HFAM Update
Friends:
The Home Health Agency (HHA) Chapter of the State Health Plan (COMAR 10.24.16) regulates the development and expansion of HHA services based on the determination by the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) that consumers need a choice of high-quality HHA providers. The Maryland Health Care Commission is planning an update of that chapter. MHCC staff’s recommendations for performance-related qualifications by HHA CON applicant type are proposed in the public notice Expanding Opportunities for Delivery of Quality Home Health Agency Services in Maryland, which has been posted on the MHCC website.
Individual HFAM members may wish to review what is proposed via the request for public comment. I would urge HFAM members to confer with Howard Sollins at Baker Donelson on what is proposed and regarding offering comments to the MHCC. HFAM will likely consult with Howard on behalf of the Association. We will keep the Executive Committee and Board of Directors informed as we proceed. This is the first step in the State Plan Update process, which we went through right before the pandemic on SNF CON/Change of Ownership.
COVID-19:
Our sector went a month without a single new COVID-19 case in a patient or resident and without a COVID-19 patient transfer from a setting hospital. Outbreaks, primarily among staff, remain low in terms of the number of cases and the number of centers impacted. That said, this is NOT the time to let our guard down on infectious disease protocols or in peer-to-peer outreach on vaccination. Here are some key points:
- We are all concerned about the Delta Variant and breakthrough cases of vaccinated individuals.
- There will be an August surge.
- Given the trend of the virus over the last year, we are worried about future COVID-19 variants this fall.
- There will come a time for vaccination boosters, perhaps to coincide with the traditional flu vaccination season this fall – now is the time to prepare.
As Always:
- Focus on what is in your control and not what is out of your control.
- Overcommunicate.
- Adapt and innovate.
- Rely on your partnerships.
- Speak up when you need help.
- Double efforts on infectious disease protocols, training, and operations.
- Take and document your action; keep a timeline.
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CLICK HERE for the Dr. Katz Video, and please see the Donning and Doffing Checklist we have been sharing
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Joe DeMattos
President and CEO
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Upcoming Webinar: How to Boost Your Staff Vaccination Rates
This webinar will also involve a Q&A session to allow attendees to share their challenges and seek insight from the speakers. Through both evidence-based research and real-world stories of success, this webinar will provide you with helpful tools and knowledge to improve your staff vaccination rates.
LTC communities have been working tirelessly to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence among their staff, but data from the CDC show that approximately only 59% are fully vaccinated. With the new delta variant quickly spreading in the United States, it is more important than ever to increase staff vaccination rates.
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Reminder: Vaccination Reporting
Earlier this week, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) issued this media release identifying the top, lowest, and non-reporting skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers concerning staff vaccination rates. Please note that these numbers have always been publicly available via the Maryland Department of Aging portal.
We encourage all to continue with their timely reporting of vaccination rates. And more importantly, we appreciate everyone’s efforts to promote vaccination and to meet people where they are to overcome vaccination hesitancy. We understand all that you and your teams have been doing to increase vaccination rates among staff. Along with AHCA/NCAL, we will continue to support you by sharing resources, information, and tools that can help increase vaccination rates. While it is a challenge, it is critical that together we keep our focus on education efforts.
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CDC Updates Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals
The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) announced updated guidance for fully vaccinated individuals today. This policy is aimed at preventing transmission levels of the highly communicable and now predominant Delta variant. The CDC has released additional information in its Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report.
As of now, CDC guidance for long term care has not changed. However, this new guidance does impact staff outside of work, and we encourage you to educate your staff on this new guidance, the impact of the Delta variant, and the importance of getting vaccinated to prevent further spread.
As the Delta variant continues to spread, it will impact testing frequency and other infection control practices. Please double down on your efforts to follow CDC infection control guidance.
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Nursing Home Media Toolkit
Check out the new Nursing Home Media Toolkit from the Maryland Department of Health. The password to access the materials is Vaccine2021.
