01/04/2021

Today's COVID-19 Report: Monday, January 4, 2021

Monday, January 4, 2021

Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Monday, January 4, 2021 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Wishing a blessed and happy new year to all! 

A REMINDER TO ALL MEMBERS

Check LeadingAge's FAQs and Resources on COVID-19 Vaccines and Issues Surrounding Vaccinations frequently. The most recent update includes Q&A on implications of mandating the vaccine for staff.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has released a preliminary toolkit that has been developed with talking points, language tips, social media language, and trusted resources to help you better communicate about the safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines that have arrived in Ohio.

In Today's Report

• Increasing LTCF staff vaccinations: An invitation from ODA Director Ursel J. McElroy
• Surgeon General Jerome Adams on today's 3:30PM LeadingAge Coronavirus Policy Update call
• Ventilation/HVAC grants for nursing homes, assisted living centers and adult day centers: Date extended to March 31
• Additional COVID-19 testing options available through Ethos Laboratories
  
• SNF cost comparison and industry trends report
• LeadingAge Need to Know
  

Increasing LTCF staff vaccinations: An invitation from ODA Director Ursel J. McElroy

Director of Ohio Department of Aging Ursel McElroy contacted LeadingAge Ohio and asked that we share the following:

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to invite you and your front-line staff to join medical experts and state officials for a round table discussion. Ohio’s long-term care providers have the opportunity to be some of the first in the state to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The first round of vaccination is underway and currently a large number of staff have chosen to delay or reject the vaccine. We acknowledge the hesitancy of receiving a new vaccine and would like to give these employees direct access to experts. They can listen, learn, and ask questions. We strongly urge you to allow staff to join at a time during their shift, individually or as a team. By increasing the number of staff who are vaccinated, we can greatly reduce the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks in facilities and help protect their families.   

Please register soon to take advantage of these live sessions (click on time you would like to attend):

• Tuesday, January 5 - 8:00AM, 2:00PM or 6:00PM
• Wednesday, January 6 - 8:00AM, 2:00PM or 6:00PM
• Thursday, January 7 - 8:00AM, 2:00PM or 6:00PM

Surgeon General Jerome Adams on today's 3:30PM LeadingAge Coronavirus Policy Update call

On today’s LeadingAge Coronavirus Policy Update call, Surgeon General Jerome Adams will discuss what can be expected on vaccines in the coming days and weeks. He will talk about what the COVID-19 surge means for our health care system and aging services providers, and will also address the impact of health care disparities on vaccine acceptance. Also on the call will be CVS/Omnicare, who will discuss what the company is doing to address early communication problems in the Pharmacy Partnership, including new “office hours” for providers.

Register now to join today's update.

Ventilation/HVAC grants for nursing homes, assisted living centers and adult day centers: Date extended to March 31

As previously reported in the COVID-19 Report, a $28 million federally funded program recently launched by the state 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. The date for this reimbursement has been extended through March 31, 2021.

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 March 31, 2021. 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.

An updated FAQ is now available, and more on the program can be located on the BWC webpage. You can also email questions to grants@bwc.state.oh.us.

Ohio shares pandemic vaccine provider update, encourages facilities to serve as vaccine providers

LeadingAge Ohio has learned from last Wednesday's Provider's Vaccine Workgroup that 83 long-term care (LTC) facilities are currently enrolled in the Ohio COVID-19 Vaccination Providers Program.

The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has released updated Vaccine Storage and Administration in Institutional Facilities and Other Settings document for you to review. It is also not too late to sign up as a provider of the vaccine. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is asking for more facilities to step up to become facilities that will assist in giving the vaccines themselves, and will provide training and support for those that do. These facilities will receive the supplies to administer the vaccine, and ultra-cold storage is not a requirement to enroll.

Facilities can enroll as providers of the vaccine at https://ohid.ohio.gov. Any questions concerning this information can be sent to COVIDVACCINE@odh.ohio.gov.

Additional COVID-19 testing options available through Ethos Laboratories

Ethos Laboratories is a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Certified and CAP Accredited Laboratory providing testing options for Adult Day, and other member organizations, who may not have a medical director or other medical professionals that can provide testing authorization. Ethos comes highly recommended by a Cincinnati-area LeadingAge Ohio member and they are offering Federal Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) COVID-19 PCR testing.

Ethos EUA Approval and a FAQ on collection is available for review. Ethos shared additional items for LeadingAge Ohio members:

• Ethos provides a 48 Hour Turnaround Time on Results
• Ethos provides free courier service or UPS overnight shipping
• Ethos can provide a collector at no charge to actually administer the testing for sites that are large and in need of assistance
• All supplies and shipping charges are covered by Ethos
• Ethos will bill insurance, for those without insurance Ethose will bill the HRSA under the CARES Act, with no cost to the facility or those they test
• Ethose provides an easy to use portal for online ordering and report review
• Ethos can provide Medical Authority to those that need it for ordering

For additional information, please contact Todd Bladel at todd@ethos-labs.com.

SNF cost comparison and industry trends report

LeadingAge Ohio Associate Firm CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA) has provided the following Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Cost Comparison and Industry Trends Report.

The link will direct you to the CLA website where the complete report and State Metrics can be downloaded. Also included on this CLA webpage are additional reports on 2021 Final SNF PPS and Hospice Rules, 2021 SNF PDPM PPS Rate Calculator, as well as additional senior living resources.

If you have questions or need additional assistance, please reach out to Chad Kunze at chad.kunze@claconnect.com or Lisa Hilling at lisa.hilling@claconnect.com.

LeadingAge Need to Know: COVID-19 – January 4, 2021

LeadingAge shares the latest coronavirus news and resources with members twice each weekday. This morning's update featured the "Call for Sessions" which is now open for the 2021 Annual Meeting. Please note: LeadingAge Ohio's Call for Presentations for the August 4-6, 2021 LeadingAge Ohio Annual Conference is also open!

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.