DOH to Assess PPE Stockpile Compliance
(March 4, 2025) Nursing home members are reminded to review their 2025 personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpile requirements and bring their inventories into compliance with their updated required quantities. In a recent meeting, Department of Health (DOH) staff indicated that more than 100 nursing homes have not downloaded their 2025 stockpile requirements from the Health Commerce Distribution Management System (HCDMS). The updated 2025 stockpile quantities for each facility, based on 2024 average census, was reportedly posted on Feb. 5th.
Nursing homes will recall that the required PPE inventory is based on average annual census as calculated by DOH, use rates derived from an academic study, and COVID-19 positivity rates during peak periods. Under the regulations, average census is to be determined by Jan. 1st annually by DOH. The Department has calculated average annual census using each facility's Health Electronic Response Data System (HERDS) COVID-19 survey submissions.
The facility-level 2025 stockpile requirements can be accessed by individuals with the Health Commerce System (HCS) roles of Administrator, Director of Nursing, or Operator. Individuals with these roles should have received an email notification with a link to the HCDMS file.
As always, nursing homes should ensure that their stockpiles comply with statutory and regulatory requirements at Public Health Law section 2803(12)(a)(ii)(B) and 10 NY Codes, Rules, and Regulations (NYCRR) section 415.19(f) and the updated facility-specific stockpile inventory issued by DOH.
Contact: Karen Lipson, klipson@leadingageny.org