Please use the materials in this media toolkit to spread the word about vaccination with staff.
You'll find flyers, ads, social media posts, videos, and posters.
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Last Call! SNF After-Action Report
The Berkeley Group has been retained by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) to produce an accurate, short, yet detailed COVID-19 pandemic after-action report. Skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers must lend our learnings, insights, expertise, frustrations, and recommendations to this report; Maryland hospitals will be doing the same. HFAM and other sector leaders are assisting in outreach to providers to collect information needed to compile this report.
Each skilled nursing and rehabilitation center is asked to complete this questionnaire to document activities during the pandemic, identify areas of opportunity, and make recommendations regarding actions the State can take to prepare for a future event. Completing this questionnaire may require centers to reach out to relevant stakeholders and team members to ensure thorough responses. Frankly, let us provide feedback from assisted living campuses as well, which is also critical.
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Reminder: Board of Nursing Renewals
As we have shared many times, Governor Hogan extended the medical licensure renewal deadline to August 15, 2021. This deadline is now quickly approaching. It is critical that your teams file as soon as possible for licensure renewal.
On this front, HFAM has been working with the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and the Maryland Board of Nursing (MBON) to assist with these licensure renewals. With this information, MDH/MBON will be able to assist with potential issues and communicate more effectively. If you have not yet shared this information with us, please fill out this spreadsheet as soon as possible and return to hmorris@hfam.org If you have this information in another format (such a word document, PDF, different excel sheet, etc.), you can send that instead.
Temporary Nursing Assistants
The Maryland Board of Nursing plans to honor the federal state of emergency and CMS waiver allowing emergency temporary nursing assistants to practice in Maryland for up to 120 days after the federal emergency ends So, if the federal emergency and the CMS waiver were to end on 12/31/2021, emergency GNAs could practice 120 days into 2022.
All of this said, as HFAM has been updating over the last several weeks, we encourage individuals in your center who have been working as temporary nursing assistants to enroll ASAP in a permanent full training program and pass the GNA certification exam to remain on the job long-term. We HIGHLY recommend such enrollment now. Many of our members have directly or contract with such programs, and our Maryland Community Colleges are a tremendous resource. Email Patty DeGrasse on our team if you need guidance on GNA training programs.
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Project Firstline
We are partnering with the Maryland Department of Health and Health Quality Innovators (HQI) to let you know about a new free infection prevention learning initiative from the CDC called Project Firstline. Project Firstline aims to spread infection control learning opportunities to front line workers in the healthcare field, even those without a clinical background.
Project Firstline’s CDC-developed training and engagement opportunities include short, accessible training videos, virtual interactive events, and telementoring to ensure every worker in every healthcare setting is empowered with the science and reasoning behind essential infection control practices, and can confidently apply those practices to protect themselves, their facility, their family, and their community.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Lynne Layug (llayug@hqi.solutions) at HQI.
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The 2021 HFAM Conference “Together We Re-Imagine” will be held in person October 4 – 7, 2021 at the Maryland Live Hotel and Casino in Hanover, Maryland. Hundreds of long-term care leaders will connect, share best practices and discuss actionable insights on how we can reflect, reform, rebuild, and revolutionize quality care. You and your teams will not want to miss this opportunity as we come together again.
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Thank you to our current sponsors! |
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Plus, Visit our Sponsors and Supporters in the
Brand New "Solutions Lounge"
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COVID-19 Resources
What you need to know.
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#Get Vaccinated
With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the AHCA/NCAL Get Vaccinated campaign now has a dedicated website –getvaccinated.us – to help educate and encourage caregivers and staff at long-term care facilities to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The website includes credible information from medical professionals, public health officials, and scientists to help answer common questions about the vaccines among staff members and other individuals.
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Did you miss an update?
Visit our website to view all previous HFAM alerts, as well as guidance
from our federal and state partners.
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