“This funding critically helps health care providers who have endured demanding workloads and significant financial strains amidst the pandemic,” United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “The funding will be distributed with an eye towards equity, to ensure providers who serve our most vulnerable communities will receive the support they need.” Read full article.

Argentum shared a memo with providers across the country today in which they state, "We have confirmed that assisted living facilities are included in the definition of “provider” for phase 4 relief, but we are continuing to seek clarification on the specific distribution criteria. Argentum has been calling on the Biden administration for months to release additional funds and to ensure funds are targeted and equitable for senior living providers." Read full memo.

The Department of Health (DOH) has provided a document containing strategies to mitigate health care worker staffing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. At times of COVID-19 surge, health care facilities may experience health care worker shortages due to employee illness, exclusion from work due to high risk exposure, the need to care for ill family members, fear of illness, and health care worker burnout. Maintaining appropriate staffing in health care facilities is essential to providing a safe work environment for health care personnel (HCP) and safe patient care.

Yesterday, the Biden Administration announced they will issue a regulation in early October mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for all Medicare and Medicaid health settings including hospitals, home health, and dialysis centers. This would require COVID-19 vaccinations for over 17 million health care workers at Medicare and Medicaid participating hospitals and other health care settings. We believe that this mandate would apply to assisted living settings that accept Medicaid and will level the playing field to dissuade caregivers from transferring to jobs in other settings. 

This is a victory for long term care providers, our staff, and residents. The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) team has been working to convey the challenges that a mandate for only long term care staff would create. Following last month’s announcement requiring only nursing homes to mandate staff vaccination, AHCA/NCAL members sent in approximately 4,000 letters to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expressing concerns with a mandate for only nursing homes. 

AHCA/NCAL is asking all providers to complete a 10-minute survey to gauge how the industry is faring since June 2021. Providers will be asked about several topics, including staffing, COVID-19 vaccine mandates and finances. You may download a copy of the questionnaire if you wish to gather the necessary information before filling it out online. 

Your participation will help AHCA/NCAL advocate for resources and common-sense regulations for the profession. Please complete the survey by the end of the day on Friday, September 10. Take the survey.

The Health and Human Services (HHS) program that distributes Abbott BinaxNOW tests to skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities continues, currently with no set end date. As a reminder, BinaxNOW allocations are based on CMS estimates of staffing and county positivity rates and allocation quantities. These allocations are intended to supplement existing testing activities for staff, and cannot be adjusted by request. Facilities/communities must have an active CLIA waiver to receive shipments. Facilities should be storing unused tests for continued use until their expiration date. If you have a surplus of unneeded tests, or are in need of additional tests, you can also submit your information to the Testing Supply Exchange. 

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) hosted a webinar on Best Practices for Vaccine Mandates. Randy Bury from the Good Samaritan Society, Jim Tabek from Genesis Healthcare, and Dr. Priti Jindal from Five Star Senior Living joined AHCA/NCAL's CEO Mark Parkinson and CMO David Gifford to talk about their experiences with implementing staff vaccine mandates. The recording is available to all AHCA/NCAL members. Click here to access the recording.

The Department of Health (DOH) Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Section invites you to join experts on Monday, September 20, from 1:30 - 2:30 PM for a webinar on COVID-19 Infection Prevention for Memory Care. Presenters will discuss the recently released guidance “COVID–19 Infection Prevention Best Practices for Memory Care Units” and have an extended Q&A with infection preventionists. To register for the webinar, click here.

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.