12/06/2020

Today's COVID-19 Report: Monday, December 7, 2020

Monday, December 7, 2020

Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Monday, December 7 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Today's Report

• LeadingAge Coronavirus call with vaccine focus: TODAY at 3:30PM! 
• Pharmacy Partnership policy details emerging; Questions abound
• Apply today for ventilation/HVAC grants: nursing homes, assisted living centers, adult day centers
• HHS awards nursing homes $523M in COVID-19 performance payments
• LTC consumer guide and bed fee invoices due: Download invoice
  
• COVID and the Holidays: Join Bereavement Professionals Forum next week
• LeadingAge Need to Know

LeadingAge Coronavirus call with vaccine focus: TODAY at 3:30PM! 

We are weeks away from the first COVID-19 vaccines being distributed, and LeadingAge knows that members have questions and need answers. On Monday, December 7 at 3:30 join the next LeadingAge Coronavirus Update Call and hear from Dr. Ruth Link-Gelles, Epidemiologist in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Viral Vaccine Preventable Disease Branch, who is helping to lead the CDC Pharmacy Partnership program to ensure that aging services providers are able to get access to the vaccine. Dr. Link-Gelles will provide the latest updates on the program and how the first stages of vaccine distribution will begin. Educating the public about the vaccine is also critical and we will also be joined by Karyne Jones, CEO of the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging who will discuss the newly launched Vaccine Education and Equity Project and its efforts to ensure that the public is ready and willing to take the COVID-19 when it is available. If you haven’t joined in the past, you can register for the call here.

Pharmacy Partnership details emerging; Questions abound

On Friday, LeadingAge heard from members around the country that they were contacted by their pharmacy partner, CVS or Walgreen’s, and advised that regardless of what a state includes in its plan, CVS and/or Walgreen’s has been directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to start with skilled nursing facilities (SNF) first, then move to other long-term care residential providers. LeadingAge checked with the CDC and has learned that this is not accurate. The CDC and the federal government recognize that there is limited initial supply of vaccine, but have given states the flexibility to either start with SNFs only or start with a wider group of long-term care, including life plan communities and/or assisted living.

A FAQ and Resources on COVID-19 Vaccines and Issues Surrounding Vaccinations will be updated after Today's Update Call, with additional information from the two speakers as well as any other additional information.

LeadingAge Ohio is currently participating in an Administration-created work group to discuss the plan for Ohio, which begins meeting this week in earnest. While some members are reporting communications rom pharmacies promising target dates for vaccinations, on a call today Director of Aging Ursel McElroy reported that the Administration has yet to set a date for the start of the vaccination program within provider facilities. The date depends on having a range of clinical questions answered in advance and the availability of easy-to-understand education for staff, residents and families at a variety of literacy levels. Finally, informed consent procedures will need to meet the wide range of employees’ and residents’ circumstances.

Apply today for ventilation/HVAC grants: nursing homes, assisted living centers, adult day centers

As previously reported in the COVID-19 Report, a $28 million federally funded program recently launched to slow COVID-19’s spread among older Ohioans has added a reimbursable expense for improvements to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in nursing homes, assisted living centers, and adult day centers.

Administered by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC), the COVID-19 Indoor Air Quality Assistance Program will reimburse these facilities for installing secondary devices designed to destroy bacteria, mold, and viruses, such as bi-polar ionization and ultraviolet light units.

Funded through federal CARES (Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act dollars, the program reimburses air quality improvements implemented on or after March 1, 2020, through December 30, 2020. Eligible entities will receive up to $15,000 to inspect and assess their air quality needs and to address those needs through portable air filtration systems, new filtration systems, maintenance on current systems, and other interventions.

For an application, FAQ, and more on the program, visit the BWC webpage. You can also email questions to grants@bwc.state.oh.us.  

HHS awards nursing homes $523M in COVID-19 performance payments

Federal authorities announced Monday that it will be distributing $523 million in the second round of performance payments. More than 9,000 nursing homes that have successfully reduced COVID-19 related infections and deaths between September and October will receive the payments. 

Nursing homes will begin receiving the funding Wednesday, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS will distribute the funds to about 9,200 nursing homes overall, of the eligible 13,251 facilities. HHS found that 69% of the eligible facilities met the infection control criteria for the incentive program, while 68% met the mortality criteria.

This is the second of five evaluation cycles for the second of five evaluation cycles for the incentive program, which was originally announced in August. The federal government distributed about $333 million in performance payments to more than 10,000 nursing homes during the first round.

Additional information on this article from McKnight's Long-Term Care News is available here.

LTC consumer guide and bed fee invoices due: Download invoice

Each year, the Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) bills long-term care facilities for the Long-Term Care (LTC) Consumer Guide Fee and LTC Ombudsman Bed Fee. Both payments were due November 1, 2020.

• The 2020 Long-Term Care Consumer Guide Fee invoices apply to all licensed or certified nursing homes and residential care facilities. The fee goes to support the Long-Term Care Consumer Guide web site at and the Ohio Department of Aging's long-term care facility satisfaction surveys. Ohio Revised Code sections 173.45 through 173.49 authorizes the Long-term Care Consumer Guide fee at $350 for RCFs and $650 for nursing homes.
• The 2020 Ohio LTC Ombudsman Bed Fee invoices apply to all licensed or certified nursing homes, residential care facilities, county homes, VA homes, long-term acute care hospitals and Class 2 residential facilities. Ohio Revised Code 173.26 provides that each long-term care facility "shall annually pay to the Department of Aging six dollars for each bed maintained by the facility for use by a resident during any part of the previous year."

This year, invoices for RCFs and Nursing Homes were not mailed. Click here to pay online by credit card (2.5% fee applies), electronic check (no fee), or download an invoice to pay by check.

Please email facilityfee@age.ohio.gov if you have any questions.

COVID and the Holidays: Join Bereavement Professionals Forum next week

LeadingAge Ohio invites bereavement, counseling and spiritual care staff to join its next Bereavement Professionals Forum on Tuesday, December 8 at 1:00PM. This month, we will spend time discussing how to help families, loved ones and colleagues through the holidays, with particular attention to how the COVID-19 pandemic will shape typical grief reactions around the holidays. Maren Simon, Bereavement Counselor from Hospice of Northwest Ohio, will share their approach to this unprecedented holiday season, and attendees will have the opportunity to share practices in large and small-group discussions.

Advance registration is required, but there is no fee for this member-only event.

LeadingAge Need to Know: COVID-19 – December 7, 2020

LeadingAge shares the latest coronavirus news and resources with members twice each weekday. This morning's update featured an announcement regarding the Vaccine Education and Equity Project.

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.  

LeadingAge Ohio is working to ensure that the information in our daily alerts, on our website, and all coronavirus-related communications is as accurate as possible. However, LeadingAge Ohio makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the information.