12/15/2020

Today's COVID-19 Report: Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Tuesday, December 15 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Today's Report

• LeadingAge Ohio All-Member Q & A: Tomorrow, Wednesday December 16 at 4:00PM
• Call tomorrow with CVS/Omnicare
• LeadingAge Vaccine FAQ updated continually
• Vaccine 'next step' for home care providers
• $15,000 indoor air grants deadline is December 30; order by December 21
• LeadingAge Need to Know

LeadingAge Ohio All-Member Q & A: Tomorrow, Wednesday December 16 at 4:00PM

LeadingAge Ohio will host its bi-monthly all-member webinar focused entirely on member questions and answers tomorrow at 4:00PM. This call immediately follows the Administration’s Vaccine Workgroup meeting on which LeadingAge Ohio participates, and will include an any late-breaking updates from this meeting.

During the unscripted, 30-minute webinar, LeadingAge Ohio policy and regulatory experts Stephanie DeWees, Anne Shelley, Kathryn Brod and Susan Wallace will field YOUR questions on the vaccine and all things compliance, including infection control, testing, surveys, reporting requirements, and other fast-moving topics.

Members still have time to send questions in advance to the COVID-19 mailbox. Alternately, members will be able to chat in questions during the webinar.  Registration is required, but there is no fee to participate.

Call tomorrow with CVS/Omnicare

The first of the COVID-19 vaccines are being shipped across the county. On the Wednesday December 16 LeadingAge Coronavirus Update Call, starting at 3:30PM, hear from Jim Love, President of CVS/Omnicare as he discusses the CVS plan to distribute the vaccine through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Pharmacy Partnership program. This is a prime opportunity to hear how the implementation is proceeding and to ask questions about next steps in getting the vaccine to your long term care community. If you haven’t already registered for the LeadingAge calls, register here.

LeadingAge Vaccine FAQ updated continually

LeadingAge continues to update the Frequently Asked Questions on Vaccines document and encourages members to send questions to be included in this document. The latest updates cover new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, activities this past weekend leading up to the EUA and the information shared in webinars over the weekend. Keep checking back, since the FAQs are updated daily. LeadingAge vaccine-related information is posted on a dedicated landing page.

Vaccine 'next step' for home care providers

LeadingAge Ohio has fielded multiple inquiries from home care providers who, despite being classified as priority “1a,” have not received information from the state on how they should access vaccines for staff and clients. Per information received from a call with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) yesterday, home care providers should reach out to their local health department (LHD) to discuss vaccine roll-out for their staff and clients. Each LHD will likely have procedures that are specific to their staffing and scheduling capabilities.

$15,000 indoor air grants deadline is December 30; order by December 21

The State of Ohio has allocated $28 million in funding for clean air technology specifically for nursing, assisted living and adult day facilities. LeadingAge Ohio members can receive up to $15,000 in reimbursement from the program, but the deadline is fast approaching. Portable or HVAC disinfection technology needs to be operational by December 30 to qualify for the reimbursement from the State. So, technology providers such as Purge Virus need to have the orders received by Monday, December 21.

Purge Virus, a commercial and residential  air/surface disinfection company, has reached out to LeadingAge Ohio to ensure its members have information they need to be able to order devices that qualify for the funding, on a timeline that ensures delivery/installation by the December 30 deadline. Below are items that they have in-stock and ready to ship for delivery by the deadline.

Eligibility for this program: 

Non-governmental nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult day centers that have a physical location within Ohio are eligible for the program. Please read the FAQ carefully to ensure a complete understanding of the program eligibility, the technology that qualifies for reimbursement, and the timeline required.

Technology Options to clean the air and reduce the spread of Covid-19

• #1: Portable Room Devices (142 to 186 sq ft - e.g. rooms that are 10' x 18')
  Cost: $450 each. Watch Video and ORDER Here  
  
  
• #2: Portable Common Area Devices (up to 1,600 sq ft with variable fan speeds)
  Cost: $2,500 each. Watch Video and ORDER Here 
  
  #3: PTAC Wall HVAC Retrofits (includes installation labor)
  Cost: $600 installed. This solution is for the combination heating and air conditioning units that are commonly used in senior living as well as Motels and Hotels. To learn more, please click here. (For this option, your facility must have some form of rapid testing for the installers upon arrival.)   

To order please email the National Sales Director at Purge Virus, Tom.Cleary@PurgeVirus.com, and include the desired number of PTAC retrofits with your billing and shipping address. (The minimum order is ten (10) PTAC units given the need to coordinate the installation.)

LeadingAge Ohio Members may choose any combination of the devices referenced above. Please remember that that reimbursement is up to $15,000, the order deadline is December 21, and the deadline to submit the reimbursement application is December 30.

Reimbursement Support Information: 

Questions not answered in the FAQ should be emailed to grants@bwc.state.oh.us.

After you have ordered your devices, please use this Reimbursement application, which is due by December 30.

Beyond this BWC Cares Act funded reimbursement program:

In January 2021, the team at Purge Virus welcomes the opportunity to schedule a call or a video conference to walk you through options for other in-duct disinfection and portable devices that may be appropriate for your facility. More is available at this link. 

LeadingAge Need to Know: COVID-19 – December 15, 2020

LeadingAge shares the latest coronavirus news and resources with members twice each weekday. This morning's update featured the 2020 Year in Review: Our Collective voice and a reminder about the online Coronavirus Policy update call on Wednesday.

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.