DOH Provides Guidance on Operation of Nursing Home Beauty Salons

In an email to LeadingAge NY on June 29, 2022, the Department of Health (DOH) indicated that the November 2020 beauty salon guidance for nursing homes is no longer in effect and provided several principles for salon operations.

Per DOH, facilities should have policies and procedures that address the operation of beauty salons, including required infection control measures:

• Core principles of COVID-19 infection control should be followed;
• Use of source control, physical distancing, personal protective equipment (PPE) use (including universal PPE use for COVID-19 infection control), and environmental surface disinfection, as addressed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC);
• Hand hygiene, as addressed by the CDC and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS);
• Adhere to standard precautions;
• Routine testing of beauticians (defined as facility staff), as per CMS QSO-38-NH;
• Encourage participants (beauticians serving nursing home residents, residents) to stay up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses;
• Facilities should review this May 31, 2022 DOH Health Advisory:

[A]ll nursing homes should follow requirements of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and should review the supplemental CDC guidance: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Spread in Nursing Homes;

• Operation of beauty salons should be suspended if recommended by the DOH regional epidemiologist. Residents on isolation for COVID-19 infection or on quarantine for COVID-19 exposure or close contact are not eligible for beauty salon visits.

If you have further questions, please feel free to contact any member of the Policy team.

Contact: Amy Nelson, anelson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383 ext. 146