COVID-19 UPDATE #195
October 7, 2021
LTC SAFE START GUIDANCE UPDATE
The Department of Health (DOH) recently hosted webinars to provide guidance on upcoming changes to the LTC Safe Start Plan. The updated Safe Start Plans are now effective and posted online. The slides from the webinars provide insight and information on expected updates. The DOH will be creating a FAQ document to address questions asked at the webinars hosted on this topic.

In addition to the webinar slides, DOH is offering other resources to help providers:
PANDEMIC WORKFORCE WOES? WASHINGTON'S HEALTH WORKFORCE SENTINEL NETWORK CAN HELP
Do you have enough health care workers with the skills you and your patients need? How has the pandemic’s resurgence impacted your ability to provide health care in your corner of the state? Your feedback is invited in this survey hosted by the Sentinel Network. It will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Your feedback is critical and confidential. Details you provide, including recruitment challenges, are confidential so you can share freely and securely. Don’t let your health workforce needs go unaddressed in the upcoming legislative session.

Washington's Health Workforce Sentinel Network: Making a Difference
Washington’s health care providers are able to quickly and regularly communicate their needs through this simple, online questionnaire. Information is collected twice a year and pushed out to key policymakers, educators, and other stakeholders.

Policymakers are paying attention to your input. The WA Health Workforce Sentinel Network is funded by the Legislature, and it’s clear policy makers are paying attention to this tool. For example, information provided by you helped the state craft regulatory changes to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and invest in promising workforce pathways. As the pandemic continues, let policy makers know what workforce challenges you are facing now.

See what other Sentinels are saying at the findings dashboard, in policy briefs, and COVID-19 findings pages. If you have questions about the Sentinel Network, please email healthworkforce@wasentinelnetwork.org or call (206) 543-9797.
NURSING COMMISSION STATEMENT ON COVID-19 MISINFORMATION
The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission supports Federation of State Medical Boards’ statement released on July 29, 2021, regarding COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.

“Physicians who generate and spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation or disinformation are risking disciplinary action by state medical boards, including the suspension or revocation of their medical license. Due to their specialized knowledge and training, licensed physicians possess a high degree of public trust and therefore have a powerful platform in society, whether they recognize it or not. They also have an ethical and professional responsibility to practice medicine in the best interests of their patients and must share information that is factual, scientifically grounded and consensus-driven for the betterment of public health. Spreading inaccurate COVID-19 vaccine information contradicts that responsibility, threatens to further erode public trust in the medical profession and puts all patients at risk.”

The NCQAC expands this statement to include nurses in Washington State and does not limit this perspective to vaccines but broadly applies this standard to all misinformation regarding COVID-19 treatments and preventive measures such as masking. Nurses who generate and spread COVID-19 misinformation, or disinformation, erode the public trust in the nursing profession and endanger patients.

With vaccination mandates by the Governor and others in Washington, the NCQAC will review any complaints received regarding nurses (LPNs, RNs, or ARNPs) granting exemptions to vaccination or masks that are not based in established science or verifiable fact. A practitioner who grants a mask or other exemption without conducting an appropriate prior exam and without a finding of a legitimate medical reason supporting such an exemption within the standard of care, may be subjecting their license to disciplinary action.

The NCQAC bases masking and vaccination safety on expert recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). Get the Nursing Commission's full statement on COVID-19 misinformation.
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.