It is vitally important you keep up with the testing being provided by the State through August 15. Per the most recent Amended Nursing Home Order and Amended Assisted Living Order, both SNFs and ALs (note: ALs with 50 or more beds) must establish testing arrangements with laboratories and provide plans for continued weekly staff testing to the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) for approval by August 14. Alternatively, each center may submit a clinically rigorous alternative testing regiment for review and approval by MDH. As a reminder, centers may email ongoing testing plans to [email protected].

Per the August 3 letter from MDH, the department has negotiated a discounted price with the University of Maryland Pathology Associates (UMPA) lab for COVID-19 specimen processing for nursing homes. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, please email [email protected]

Centers may use this State-provided resource, or another resource of their choosing after August 15. Again, all centers must submit evidence that they have secured COVID-19 testing capacity and/or submit alternative testing plans no later than August 14.

Association Partnership with DML and Aeon. In order to assist with minimizing the cost and shortening testing turnaround times, the Associations have partnered with two regional labs in the State - Diamond Medical Labs in Baltimore County and Aeon in Allegany County.  Because knowing test results quickly is critical, Diamond and Aeon’s turn-around time for test results is just 24 - 48 hours. Both labs are CLIA accredited and Maryland certified, and both build on experience and a proven track record of delivering reliable results quickly. Additional tests, such as those to identify COVID-19 antibodies, are also available. Working to keep the price per test at the barest minimum without sacrificing quality or results time, Diamond and Aeon labs are offering a discounted price of $75 per test to those facilities who mention LifeSpan, HFAM, or LeadingAge Maryland. For more information on how your facility can utilize the labs under this partnership, please contact [email protected].

Capital Diagnostics. Located in Laurel, MD, Capital Diagnostics is a CLIA certified high-complexity lab that is currently doing PCR COVID testing. They can process nasal and oral samples and have plenty of testing capacity. Capital Diagnostics can provide results in 24 hours and can provide same day pick up which allows same-day results in urgent situations. Patients can register at an online portal and get results electronically. Please email [email protected] for more information.

Eurofins. To learn more, please see this advance copy of an ad that is set to appear in Provider Magazine. For more information and if you have questions, contact Karen Gerwitz, Business Development Director, Eurofins at 716-206-9874 or [email protected].

AMS Onsite. Please see our  press release on HFAM Associate Member AMS Onsite for key messages on testing and workforce. For more information and contact information, click here.

First Call Medical Center.   Please contact Dr. Ron Elfenbein to discuss the testing process and figure out which option works best for your center. Dr. Elfenbein can be reached via email at  [email protected]  or via phone at 410-507-9698 (please leave a message if no answer).

Diamond Medical Labs, located in Owings Mills, has the capacity to do in-residence test collection for seniors during the COVID-19 outbreak so that they do not have to go out. In addition, Diamond Labs is now offering staff testing, as well as patient testing, with a 24 hours turnaround. Contact Andy Diamond at   [email protected] or   443-992-2782 if there is demand at your center or if you would like additional information.

Cian Diagnostics. Click here for more information.

The Maryland Department of Health Laboratory.    Click here    for more information.

MAXIMUS.   If you are interested in setting up a coronavirus testing program, please contact Leonard Lucchi [email protected]  or 410-280-2203.

Avellino. In March of this year, the FDA granted Avellino Lab USA, Inc. an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the AvellinoCoV2 molecular test. If you are looking to perform COVID-19 testing for your employees, staff, patients, or more, please read this message from Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Eric Bernabei. In addition, please see fact sheet one and fact sheet two.

Yesterday, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) released a revised healthcare matters order and notice to SNFs and ALs. In addition, they shared a CRISP "how-to" guide.

Late Friday evening, HHS shared decisions relating to the additional $5 billion in COVID-19 relief funds set aside for skilled nursing facilities. HHS announced this funding on July 22 and we recently learned more details about the plans for distributing funds. Every member will receive more funds and every member has the opportunity to receive critical additional money in the coming months.

While some of the important details are not final yet, AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson explains what we do know about the distribution and additional steps we must take in this memo.

