MyChart account or not. If they do not have a MyChart account they can register as a guest or set one up.

CMG created COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Sheets to hand out to your patients:
COVID-19 Vaccination Sites Scheduled to Open
Vaccination sites scheduled to open on Thursday, Jan. 21:
  • Northeast Medical Group (NEMG), 4A Devine St., North Haven.
  • NEMG, 112 Quarry Rd., Trumbull.
  • NEMG, 501 Kings Highway East, #204, Fairfield.
  • NEMG, 500 West Putnam Ave., Greenwich.
  • NEMG, 633 Middlesex Ave., Old Saybrook.
  • NEMG, 194 Howard St., New London.

The following Health System vaccination sites that are operating in partnership with Yale University will open on Friday, Jan. 22:
  • Yale West Campus, 100 West Campus Drive, Bldg. 410, Orange.
  • The Lanman Center at Yale University, 74 Ashman St., Lot 78, New Haven.

Vaccination sites scheduled to open on Monday, Jan. 25:
  • Floyd Little Field House, 480 Sherman Pwy., New Haven.
  • Parsons Center, 70 West River St., Milford.
  • The Brunswick School, 1252 King St., Samson Field House, Greenwich.
  • Mitchell College, De Biasi Drive, New London.

Hartford HealthCare also announced the opening of four new clinics:
  • MidState Medical Center.
  • Southington.
  • Mystic.
  • Torrington State Armory.

Information line 2-1-1 has 50 new people they have brought on to help with the phone scheduling for eligible persons over 75 years of age.
COVID-Testing Update
LapCorp's increased testing capacity. LabCorp has the availability for PCR and AB testing with a 1-2 day turnaround time. They have also introduced a "Respiratory Profile," which consists of COVID-19 PCR, RSV, and Flu A&B with one non-invasive nasal swab. Read more information on the "Respiratory Profile" here. Some cautions to be aware of:
  • If just a COVID PCR test is ordered and resulted as negative, do not order the combo profile as it results in redundant COVID testing. 
  • As of now, the CARES Act does not cover RSV or Flu testing.

Labcorp offers At Home COVID-19 PCR test collection service. View the flyer for this service here. If interested, providers can contact their Labcorp account representative. 
Paycheck Protection Program Reopened January 11, 2021
Additional funding has been allocated for a new round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding. The US Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the U.S. Treasury Department, reopened the PPP for First Draw PPP Loans the week of January 11, 2021. SBA began accepting applications for Second Draw PPP Loans on January 13, 2021. For a high-level overview of PPP First Draw Loans, click here, and for Second Draw Loans, click here and here.

Organizations may be eligible whether or not they received prior funding. There are some restrictions on the new funding.

Below are some helpful links on the reopened PPP loans:
  • For information and details, including comprehensive program rules, click here and here.
  • For a full FAQ on the renewed program, click here.
  • For a link to a 45-minute virtual webinar hosted on Zoom and Facebook Live by the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, click here (scroll to the end of the New Haven Independent article for the video link).
Handling COVID-19 Employee Vaccinations, Updated Leave Entitlements & Addressing Violations of COVID-19 Protocols- Webinar
This webinar hosted by Garfunkel Wild, PC will address how best to respond to new types of employee questions and issues that arise given the COVID-19 vaccine. Below are just a few types of questions that will be addressed:
  • Can we mandate the vaccination of our employees?
  • What are the recent changes to applicable COVID-19 leave laws?
  • How can we address violations of employer’s COVID-related workplace policies?

If you are interested, you can register for the webinar here.
HHS Amends the Provider Relief Reporting Timeline
HHS has amended the Provider Relief Fund reporting timeline to give those who received over $10,000 in payments more time to attest how they used the funds.

HHS had previously anticipated opening the Provider Relief Fund reporting portal by Jan. 15, 2021, with the first deadline for submissions on Feb. 15, 2021, for providers who received Provider Relief Fund payments exceeding $10,000 in aggregate. According to the announcement, HHS did not yet establish a new deadline for Provider Relief Fund reporting on coronavirus-related expenses and losses. Click here and here for more information.
Weekly CDC and DPH Update
Please see today's summary from the CDC and DPH here. 
Information you may have missed:
Telemedicine
(Note: This excel sheet is a large file and updated regularly. It may be helpful to download and save the file to your desktop for quick access.)

*This document was last updated on January 14, 2021.
COVID-19 resources and links
Stay safe. Be well. God bless.

Best,

Joseph L. Quaranta, MD

Joseph L. Quaranta, MD
President, Community Medical Group