COVID-19 UPDATE #206
November 18, 2021
HOLIDAY VISITATION IN LONG TERM CARE
The holidays are approaching and the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA) wants to be sure you have the information you need related to visitation and communal dining in long term care settings during the holidays.

For the health and safety of all residents and clients, you must follow the requirements in the Safe Start Plan applicable to your setting type (links provided below). The Safe Start Plans include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health (DOH) guidance related to wearing face masks in congregate settings.

According to DOH guidance, all people in congregate settings must wear face masks. CDC guidance requires masks be worn in areas of substantial or high transmission. This includes congregate care settings such as long term care facilities and homes.

Following these requirements to wear face masks means there can be no visitors allowed in communal dining in long term care settings, even in resident rooms, at this time. However, residents are not restricted from leaving the facility or home to spend time with family and friends during the holidays. Should residents choose to do this, providers must follow their applicable Safe Start Plan related to residents taking trips outside the facility or home. This includes completing a risk assessment of the resident prior to and after returning from an offsite visit.

ALTSA thanks you for your continued commitment to resident health and safety. If you have any questions, please send an email to the RCSPolicy@dshs.wa.gov.
CMS AND CDC TO HOST NATIONAL NURSING HOME STAKEHOLDER CALL | NOVEMBER 23, 2021
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will host a National Nursing Home Stakeholder call on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, at 11 AM PST. During the call, subject matter experts will provide an overview of recently released guidance and address trending questions. Please register in advance for this call.
WORKFORCE CRISIS STATE DEPARTMENT LETTER FROM LTC COALITION
On November 10, 2021, a letter was sent to the U.S. Department of State from a long term care (LTC) coalition, led by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), focused on the workforce crisis, and offering solutions to the Department to help address the crisis. AHCA/NCAL has heard from providers that the immigrant visa processing is incredibly backlogged due to COVID-19 and reduced staffing at U.S. embassies and consulates, and many of the health care professionals with offers from U.S. LTC facilities with approved immigrant petitions have been waiting for many months, in some cases more than a year, for a visa interview appointment.

In the letter, the coalition urges the Department of State to swiftly take a variety of measures to expedite the interview process so international nurses can enter the U.S. and help LTC providers provide quality care for the most vulnerable Americans. 
ADDITIONAL COVID-SPECIFIC STAFFING HELP MAY BE AVAILABLE
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to offer support to hospitals and other healthcare partners, including skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities. This includes access to the ACI contract for clinical staffing for 60 days with a 30-day extension potential, or April 1, 2022, whichever comes first. This is different than the DSHS supported strike teams that are still being made available. The DOH program is funded through FEMA and is limited to work related to direct COVID patient care. Any use of these DOH resources for other clinical support in a healthcare setting will be subject to cost reimbursement from the hospital or healthcare facility, not DOH. 

Access to federal resource support can be requested at any time through local emergency management channels to DOH. Department of Defense resources cannot be requested directly as the state to federal resource requesting process is for a capability not an agency, team, or group. A FEMA Fact Sheet providing information on this resource is available here.

DOH continues to look for other options and support local mutual aid and contracted resource processes with the understanding that current surge issues in hospitals and other healthcare settings are not necessarily COVID-related, which limits funding and resources. The overall resource pool is very small and competitive. Although DOH continues to communicate with the National Guard about their availability to support COVID missions, the decision to make National Guard soldiers available is at the will of The Adjutant General (TAG) of the WA Military Department, not DOH.
bttn PROVIDES COVID-19 TESTING SUPPLY RESOURCE
During the COVID-19 pandemic, WHCA collaborated with other associations serving healthcare professionals in a variety of settings to secure an alternative source for PPE and other medical supplies that were difficult to procure. A supplier, bttn, provided an alternative resource for several different items, and they continue to provide resources to long term care and other healthcare professionals.

We have been notified that if any providers are in need of testing supplies, bttn can help! They have restocked COVID-19 tests that can be ordered right away. They also have critical supplies you might need in preparation for the busy holiday season. On their website, you will find the following:
 
Additionally, if your organization has BD Veritor cartridges or CUE Health cartridges, you will be pleased to know they have added compatible analyzers for those tests as well.
AHCA RELEASES NEW DOCUMENTARY | CLOSED DOORS, OPEN HEARTS: NURSING HOMES AND COVID-19
The American Health Care Association has released its new, short documentary titled, “Closed Doors, Open Hearts: Nursing Homes and COVID-19.”

The film was produced by the Association in 2021 to bring public attention to the many challenges for long term care residents and families, as well as the heroes that fought to keep residents safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It provides an intimate look at the day-to-day reality of the COVID-19 pandemic in two long term care facilities. Ararat Nursing Facility is a non-profit organization founded in 1949 that operates three residential care and nursing facilities on two campuses in Los Angeles and serves as a cultural center for the Armenian community. The Edgewood Centre is a family-owned, 150-bed senior care and rehab facility in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with the mission to provide resident-driven care.
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.