The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that they have changed the metrics used to determine personal and community COVID-19 prevention measures based on community spread. It is important to note that this change does not apply in health care settings because the consequences of spread and risk of triggering outbreaks is greater. 

The CDC continues to recommend that health care settings, including nursing homes and assisted living communities, and visitors follow infection prevention and control practices to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Health care settings should continue to follow CDC’s infection prevention and control recommendations for health care settings, which continues to use community transmission levels as a metric for stratifying some infection prevention and control measures (e.g., use of source control, screening, testing). Read more.

Known by most businesses as form 300A, the digital Injury Tracking Application for 2021 is due to OSHA by March 2, 2022. Not all businesses are required to submit the data. See which businesses need to provide the data and access the application. Learn more about injury and illness recordkeeping and the OSHA 300 form on L&I's Workplace Fatalities & Injuries page.

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Puget Sound Chapter have joined together to support Infection Preventionist work in Nursing Homes. The support comes in the form of a scheduled call on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 11:00 a.m. This call is specific to Nursing Home IP staff. The call includes microlearning and a questions and answer session to discuss challenges and share solutions with novice and experienced IP. This call is intended to help the NH IP understand and meet regulatory standards related to infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship. Please see the informational flyer for information on how to join ipCHAT. Thank you for all of the work that you do every day under difficult circumstances. Please make time in your schedule to join ipCHAT and receive professional IP support and information. 

In a Dear Administrator letter dated February 25, 2022, assisted living providers are informed the department filed emergency rules (WSR 22-06-042) on February 24, 2022, to extend the timelines in WAC 388-78A-2100 for completing ongoing assessments for residents whose care is state funded. On January 18, the department sent a letter to notify providers that Home and Community Services (HCS) will extend some Medicaid clients’ annual residential CARE reassessments for up to one year. The emergency rules also allow these assessments to be extended for up to one year, starting on January 18. Emergency rules are effective for 120 days unless repealed, or the department may file an extension as needed. At this time, these rules are scheduled to expire on June 24, 2022. Assisted living providers must still continue updating facility-based assessments as outlined in WAC.

The letter also states assessments are still required when there is a significant change to a resident’s condition, and HCS continues to conduct those assessments. Negotiated care plans or negotiated service agreements must continue to be updated as needed according to the schedules in WAC 388-78A-2150. Questions about this matter can be emailed to the RCS Policy Unit.

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.