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11/04/2020
Today's COVID-19 Report: Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Wednesday, November 4 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Today's Report
- LeadingAge Ohio all-member Q&A set for Thursday: Send questions early
- State-supported COVID-19 testing - Holiday testing flexibilities for AL, adult day
- Presidential race undecided; Ohio republicans pick up seats
- Housing Happenings call reviews vaccine, rental assistance and more
- LeadingAge Need to Know
LeadingAge Ohio all-member Q&A set for Thursday: Send questions early
Tomorrow -- November 5 -- at 9:30am, LeadingAge Ohio will host the first in a series of all-member sessions focused entirely on questions and answers. These twice-monthly Q&A webinars will be held on the first and third Thursday of the month, beginning in November.
During the unscripted, 30-minute webinar, LeadingAge Ohio policy and regulatory experts will field questions related to testing, telehealth, visitation, vaccination and other fast-moving topics. Join Kathryn Brod, Anne Shelley, Stephanie DeWees and Susan Wallace to hear Q&A on survey expectations, visitation logistics, testing processes, reporting and more.
Members are encouraged to send advance questions to the COVID-19 mailbox so research can be completed if needed. Alternately, members will be able to chat in questions during the webinar. Registration is required, but there is no fee to participate.
State-supported COVID-19 testing - Holiday testing flexibilities for AL, adult day
In an effort to provide flexibility in your facility’s scheduled testing date in the upcoming holiday season, residential care facilities, adult day centers, and senior centers (nursing homes are currently excluded) currently scheduled on the following holidays will be permitted, though not required, to conduct testing one day prior to the scheduled testing date:
- Thanksgiving Day (November 26) – test November 25 if facility chooses in lieu of November 26
- Christmas Day (December 25) – test December 24 if facility chooses in lieu of December 25
- New Year’s Day (January 1) – test December 31 if facility chooses in lieu of January 1
Facilities electing to utilize this flexibility will resume their previously communicated testing schedule in the subsequent testing period. Facilities do not need to notify COVIDTesting@age.ohio.gov of their decision. It is critical facilities confirm shipping arrangements with carriers (FedEx Express) in advance of the holiday to ensure specimens are received at the lab for processing within the required timeframe.
Questions regarding COVID Testing may be directed to COVIDTesting@age.ohio.gov.
Please visit ODA’s website often for up-to-date testing resources regarding residential care facilities and adult day and senior centers.
Presidential race undecided; Ohio Republicans pick up seats
While votes in key swing states have yet to be tallied, Ohio voters decidedly supported President Trump’s reelection bid on Tuesday night. Ohio Republicans strengthened their majorities in both the Ohio House and Senate.
Cuyahoga County election officials reported that Monique Smith landed an apparent narrow win over Representative Dave Greenspan (R-Westlake) by a less-than-2-point margin. Meanwhile, the House GOP, which already held a 61-38 advantage in the chamber, took four seats from Democrats.
In the Ohio Senate, Senator Sean O’Brien (D-Bazetta) lost his reelection bid to challenger Sandra O’Brien, while in central Ohio, the 16th Senate district race is headed towards a recount after Senator Kunze (R-Hilliard) appears to have won by a 41-vote margin.
As for Congressional races, all 18 of Ohio’s incumbents won their reelection bids.
Today at 3:30pm, the LeadingAge all-member call will include a conversation with Board Chair Carol Silver Elliott and the LeadingAge advocacy team, offering a recap of the national election results and reflections on their impact on aging services.
Housing Happenings call reviews vaccine, rental assistance and more
Linda Couch, LeadingAge’s Vice President of Housing Policy, provided three action items for participants on this moring’s Housing Happenings call:
Vaccine: Housing providers are urged to complete the Pharmacy Partnership Form by the Friday, November 6 deadline in order to be included in the planning efforts for vaccine distribution. A separate form must be completed for each property. It is not likely that the CDC will extend this deadline.
Databases for Rental Assistance for renters and landlords: Two online databases of COVID-19-related state- and local-rental assistance programs may help: 1) aging services providers to help renters (and, often, homeowners) retain stable housing, and 2) help affordable senior housing owners receive relief for rental income shortfall experienced as renters declare eligibility for the CDC’s eviction moratorium for nonpayment of rent. Full LeadingAge article here.
Economic Impact payment for IRS non-filers: Americans who did not file tax returns in 2019 and have not received their economic impact payment issued as part of the coronavirus stimulus package must request payment by the IRS deadline of November 21. The IRS has indicated that this deadline will not be extended.
Please join Housing Happenings each Wednesday at 9:00am for updates and discussions. The new Zoom access information requires registration prior to the call and can be found on the LeadingAge Ohio website.
LeadingAge Need to Know: COVID-19 – November 4, 2020
LeadingAge shares the latest coronavirus news and resources with members twice each weekday. This morning's update featured a reminder from the CDC about the November 6 deadline for aging services providers to sign up for its Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program and a last call to register for the Annual Meeting Virtual Experience beginning November 10.
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.