April 25th COVID-19 Update
New COVID-19-related updates for providers of long-term/post-acute care (LTPAC) and senior services continue to be shared on a regular basis by both state and federal authorities. The latest developments are described below.
As a reminder, LeadingAge NY continues to convene weekly webinars on Mondays at 11 a.m. to address emerging questions on COVID-19. A recording of our most recent webinar, held on April 24th, is available here, and a list of the items shared by LeadingAge NY staff in the webinar chat can be accessed here. If you have questions for next week’s update or would like the access information, please contact Jeff Diamond.
Cross-Sector Updates
Governor Extends Workforce Emergency to May 22nd
Governor Hochul has extended the health care workforce emergency until May 22nd. LeadingAge NY has heard that the State may allow the workforce emergency to expire on May 22nd. While the end of the workforce emergency is still undecided, long term care providers should begin to consider the impact on their organizations of the termination of the licensure and scope of practice flexibilities authorized during the emergency. Click here for more information.
LeadingAge National Provides Resources on Federal Public Health Emergency Unwinding
LeadingAge National has provided a variety of resources for members regarding the ending of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), including resources they developed for members and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) webinars happening this week. Click here for more information.
FDA Approves and CDC Recommends Single Bivalent mRNA Vaccine
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued recommendations for a bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, replacing the monovalent mRNA vaccine (Moderna and Pfizer), which is now no longer authorized for use in the U.S. Click here for more information.