COVID-19 UPDATE #221
January 14, 2022
WASHINGTON STATE ANNOUNCES SNF STAFFING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
In a Dear Provider Letter issued this afternoon, DSHS announced that beginning Februarya1, 2022, it will contract with nursing facilities statewide through Junea30, 2022, to establish dedicated units to admit acute hospital patients through Junea30, 2022. The Department will contract in blocks of at least 30 beds. However, it is willing to consider contracting with facilities with fewer than 30 beds if needed to reach the desired statewide capacity. The goal of establishing these units is to create additional bed capacity of approximately 240 to expedite transition of patients from acute care settings to a skilled nursing setting where they can receive appropriate care to support their rehabilitation and post-acute care needs.

If you are a nursing home operator and interested in contracting to provide a Hospital Admission Capacity Unit or building, or have contract or programmatic questions regarding the Hospital Capacity Admission Units, please contact Julie Cope at Julie.Cope@dshs.wa.gov or Stephanie VanPelt at Stephanie.VanPelt@dshs.wa.gov. 
 
The Department will take compliance history into account in considering applicants. To expedite transitions, individuals transitioning to these specialty units will not be assessed by HCS prior to admission; the department will ensure that assessment and transition planning is done in the SNF upon admission, to facilitate timely transition to the community as agreed to by the resident.
 
For the last week, WHCA has been involved in providing the Department with information and insights about potential barriers relevant to this program. The biggest barrier continues to be the local health jurisdictions and their continued closure of facilities to new admissions. We have received assurances that DOH and the Governor are addressing this issue with the LHJs this afternoon. 
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY EXTENDED FOR AN ADDITIONAL 90 DAYS
The federal public health emergency (PHE) was renewed today by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, extending the PHE for an additional 90 days. Without today's action, the PHE would have expired on January 16. This is the fourth extension of the PHE since it was first ordered by then-HHS Secretary Alex Azar in January 2020.

The PHE provides additional flexibility for health care providers, such as telehealth services and other waivers. It is expected that the PHE will be renewed for additional 90-day periods as needed. There are several legislative proposals under consideration to permanently extend, through statute, some of the flexibilities that are available through the PHE so they will still be in place when the PHE is allowed to lapse, and today's extension will allow lawmakers to review these proposals.

The full order is as follows:
Renewal of Determination That A Public Health Emergency Exists
As a result of the continued consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, on this date and after consultation with public health officials as necessary, I, Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services, pursuant to the authority vested in me under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, do hereby renew, effective January 16, 2022, the January 31, 2020, determination by former Secretary Alex M. Azar II, that he previously renewed on April 21, 2020, July 23, 2020, October 2, 2020, and January 7, 2021, and that I renewed on April 15, 2021, July 20, 2021, and October 18, 2021 that a public health emergency exists and has existed since January 27, 2020, nationwide.
WEBINAR: IMPLEMENTING THE CMS VACCINE MANDATE
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) is hosting a members-only webinar to review the CMS Interim Final Rule's nationwide implementation. The webinar will take place on January 18, 2022, at 2 PM PST. The panelists will review implementation deadlines, which employees are covered, required recordkeeping, and other aspects of implementing the Interim Final Rule. Register now.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
WHCA continues to post resources and information as it becomes available on our website. If you have questions or need additional information, please call the WHCA office at (800) 562-6170.