07/22/2020

Today's COVID-19 Report: Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Wednesday, July 22 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

House Speaker Arrested in Corruption Case that Rocks Ohio Statehouse

The Ohio Statehouse was rocked yesterday as Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four associates were arrested on charges of racketeering in the largest bribery/money laundering case in Ohio history. The "pay to play" bribery scheme dealt primarily with the election of Householder as Ohio House Speaker in 2019 and the passage of House Bill 6 in the same year. House Bill 6 enacted a $1.3 billion public bailout of FirstEnergy Solutions, which operates the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear power plants in Ohio. 

Householder, aide Jeff Longstreth, and lobbyists Neil Clark, Matt Borges, and Juan Cespedes were all charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, each facing up to 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. According to U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio David DeVillers, over $60M was funneled into a network of bank accounts, as well as the the 501(c)(4) Generation Now, to boost Householder's efforts to win the Speaker's gavel and then allow him to pass and maintain House Bill 6.  According to the affidavit, twenty-one members of the Ohio House received support that originated from First Energy/ Generation Now, all of whom later voted to elect Householder Speaker, and all but one of whom went on to vote for House Bill 6.   

The investigation is ongoing, and it is yet uncertain how this will impact the legislative efforts that are underway or the upcoming election season. Despite calls to step down from the Governor and fellow lawmakers, Speaker Householder has not resigned his position. Meanwhile, critical priorities related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic remain unresolved, including HB 606 which is direly needed to provide protection from civil liability for healthcare providers, businesses and other employers.

Preliminary hearings for Householder and his "Enterprise" are set for early August. LeadingAge Ohio will continue to share relevant news on this developing story. Cleveland.com's Jeremy Pelzer provided a detailed overview in an article yesterday.

Feedback Needed: Testing Delays

As Ohio nears the close of its first round of testing for nursing facility staff, LeadingAge Ohio is hearing increasing concerns around delayed testing results, with some facilities receiving results weeks later. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has made it clear that testing for Ohio’s nursing homes should be prioritized ahead of other tests, including those for elective procedures and pop-up sites.  

LeadingAge Ohio asks members who experience delays to send those concerns to the COVID-19 mailbox noting whether the testing was part of the National Guard testing or testing done separate from the ONG initiative, what lab they are working with, and details related to the delays (number of tests outstanding, number of days delayed).

ODH Health Alert on Updated CDC COVID Guidance

As reported on Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated guidance for duration of isolation and precautions for COVID-19. The updated CDC guidance regarding the duration of isolation and precautions for individuals with COVID-19 is outlined in an attached health alert from the Ohio Department of Health.

CARES Act Provider Relief Funds Reporting 

Last night HHS released a document regarding reporting requirements for CARES Act Provider Relief Funds.  Some particular items of importance:

• Requires reporting by any entity receiving $10,000 or more.  The previous threshold was $150,000 in funding.
• Removes quarterly reporting and now calls for a report to be filed for the period ended December 31, 2020 by February 15, 2021.
• Appears to confirm that providers will be able to use these funds at least through December 31, 2020 and possibly into 2021 as it allows for a second report to be filed by July 31, 2021
• Detailed reporting requirements will be released by August 17, 2020

While this release provides limited information, it is good news as providers await additional information on reporting to be released in the coming month.  As a reminder, CliftonLarsonAllen has created an expense tracking tool to assist fund recipients in staying compliant. 

Palmetto GBA RCD Monthly Provider Meetings

Palmetto GBA will host the Monthly Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) Provider meetings in a webinar format (ON24). The advantage of conducting the RCD meetings in this format will allow for a formal presentation, to include an agenda and links to any relevant information and updates that are forthcoming.

ON24 includes a visual and audio component allowing participants to ask questions via the chat box. Members of the RCD Team will answer questions in the chat box and/or read the questions aloud and provide a response. Participants will need to register for each webinar at least 15 minutes prior to its start.  Each webinar session will be held from 11 am to 12 pm, with the first in the series to be held August 5.  To view and register for all of the monthly RCD provider meetings for 2020 click here.

