Coronavirus Update #56
National Healthcare Decisions Day, Resources, Ethics Consultations
National Healthcare Decisions Day — April 16

National Healthcare Decisions Day exists to inspire, educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.

The Conversation Project has been continuing to put together new COVID-19 specific resources to help you, your loved ones and your communities during this difficult time. We encourage you to check out this  new COVID-19 specific conversation guide.  
Additional resources to help you and your teams:

  • This blog post by Joanne Lynne about what long term care and assisted living facilities should be doing now to prepare for a surge of COVID-19 deaths.

  • Healthcare professionals can learn more about the Maryland MOLST form HERE.






Ethics Consultations Available

Our partners at the Maryland Health Care Ethics Committee Network (MHECN) are available for a webinar or call to discuss the ethical issues that are coming up as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to play out in Maryland. As you know, it is important to:

  • Have conversations with residents and families about their end-of-life wishes now before someone becomes ill. 

  • Ensure residents’ advance directives, MOLST, and other documents are all up to date with current documented wishes, and physician orders are consistent with these wishes.

It is expected that hospital surges across the country will exceed the capacity to transfer nursing homes and assisted living communities' residents with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Discussing with residents and families now as to how they want to be cared for in place in the nursing home or assisted living community will be helpful to inform how to best meet their wishes, in advance of the anticipated continued spread of COVID-19, and its increased strain on the health care system.

Should you have questions or concerns about these difficult but important topics, or would like to share what you are doing, please contact Anita J. Tarzian, PhD, RN via email at [email protected] or by phone at (410) 706-1126.
Artificial Life Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic

These are hard times for of us. While we are well prepared to meet the challenge, we want to share a few important reminders about critical issues for those with COVID-19. Most people will do well, but some are getting so sick that they need a breathing machine/ventilator.

It is important to start talking with residents, patients, and families now about what to do should a resident or patient get sick with COVID-19. This is important because hospitals and skilled nursing facilities are not allowing visitors.  

AHCA/NCAL - Thank You

We wanted to again reflect and appreciate the diligent and tireless work of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). Governor Mark Parkinson and his team have been proactively doing all they can to advocate, communicate, and influence critical federal regulatory changes and secure essential federal funding for our sector's fight against COVID-19. 

While we are working day and night here in Maryland, they are also doing so in Washington DC to get your frontline teams the resources they need and to tell our story in the media. We specifically want to thank Clif Porter and his team, whom we are in touch with often and strategically.  Finally, on the national front we are certain that we will receive important and welcome resource updates today or tomorrow.    Thank you AHCA/NCAL – we are stronger together!
Did you miss HFAM's previous alerts?

Visit our website to view all previous HFAM alerts, as well as guidance
from our federal and state partners.
Thank you.

We cannot thank you enough for the dedication and diligence in doing all that you can for the residents in your communities. HFAM continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic with our state and national partners and will do all we can to support you during this time.