As Governor Inslee’s team moves three counties back to Phase 2 due to increased infection activity, it is imperative to revisit how this impacts long term care. The state’s Healthy Washington phases are focused solely on the greater community, outside of long term care. Long term care has its own Safe Start Plan (skilled nursing and assisted living), outside and apart from the Governor’s phased plan.
All three counties that the Governor rolled back to Phase 2 – Cowlitz, Pierce, and Whitman – are situated in Phase 1 in our long term care Safe Start Plan and so this move will not affect long term care buildings in those counties. If you have questions, please contact Elena Madrid or Vicki McNealley.
CMS AND CDC UPCOMING NURSING HOME STAKEHOLDER CALL
On Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at 1:00 PM PST skilled nursing providers are invited to join the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call. Please register in advance for this Zoom call.
During the call, CMC and CDC leaders will cover the following:
Vaccine Updates and Recommendation to Pause Use of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine
Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care (LTC) Program updates
Long-term Care Emergency Regulatory Waivers Issued in Response to COVID-19
Community Champions
RCS REIMPLEMENTATION WEBINAR AND RESOURCES NOW POSTED
If you missed the RCS Reimplementation Webinar, a recording is now available, along with links to related resources, at the top of the RCS Provider pages under Announcements.
NWHRN HOSTS SURVEY OF LTC FACILITIES
To ensure a continued understanding of the current state of healthcare and to support ongoing planning efforts to mitigate the impacts of COVID on healthcare facilities and in support of the Governor's Proclamation 20-24.1 "Reducing Restrictions on, and Safe Expansion of, Non-Urgent Medical and Dental Procedures," The Northwest Healthcare Response Network (NWHRN) is monitoring the on-going status of healthcare facilities. In support of this, we are requesting that long term care facilities complete one survey per facility. The COVID-19 Healthcare Operational Capability Survey provides information on your healthcare facility operating conditions for space, staff, and supplies. This survey is designed for western Washington counties that are part of NWHCRN. Please complete one survey per facility, by Tuesday, April 20.
If you have any questions, please contact the NWHRN Duty Officer at HECC@nwhrn.orgor at (425)988-2897.
DOH PROVIDES RESOURCES TO ADDRESS VACCINE HESITANCY
The Department of Health (DOH) has published a flyer that can be utilized to address vaccine hesitancy. This valuable resource can be helpful when trying to share information and resources with staff, residents, family members, or others who inquire about the COVID-19 vaccine.
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.
