June 15, 2022
KHCA/KCAL is committed to providing our members with important updates. Below is a list of the most recent information. Please visit our website for a list of complete updates. www.khca.org/covid-19-resources
The Latest News
Stay Current on Resident and Staff COVID-19 Vaccinations

​​As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise throughout the country, it’s important that long term care facilities and communities encourage staff and residents to stay up to date on their vaccination status. The CDC defines up to date as having received all doses in the primary series and all boosters recommended, when eligible. Most recently, people over 50 are recommended to receive a second booster of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least four months after their first booster. READ MORE
Hiring ‘handcuffs’ would come off under new measure to end CNA training lockouts 

There’s nothing the long-term care industry needs more right now than to get more people into its workforce. A new proposal that modifies nurse aide training lockouts is just what the sector needs, some providers believe. 

“Anything to allow us to get more people into our workforce will certainly be beneficial in our industry,” said Nate Glendening, administrator at Prairie Wind Villa Assisted Living and Phillips County Retirement Center in Phillipsburg, KS. “[This] seems like something that is going to allow people to get into our industry easier than the way it has been with these lockouts.” READ MORE
Senators Reintroduce Bill Improving Nursing Home Vetting, Training Options

McKnight’s Senior Living (6/15, Steele Gaivin) reports Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) have reintroduced the Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act, a bill "designed to help nursing homes improve their vetting and training of caregivers to help ensure resident safety." The bill would let nursing homes access the National Practitioner Data Bank, which American Health Care Association President and CEO Mark Parkinson says will help "ensure our nation’s seniors receive high-quality care delivered by highly-trained and dedicated caregivers," and would cut "regulations that bar some nursing homes from conducting training programs for in-house certified nursing assistants for two years after deficiencies such as poor conditions or patient safety violations are discovered." Parkinson added, "in the midst of a historic labor crisis, we need solutions like the Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act to help nursing homes vet and train crucially needed caregivers." 
In Case You Missed It
Three Bills Look To Address Health Care Worker Shortage

McKnight’s Long-Term Care News (6/14, Brown) reports three recently introduced House bills "are designed to bring more workers into the health care industry amid a severe workforce shortage." The Immigrants in Nursing and Allied Health Act "would create a grant program to help cover the costs of licensing, certification, training and education provided to immigrants looking to work in health care;" the Medical Graduate Assistance Act "would incentivize states to create temporary licensing programs for internationally educated immigrants with medical degrees;" and the Professional’s Access to Health (PATH) Workforce Integration Act "would provide training and counseling opportunities to internationally trained health professionals that are US citizens and immigrants legally residing in the country." The article adds that providers attending the American Health Care Association event in Washington, DC "last week said they needed some way to address disparities in education and allow foreign providers to get licensed in the US more quickly if they earned degrees in another country." 
THIS FRIDAY! QAPI for Assisted Living - Lunch and Learn - In Person

Topeka, KS
6/17/2022 12:00PM-4:00PM

Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) is not just for skilled nursing facilities; in fact it is used in many industries and can be used in assisted living (AL). Assisted Living providers must think of quality improvement holistically and how improving quality can drastically improve your business.

By operationalizing business systems, you can drive quality. These systems should support quality AND acceptable business practices. In this lunch and learn, attendees will learn how they can use QAPI and performance improvement projects (PIP) to improve quality in your Assisted Living or Home Plus. 

This work shop will be a hands-on session, sharing QAPI templates and walking through them to understand implementation. Attendees will also learn how to implement a PIP by going through examples of PIPs. Learn about best practices for these quality improvement practices, including barriers to implementation and how to address them so you can start or continue your quality journey.
Members Only Nurse Advisory Call & Facility Standards Call

We will not have our Nurse Advisory and Facility Standards call as normally scheduled this month. We hope you are joining us in Manhattan at the Nurse Leadership Conference instead! Below you can still find the latest survey findings from Linda Farrar.
Education Spotlight
Virtual Adult Care Home Operators Course

July 6 - July 19, 2022

This hybrid course is designed to provide you with everything necessary to earn a certificate as an Adult Care Home Operator in the State of Kansas. The class is based on the principles of assisted living as outlined in the KDADS regulation manual and is taught by a variety of presenters that are currently working in the field. The course will be facilitated by Joan Hudson, KCAL Clinical Consultant and Polly Berkley, VP of Operations and Education for KHCA/KCAL. This course provides knowledge and insight on the rules, regulations and responsibilities governing the operation of a state licensed only adult care home. The course fee includes a minimum of 45 hours of instruction, electronic program handout materials (to print if you wish) and a printed Operators manual which will be mailed to the address that you provide when you register. The KDADS registration fee is not included in the fee for this course.
Upcoming Education
Webinar: The Proficient Infection Preventionist Series: Competency in Multidrug Resistant Organisms (MDRO) for the Infection Preventionist

6/21/2022 1:30PM-2:30PM
Webinar: MDS Mastermind Series: Surmounting Survey and Audit Preparedness

6/22/2022 1:30PM-2:30PM
FREE Webinar (1.0 CE): Candida auris outbreaks in LTC Communities

6/23/2022 2:00PM-3:00PM
Virtual Adult Care Home Operators Course

7/6/2022 - 7/19/2022
Assisted Living FCS, NSA and HSP Lunch and Learn

Topeka, KS
7/15/2022 12:00PM-4:00PM
Kansas Health Care Association and the Kansas Center for Assisted Living
1100 SW Gage Blvd. | PO Box 4770 | Topeka, KS 66604
PH: 785-267-6003 FAX: 785-267-0833