Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Tuesday, April 7 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The weekly ventilator survey requested by the Administration last week has been expanded and altered significantly.
Providers should check their inbox today for an expanded daily survey that will provide the Administration as much information as possible related to aging services (full continuum) providers’ needs related to staffing, PPE, and testing. Completing the survey the first time should require 10 – 15 minutes of time, as facility/entity information and data points (contact info, number of beds, census, etc.) need to be input.
After the first submission, the survey should take less than 5 minutes each day. The Administration is asking that the survey be completed as consistently as possible on a day-to-day basis, i.e. that a small number of staff take responsibility each day for completing the survey.
All providers are encouraged to complete the survey in order for the Administration to understand the PPE and other needs of our aging services providers.
In a letter to Alex Azar, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, LeadingAge is requesting approximately $35B of the $100B earmarked for hospitals for COVID-19 expense support across its membership.
Per LeadingAge President/CEO Katie Smith Sloan’s letter, “Aging services providers need immediate assistance to cover unanticipated spending on personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies, staffing, and testing. At this point in the pandemic, many report having spent their entire PPE budget for the year in one week; for affordable housing aging services providers, they never had a PPE budget to begin with. Aging services providers need to be prioritized right after hospitals for access to PPE.”
In addition, LeadingAge Ohio has made the following requests of the DeWine Administration to stabilize the long-term services and supports sector:
To date, the Ohio Department of Medicaid has not confirmed if these actions will be taken.
LeadingAge (national) is establishing partnerships with major national employers and associations to reach displaced workers from fields such as dining, retail, and hospitality, etc. LeadingAge is directing out-of-work staff to a new job board to find positions in member communities.
Please post jobs of all kinds – including temporary positions and those that do not require certification - on the LeadingAge Job Board.
Directions are as follows:
LeadingAge Ohio is also promoting a jobs@leadingageohio.org email address with Experience Columbus and other regional and statewide job websites to help connect displaced workers to member organizations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided new guidance for discontinuing transmission-based precautions in COVID-19 patients.
While in certain situations a test-based approach is ideal, due to the limited availability of testing and need to preserve testing capacity to identify newly infected patients who are at highest risk, hospitals, other healthcare facilities, and clinicians should almost always use the non-test-based strategies for discontinuation of transmission-based precautions.
The amended Stay at Home went into effect today, including the new Dispute Resolution Commission. There are new requirements for retailers in this order, including determining a maximum number of customers allowed in the store to account for proper physical distancing. The permitted occupancy must also be posted.
Under the Stay at Home order, all travelers arriving to Ohio are instructed to voluntarily self-quarantine for 14 days - included seniors returning from winters outside of Ohio. This does not apply to persons who as part of their normal life live in one state and work or gain essential services in another state. Visitors are instructed not to travel to Ohio if they are displaying symptoms.
As of today, there are 4,782 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 167 deaths. A total of 1,354 people have been hospitalized.
In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.
LeadingAge Ohio is holding an all-member COVID-19 update call on Thursday, April 9 at 10:30 a.m.
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.
For best call quality, we encourage using your computer audio.
Dial in information:
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +13126266799,,650714845#
Or Telephone:
US: +1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 650 714 845
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.