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04/21/2020

Today's COVID-19 Report: Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Tuesday, April 21 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

ODH: Only 700 of 1700 Providers Reporting

On an early-morning conference call hosted by the DeWine Administration, data related to the daily provider readiness survey were shared. The data indicated that roughly 700 nursing homes and assisted living providers had completed the surveys, out of an estimated 950 nursing homes and 750 assisted living facilities statewide. Many had completed the survey only once, rather than daily. 

While the EIDC alert to providers indicated that this is a voluntary survey, the Administration has begun to use this data to plan their local responses to localized outbreaks. For example, if there is an outbreak at a nursing home, ODH may use this data to surge in staffing and/or PPE support to those providers. It also demonstrates the advocacy message that LeadingAge Ohio has been carrying to the Administration: that many long-term care facilities remain underprepared in terms of PPE supply.

LeadingAge Ohio strongly encourages providers to complete this survey on a daily basis. If you have not received the survey via the EIDC system, please reach out to Susan Wallace at swallace@leadingageohio.org, so that we may inquire.  

Members Ask: "Who do I reach out to at local hospital?"

Over the weekend, the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) urged members to identify individuals within their systems to serve as a contact person for long-term care facilities. Since then, LeadingAge Ohio members have been asking: who, exactly, should they be reaching out to? LeadingAge Ohio has reached out to OHA requesting this contact list be shared with long-term care and other congregate settings. This request has also been raised to the administration staff that are coordinating this effort.

Once this information is available, LeadingAge Ohio will share it in a COVID-19 Daily Report.

Administration Describes Hospital-Congregate Setting Collaboration

On an early morning call on Monday, representatives from the Ohio Departments of Health, Medicaid and Aging met with over 600 representatives from Ohio hospitals and congregate care settings, including nursing homes, assisted living, correctional institutions, homeless shelters, and others, to describe their vision for the path forward. The call acknowledged the shift from a model which anticipates a large hospital surge to one which predicts multiple outbreaks, primarily in congregate settings.

On the call, ODH shared the first data received through their daily survey of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and overlaid that data with facilities with active COVID-19 cases, noting the portion of facilities with active cases and severe shortages of PPE. They implored hospitals to be proactive in developing local coalitions, and to do what is necessary to contain outbreaks, including sharing PPE and even staffing.

The Administration shared the example of University Hospitals’ post-acute partnership as a model to follow statewide. The following materials were shared, which include examples of how ODH is using the provider survey data:

Bereavement Preparedness: Registration Information

In last Friday’s COVID-19 Daily Report, LeadingAge Ohio announced it would be convening a conference call of hospice bereavement professionals on Thursday, April 23 from 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. The call will gauge the capacity within Ohio’s community bereavement programs and begin to outline a response plan to build capacity and/or mobilize support for families and communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Individuals must register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.  Please share this opportunity with your bereavement team.

Careers in Aging Week, April 19-25

LeadingAge Ohio is partnering with LeadingAge, the Gerontological Society of America, AHCA/NCAL and Argentum on 'Careers in Aging Week'. LeadingAge has provided a toolkit of sample social media posts to share the week of April 19 – 25. While job fairs and site visits are not an option during the pandemic, we still have a great opportunity to highlight the aging services field and the incredible, heroic individuals who work in it. 

LeadingAge Ohio took the initiative to submit letters to Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted, as well as to both House and Senate leadership, asking the state to join us in celebrating the vast array of careers in aging services and post-acute care, as well as encouraging them to take the opportunity to honor the heroes on the frontlines of care. 

We encourage your organization to schedule posts throughout the week to build awareness about current job openings at member organizations -- and direct displaced workers from retail, hospitality, and restaurants in Ohio to the jobs@leadingageohio.org email address or to the LeadingAge Job Board. Include the hashtag #CareersInAging in all posts!

Help Us Help You - Reach Out to Legislators

As LeadingAge Ohio continues to monitor and react to the state response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to remind members the importance of reaching out their state legislators to share what your organization is doing to prepare for—and respond to—the pandemic.

With so much misinformation on long-term care, it is important that your legislators are hearing directly from you about how your organization is responding to the COVID-19 crisis. We encourage members to share their their questions and concerns in a letter sent via email to the office of your local state representative and state senator, which can be found on the legislature's website.

A basic framework of the letter could go as follows:

  • Introduce yourself and your organization organization (be sure to list the communities/programs in the member's district, services provided, number of Ohioans served annually, etc);
  • Speak to the importance of providing quality care to your residents while keeping them and employees safe during the pandemic;
  • Address the CDC guidelines being implemented to keep your residents and employees safe;
  • Address any specific programs that you are providing to keep residents in touch with their families, ways you are supporting your employees, and even any community outreach that has provided assistance to your organization during this time (donations of masks, food, etc.);
  • Outline challenges due to the pandemic, including:
    • Shortage of PPE;
    • Workforce challenges;
    • Managing anxiety of family members, residents and employees; and
  • Commit to be available to the legislator and provide updates as the pandemic continues and provide them with your contact information should they want to follow-up with any specific questions.

These are just a few ideas - feel free to share what is most important to your organization. LeadingAge Ohio is happy to assist members with submitting letters to their state legislators. To find your legislator, visit www.legislature.ohio.gov. For assistance, reach out to Susan Wallace at swallace@leadingageohio.org.  

All-member Call - Thursday, April 23, 10:30 a.m.

LeadingAge Ohio is holding an all-member COVID-19 update call, Thursday, April 23 at 10:30 a.m. On the call, LeadingAge Ohio staff will share the latest on hospital-facility partnerships as Ohio turns its attention to nursing homes and other congregate settings as the new frontline of the COVID-19 crisis.

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 before or during the call.

For best call quality, we encourage using your computer audio.

Dial in information:

Or iPhone one-tap :

US: +13126266799,,93026301126#

Or Telephone:

US: +1 312 626 6799 

Webinar ID: 930 2630 1126

Ohio Statistics: 13,725 Cases, 557 Deaths

There are 13,725 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 557 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 2,779 people have been hospitalized, including 838 admissions to intensive care units. 

In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov. 

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.

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