Housing Call Highlights Reopening Guidance and HUD Funding Update

This morning’s Housing Happenings call highlighted state reopening efforts across the country as Dee Pekruhn, LeadingAge’s Director of Life Plan Communities Services & Policy, focused on state guidelines on masks, schools and travel, food service, group gatherings and visitation. Dee emphasized the importance of engaging resident leaders to model effective mask utilization.  She also encouraged equipping staff with effective ways to communicate with residents who resist mask usage.  LeadingAge provided a summary of common state recommendations focused on four areas: 1) resident preparation; 2) visitor preparation; 3) space preparation; and 4) staff preparation.  The commitment of staff time to facilitate visits remains a key concern of providers across the country.  As summer travel plans are reviewed with staff and residents, the CDC has issued helpful guidance on preparing for and returning from travel.  As a reminder, a LeadingAge Ohio task force created Traveling and Social Gathering Risk Mitigation tools that members can customize for their own use.

Juliana Bilowich, LeadingAge’s Director of Housing Operations and Policy, provided two important updates from HUD.  In the next few weeks HUD will be issuing a detailed listing of the COVID-related expenses the soon-to-be-released funds can be used to cover.  Also, if providers haven’t received notification of their 2020 Service Coordinator grant extension, HUD has indicated the next phase of CARES Act funding will cover these extensions.    

A complete summary of the weekly housing calls can be found on the LeadingAge Ohio COVID Hub. Based on member feedback, Housing Happenings calls will continue every Wednesday morning at 9AM. Call details and registration information can be found on the LeadingAge Ohio website.

Free Series on COVID-19 Best Practices in Nursing Homes 

The Green House Project and Project Echo (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) are offering a series of webinars aimed at identifying and sharing COVID-19 lessons learned in the preparedness, management, and treatment of the novel coronavirus in nursing homes. 

The COVID-19 Best Practices in Nursing Home tele-ECHO will meet twice-monthly to examine topics that range from acquisition of PPE and medication management to reopening guidance and end-of-life decision making amid COVID.  All sessions are free of charge to long-term care providers, thanks to a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  Practitioners and providers are able to meet via video in real time to share information regarding specific topics.  Subject experts will discuss the subject matter, provide a case study, and facilitate discussion.  Participants learn, share and gain knowledge that can be applied immediately. 

Upcoming session dates and topics, each beginning at 3:00 PM:

July 29               Preparing for a Potential Second Wave

August 12          Dealing with Trauma and Grief

August 26          Leadership: What Matters Most in a Crisis

Interested organizations can register and learn more here. 

All-member Call Thursday, July 30: “Bringing a Physician’s Lens to COVID-19”

LeadingAge Ohio is holding an all-member COVID-19 update call on Thursday, July 30 at 10:30 a.m. On the call, LeadingAge Ohio staff will be joined by Tom Lehner, MD FAAFP CMD, Medical Director for Long-term care at Buckeye Health Plan and President of the Ohio Medical Director’s Association. On the call, Lehner will share the current understanding of COVID-19, including best practices in managing COVID in congregate settings, pharmacological management of symptoms and what testing tells us—and where it falls short.

Call in registration is as follows:

For best call quality, we encourage using your computer audio. This also allows callers to easily send questions to the speakers via the 'chat' function. Questions can also be sent to the COVID19@leadingageohio.org email address.

Please click the following link to join the webinar on your computer: https://easyconnecthd.zoom.us/j/95130566261

Or iPhone one-tap :

US: +13126266799,,95130566261#

Or Telephone:

US: +1 312 626 6799 

Webinar ID: 951 3056 6261

LeadingAge Need to Know: COVID-19 – July 22, 2020

LeadingAge shares the latest coronavirus news and resources with members twice each weekday. This morning's update featured  LeadingAge president/CEO, Katie Smith Sloan interview on NBC Nightly News and continued efforts with the #ActforOlderAdults campaign, new insights and tools including a new partnership with Mather to allow residents and clients to explore a variety of enriching digital experiences,

Check out the full report here. 

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. LeadingAge is continuing its daily calls for all members.  To participate in these daily online updates, members should register here.