In a Dear Provider letter dated December 17, 2021, Residential Care Services (RCS) explains that they continue to reimplement licensing inspection schedules as well as conduct onsite investigations. RCS staff has reported occasional denial of entrance to long term care facilities if they do not show proof of vaccination. The letter provides a list of the rules for each provider type that require long term care facilities to allow RCS staff access during inspections and investigations:

The letter also explains that RCS staff are required to enter homes and facilities to complete investigations and inspections and are subject to the same vaccine requirements in Governor’s Proclamation 21.14.1 as long term care workers. As the employer, RCS has verified the vaccine status of each staff member. The staff are also offered the opportunity to test regularly before entering homes and facilities. RCS staff are not required to show proof of vaccination prior to entering a long term care facility, nor are they required to complete the facility based COVID testing prior to entering the building.

RCS staff will wear all appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and follow all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for infection prevention. The RCS staff will work with you on ways to minimize contact and limit exposure as much as possible during the survey, inspection, or evaluation process. Policies that impose time limits or restrict hours do not apply to the RCS staff conducting surveys, inspections, or evaluations as these may interfere with the process.

The Department of Health (DOH) has announced that free fit testing services will be offered to facilities that register on the DOH website prior to December 31, 2021. This means that if you haven’t already signed up for this FREE service from the DOH, you must sign up before the end of this calendar year. Now is the time to take advantage of the services DOH is offering for your caregivers that care for residents/clients in isolation or quarantine – FREE medical evaluation and fit testing for respirator use. This offer will expire at the end of 2021.

Providing your workforce with respiratory protection (N95) against respiratory hazards, such as the virus that causes COVID-19, is a safety standard regulated and enforced by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). L&I will begin enforcing the requirement of annual fit testing on January 1, 2022. This means, for example, if your employees were fit tested on December 15, 2020, they will need to be fit tested again before December 15, 2021. If they are not, your facility may be cited on January 1, 2022, for not providing annual fit testing. If you have questions, you can email them to HAI-FitTest@doh.wa.gov.

You are invited to join a Town Hall featuring HHS Official Admiral Rachel Levine on Tuesday, December 21, at 1 PM PST. Click here for the webinar link.

On Tuesday, December 21, at 1:00 PM PST, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), LeadingAge and the AARP will co-host a town hall featuring Admiral Rachel L. Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to answer questions about the Omicron variant, boosters, and why we need to step up the timeline to get the booster. Read more.  

In a letter from Seattle & King County Public Health, all King County long term care facilities are encouraged to increase staff testing through the end of January 2022 to support early identification and isolation of COVID-19 cases. The letter explains with the increase of COVID-19 Omicron variant now circulating in our community, public health is working to identify ways to reduce the risk to staff and residents in long term care facilities. Public Health is available to offer support and resources as needed. Seattle & King County Public Health can be reached through its Public Health Information Call Center 206-477-3977 or by email at LTCFCOVIDSupport@kingcounty.gov.

Operation Expanded Testing is a no cost COVID-19 testing program federally funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD). The regional contractor PerkinElmer provides supplies of self-swab PCR tests and implementation support for routine testing in schools, underserved/vulnerable communities, and congregate settings. The program services includes delivery of test kits, processing of tests at their labs, and a built-in system for reporting test results.

To qualify for this program, the HHS has defined high SVI as 0.5 or higher. The SVI of the region your organization is in can be ascertained by zooming in to your local county or zip code, or by typing your organization’s address into The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI): Interactive Map | CDC, hitting enter, and then left clicking on the map. A black box will pop up with the region’s SVI index. If it is 0.5 or higher, your institution is qualified. Organizations can apply and find more information about the program at Home - Lets End This Together.

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.