HFAM Update
Friends:
COVID-19 vaccines saves lives and Monoclonal Antibody Treatment, while not a substitute for vaccination, can significantly improve clinical outcomes for people... please read on.
Thank you for all you are doing as we enter this Delta variant surge. To quote my good friend Dr. Howard Haft, Maryland Department of Health Executive Director of the Maryland Primary Care program, “In epidemiolocal terms, this is our fifth round fighting COVID-19 and we are doing all we can together to knock it out!”
In the coming weeks, we will see an increase in the number of outbreaks in the community-at-large and in all healthcare settings, including skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers and assisted living campuses. As we’ve known and have been sharing since the earliest days of this pandemic, skilled nursing rehabilitation centers are caring for people with multiple pre-existing conditions who face significant medical challenges even without the threat of COVID-19.
Sadly, in our setting and across all communities, COVID-19 hits harder and is more deadly among people with pre-existing conditions. So, for the first time in a while, we will see COVID-19 related deaths in the coming weeks. Together we will mourn every life lost and we will celebrate every life saved. As a result of the compassionate and quality care that you and your teams provide, many more lives will be saved than lost.
Thankfully, both the vaccine and monoclonal antibody treatments save lives. With the recent experience of the United Kingdom and their Delta surge, we should see far fewer deaths than in previous surges.
Staffing in all settings remains a challenge. I know staffing is especially hard in our sector, and I so appreciate you all! We are entering a troubling and challenging time in the current surge as we see more Delta variant and breakthrough cases. Vaccination remains the single best tool to fight the COVID-19 virus and prevent hospitalization and death. I am proud of our sector’s work together on vaccination. On average, 88 percent of nursing home residents and patients in Maryland are vaccinated and 79 percent of staff are vaccinated. With the MD State vaccination mandate, those numbers will improve.
Next week we celebrate two significant holidays. Frankly, I think in healthcare, every day is Labor Day. The holiday this coming Monday provides all of us an opportunity to share an extra thank you, smile, fist bump, or words of engagement to all of our brother and sister colleagues who bring caring hearts and professional hands to those cared for in our sector. Happy Labor Day!
And, for those like my family and me who celebrate Rosh Hashanah, we wish you and your families at home, work, and in the community a sweet, happy, and healthy new year filled with peace, love, and laughter – Shanah Tovah, 5782!
IMPORTANT, Monoclonal Antibody new EUA:
- Regeneron can be used for post-exposure prophylaxis for unvaccinated persons at high risk and for those who have been vaccinated but not expected to have mounted an adequate immune response, even with the vaccine.
- Regeneron may be administered subcutaneously when IV infusion is not available in a timely manner.
- Regeneron can be ordered directly through the supplier - AmerisourceBergen
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Here is a link to administration information https://www.regencov.com/hcp/dosing/dosing-administration
Healthcare Workforce Crisis – Visa Immigration Prioritization Request to State Department:
AHCA/NCAL led a Coalition effort and recently sent a letter to the U.S. State Department with several other long-term organizations that noted the visa restrictions put in place because of COVID have significantly worsened our staffing crisis. The Immigrant Visa Prioritization update, issued by the State Department on April 30, placed nurses and other skilled healthcare professionals in the lowest priority tier for the visa authorization process for entry into the United States. This categorization is causing significant delays of entry into the United States for a desperately needed population of foreign-trained immigrant health care workers and nurses. It was noted in the email to the State Department that, in light of the influx of refugees from Afghanistan, that AHCA would be interested in identifying employment opportunities at our centers for those refugees who would be interested in working in them. If the Department were to amend the Immigrant Visa Prioritization update and prioritize the entry of foreign-trained nurses and health care workers into the United States, we could significantly accelerate the timeline under which these health care professionals could enter the United States. In the letter, the Coalition also offered to meet with the State Department to discuss the current workforce crisis we are facing.
Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department made an announcement that is a positive first step. Embassies and the National Visa Center (NVC) have been instructed to consider the visa applications on an expedited basis for individuals who are going to be employed for health care positions that will work on pandemic response. Along with AHCA, we hope that this new guidance will make embassies more inclined to grant expedited visas for our employees.
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE):
The Maryland Department of Health recently announced a new opportunity for PACE organizations to apply to operate in new service areas in Maryland. This 2021 Maryland Pace Expansion solicitation will select new providers to serve the Baltimore and DC Metro regions. The Department may also consider applications for rural PACE sites. The pre-application will be held via Google Meet on September 20, 2021 from 1:00-2:00. To join the meeting, please use the following link: https://meet.google.com/gjv-hdrs-apk. To dial in, please call: +1 617-675-4444 (PIN: 491-687-693-4107#).
As Always:
- Focus on what is in your control and not what is out of your control.
- Overcommunicate – with residents, patients, families, staff, and government partners.
- 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.
