Thursday, July 2, 2020
Information and Resources for WALA Members
DHS Guidance for Safer Visits in Assisted Living Facilities
I n general, all assisted living facilities should continue to restrict visitors and nonessential health care personnel. Facilities should notify potential visitors of the need to defer visitation until further notice (through  signage , calls, letters, etc.). COVID-19 is a serious viral infection and, based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 (HHS, 2020). This increases the need for vigilance in avoiding the introduction and transmission of COVID-19 into congregate living settings, such as assisted living facilities.

Additional  guidance to assisted living facilities regarding safer visits  for residents has been developed for facilities with no known or suspected COVID-19 cases. The guidance includes preventative measures to reduce the chances of the introduction of COVID-19 into the facility, while mitigating the unintentional consequences of social isolation from family and loved ones. For purposes of this document, facilities include community-based residential facilities, licensed adult family homes, and residential care apartment complexes.

Assisted living facilities will need to determine whether they can follow these guidelines to ensure they can provide safer visitations. Due to PPE availability, staffing patterns, and facility lay-out and/or location, every facility may not be able to meet the guidance requirements necessary to offer all of the safer visit options, nor will the options available at each facility necessarily be available at all times.
REMINDER:
PPE Request Process for Long-Term Care Providers Caring for COVID-19 Positive Individuals
In order to support long term care providers  who are caring for COVID-19 positive individuals , the State Emergency Operations Center has developed a process for requesting resources from the strategic national stockpile.

The following providers are eligible to request PPE from the process:
  • Any entity licensed by DQA as a residential facility
  • All licensed or certified AFHs
  • Home Health, Personal Care, and Supportive Home Care Providers caring for a COVID-19 positive patient in the patient's home
  • Participant hired providers caring for a COVID-19 positive patient in the patient's home (applies to Medicaid Long Term Care Programs)
  • Adult Protective Services providers responding to a home with a COVID-19 positive person in their home

This process is only intended to be used when a provider has exhausted all attempts to secure PPE from other local sources.

In order to request PPE, eligible providers must complete  this form  and submit to their county emergency manager.   Please remember that you must have an individual in your facility that has tested positive for COVID-19 to qualify.

Once received, the county emergency manager will determine whether the request can be filled at the local level. If the request cannot be filled locally, the county emergency manager will submit the request to the State Emergency Operations Center.
Additional details regarding when the provider can expect to be contacted, and how soon the provider may receive the resources are by clicking the link below.
WHA Post-Acute Webinar
WHA is hosting a post-acute webinar event this year in lieu of an in-person conference. 

The event, “Post-acute transitions in a pandemic: How COVID-19 disrupts hospital discharge strategy” will be held on Thursday, August 6 from 10:30 am to 12:00 noon CDT. 
 
Jared Landis, Executive Director over the Advisory Board’s post-acute research practice, will be presenting.
 
There is no charge to attend the webinar. 
Governor's Task Force on Caregiving
Holds Public Hearing
Members Asked to Submit Comments Supporting Provider-Helpful Recommendations
On Monday, June 29th, the Governor’s Task Force on Caregiving listened to public comments on the Task Force’s 16 preliminary recommendations to address the paid and unpaid caregiver crisis. A link to each of the preliminary recommendations can be found below.
 
As you may recall, Mike Pochowski, CEO of WALA is a member of this Task Force.
 
The items of particular interest to the assisted living community include recommendations to: Impose a Medical Loss Ratio to limit MCO overhead expenses to 15% of the capitation rate; Create Family Care rate bands (fee schedule); and Increase funding for the Direct Care Workforce Funding program.
 
WALA strongly encourages members to offer comments supporting the provider-related items discussed above by Tuesday, July 14th . Your comments should be brief, and you can submit comments here .
 
Final action on each of the 16 preliminary recommendations will be made by the Task Force on September 10, 2020.
 
Here are the links to each of the 16 preliminary recommendations (again, we especially hope you will submit comments on the first three):
 
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