Last week, the Maryland Department of Health held a webinar call to update the long-term care sector on COVID-19 developments and best practices. The call was recorded, in case you were unable to join or would like to review the topics discussed, which included:

You can also view the webinar's PowerPoint presentation here.

AHCA/NCAL is conducting an online survey of skilled nursing, assisted living and ID/DD members for information on the financial impact of COVID-19. Information from this survey will help AHCA/NCAL address questions from policymakers and advocate for ongoing resources to the profession. 

Thank you for taking a few minutes of your time and completing the survey by Monday, August 10. 

CMS Clarifies National COVID-19 Training for Additional Funding: CMS again stated that this training is not yet available. The CMS/CDC COVID-19 Training requirement for the Provider Relief Fund program is a separate, online training which will be in the format of an on-demand module that will be released in the near future (potentially September). Read More

Click here to learn more or f or additional information, questions, or product assistance, contact your Medline sales representative or call 1-800-Medline. We appreciate all the Medline is doing - they are a vital resource for us all!

LowersRiskGroup has a wide variety of COVID-19 PPE products available including masks, respirators, gloves, goggles, thermometers, gowns, and rapid test kits. Click here to see the full catalogue of products.

Daleda, LLC. Here is information about the two styles of gowns available. Quantities and availability change daily.

If you are interested learning more or ordering gowns, please contact Robert Mishkin at 914-473-1150 or by email at [email protected].

Sparx Hockey, inventor of the revolutionary Sparx Skate Sharpener, has announced it will begin manufacturing protective face shields to assist the medical community in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.  The company expects to produce approximately 10,000-15,000 face shields a week and is currently taking orders via its website at  www.sparxhockey.com/safetygear. The Sparx Protective Face Shield is intended for single use only and should only be used with medically approved masks.  Cost $59.00 for a pack of 10.

Eurotard Dancewear  has begun production of face masks. The factory closed its regular production due to the coronavirus and began production of PPE immediately. 

For more information on the reusable face mask, please   click here . Note that the pricing shown on the website is consumer retail pricing. Bulk orders for PPEs will be invoiced at wholesale pricing for your facility. 

Contact Jan Swan at 513-235-7019 or  [email protected]

Contact Scott Edwards, Innovative Marketing Services, phone 410-340-1113 or via email at   [email protected]

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has designed and licensed a manufacturer to produce  disposable face shields  in high volume. These face shields do not replace the need for face masks such as N95s but do offer splash protection and can extend the useful life of N95 respirators and surgical masks. 

Long term care facilities facing shortages of face masks and other PPE should continue efforts to obtain N95s and other PPE, even if they order the MIT face shields. The face shields cost $348.75 for a box of 125 ($2.79 each). Learn more and access their order form at mitshield.com   .

IronMark.  In an effort to support the thousands of healthcare, medical staff and essential business workers in protecting themselves in this critical time, IronMark has leveraged their existing manufacturer relationships to source and make available PPE supplies and gear. Ironmark is committed to making these much needed supplies available to you, to protect the teams of heroes on, and supporting, the front line.

Please contact Larry Davis for additional information on  Gowns,  Masks, Shields, and Goggles. 

Hatch Exhibits in Elkridge, MD   is working with supply chain personnel at several local medical facilities in the Baltimore/Washington area as well as facilities in Michigan. Hatch is currently filling orders on a first-come, first-served basis for overnight or next day delivery. Please contact Tracy McCormick at    [email protected]    for additional information or to place an order.

Crooked Monkey has gloves, alcohol wipes, gowns, masks, and face shields available. Visit https://www.crookedmonkey.com/ to learn more. Or contact Micha Weinblatt at 202-540-0818 or [email protected]

Azpen/Richwoods Technology Inc. See this PPE Presentation as well as KN95 Mask inventory. Please contact Jim Hu at [email protected] or 214-212-6838 with questions or for more information. Or visit www.azpenpc.com.

We encourage you to review with your teams the appropriate way to apply and remove all PPE, including gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection. Performing observations yourself can be helpful to prepare staff for surveyor observation and to quickly correct any practices needing improvement.  Please see this new donning and doffing checklist.