April 06, 2020

Monday, April 6, 2020

Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Monday, April 6 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are aware many members have questions about nurse aides. Tomorrow’s alert will include a dedicated Q&A on the changes that permit an expanded work force functioning as nurse aides. Stay tuned.

Clarification: Hospice Staff OK, ODH Guidance Limits visitors for Hospice Patients

This weekend’s edition of the LeadingAge Ohio COVID-19 report included an article titled, “ODH Restricts Hospice Visitation to Imminent Death.” The article caused confusion and upset among LeadingAge Ohio members, who interpreted this restriction as applying to hospice staff. 

The restrictions put in place over the weekend pertain to family visitation of hospice patients, and not to hospice staff. We apologize for the confusion this caused, and encourage members to reach out to Anne Shelley, Director of Regulatory Affairs for Home Health and Hospice at ashelley@leadingageohio.org, for further clarification.

LeadingAge Ohio Gives Thanks to Frontline Caregivers

The sacrifice and hard work of the frontline staff and all who support vulnerable Ohioans is not lost upon our staff at LeadingAge Ohio. We wanted to send a message of thanks out to all caregivers on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In case you missed it: Lt. Governor Husted recently gave caregivers a big shoutout in one of the Administration's daily press conferences. Governor DeWine and Director of Health Dr. Amy Acton have also echoed this thanks repeatedly. 

Executive Order Expands Telehealth for Social Workers, Counselors

On Saturday, Governor DeWine signed an executive order which will allow an emergency rule filed by the Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage & Family Therapist Board which will allow these services to be delivered via telehealth. The order is an expansion of the previous telehealth order and specifically proscribes changes to Ohio Administrative Code 4757-5-13.

ODH Provides Guidance on Cloth Masks

On Saturday, the Ohio Department of Health issued guidance on the use of washable, handmade cloth masks. The guidance indicated that the masks are suitable for everyday use by Ohioans, and encouraged Ohioans to use them instead of medical-grade masks, including N95s and procedure masks, which should be given to healthcare workers. The guidance references CDC guidance on both sewn and no-sew face masks.

New LeadingAge Resources

LeadingAge staff experts are developing essential guidance and tools, and curating the most relevant resources for aging services providers.

Below are some new resources shared from LeadingAge:

Ohio Statistics: 4,043 Cases, 119 Deaths

As of this morning, the Ohio Department of Health confirmed there were 4,043 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 1,104 hospitalizations, and 119 deaths as a result of the pandemic.

More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard.

Questions

Please send all questions to COVID19@leadingageohio.org. Additionally, members are encouraged to visit the LeadingAge Ohio COVID-19 Working Group facebook group to pose questions to peers and share best practices.