HFAM Update
Waypoint: An endpoint of the leg of a course; a stopping place on a journey.
In healthcare delivery, policy, funding, and reform, there are many critical waypoints. In the quality care you provide to Marylanders in need during the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, I see currently these connected legs on the journey:
- Today, the FDA and the CDC paused the use of the J&J vaccine. While this pause puts a wrench vaccine outreach logistics in Maryland throughout the nation, the Moderna and Pfizer supplies are increasing; we MUST stay the course.
- With new strains of the COVID-19 virus and increasing cases in the community-at-large, we will see increases in skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers and assisted living campuses. We all must remain diligent on infectious disease protocols and double our efforts to increase our healthcare heroes' vaccine uptake in our sector and all healthcare.
- Increasing vaccine uptake and reducing hesitancy among frontline heroes is a CRITICAL waypoint unto itself. None of us, workers, businesses, individuals, families, or communities arrive at our desired destination of normalcy without increased vaccination participation among workers. Vaccination is the key to visitation, family activities at home, hanging with friends inside, and taking that long dreamed of trip.
In the coming week, let us together get people talking,
peer-to-peer, about the promise of vaccination and not the problems.
Your vaccine, your freedom.
AS ALWAYS:
- People first, quality counts.
- Be prepared to deploy people and PPE around your organization.
- Our sector MUST double our efforts on infectious disease protocol, staffing, and PPE.
- Train, train, and train teams again on infectious disease protocol.
- Recognize that COVID-19 fatigue is an issue across the county, not just in our sector.
- Overcommunicate with residents, patients, families, staff, and government partners.
- Sound alarms early.
- Work with your hospital partners, and coordinate with local and state regulatory partners.
- 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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ICYMI: HFAM Legislative Wrap-Up
Click here to see our 2021 Maryland legislative session recap.
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With Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Paused, the Long Term Care Industry Urges Federal Officials to Prioritize Residents, Staff for Other Approved Vaccines
The news today of federal officials calling for a pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has left nursing homes and assisted living communities questioning how they will acquire COVID-19 vaccines for their residents and staff. Long term care industry officials are calling on the Biden Administration to promptly allocate Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to these settings in order to fill the gap caused by the Johnson & Johnson pause.
“Unfortunately, today’s development essentially halts vaccinations in long term care, as the federal government was primarily allocating the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to nursing homes and assisted living communities,” said Dr. David Gifford, chief medical officer for the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). “Without swift action to replace these vaccines, we could see tragic consequences. We appreciate federal and state officials ensuring our most vulnerable and their caregivers have steady and rapid access to vaccines.”
Long term care facilities are working with long term care pharmacies to facilitate vaccinations for new and existing residents and staff, but as attention shifts to vaccinating more of the general population, vaccines for long term care are not always readily available. Last month, AHCA/NCAL sent letters to White House Senior Advisor Andy Slavitt, White House Senior Policy Advisor for COVID-19 Equity Dr. Cameron Webb and the National Governors Association, requesting that long term care residents and staff remain a priority for the vaccines as the next phase of distribution begins. The federal government had begun to allocate primarily Johnson & Johnson vaccines to the long term care population, but not at the levels necessary to ensure all facilities and pharmacies had consistent and immediate access.
“There is this notion among some that vaccines were administered in long term care, so we’re done, and that would be a perilous mistake,” said Dr. David Gifford. “Nursing homes and assisted living communities have a constant flow of new residents, whether coming from the hospital or the community, and many of them haven’t been vaccinated yet. Long term care facilities also have new staff members and existing staff who have since decided to get vaccinated. We need federal and state public health officials to continue to prioritize long term care for vaccine allocations and other support for the foreseeable future and until this virus is eradicated.”
Beyond new residents and staff members, the long term care industry is also working diligently to address vaccine hesitancy. AHCA/NCAL launched the #GetVaccinated campaign to help residents, staff and families make an informed decision about getting the COVID vaccine and, with LeadingAge, has a nationwide goal of getting 75 percent of all nursing home staff vaccinated by June 30, 2021. With increasing vaccine confidence among staff, long term care providers remain confident that we can meet this goal as long as access to the vaccines remains viable.
Public health officials must continue to prioritize long term care for vaccines, so we can protect our most vulnerable citizens and their heroic caregivers.
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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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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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