Feb. 14th COVID-19 Update
New updates pertaining to the COVID-19 emergency continue to be announced by both the state and federal government on a regular basis. The latest developments for providers of long-term/post-acute care (LTPAC) and senior services are outlined 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 Feb. 13th, 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, which will be held on Tues., Feb. 21st at 11 a.m. due to Presidents’ Day, or would like the access information, please contact Jeff Diamond.
Cross-Sector Updates
New State Masking Guidance Requires Policies as Strict as CDC
The Department of Health (DOH) issued a Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) on Feb. 10th aligning the State’s masking requirements for health care settings with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The guidance provides that “all personnel, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, in a health care setting should wear an appropriate face mask according to CDC’s Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic.” DOH maintains that the CDC recommendations also apply to visitors age two and older and able to medically tolerate a mask. Effective Feb. 12th, the DOH guidance supersedes all prior masking requirements pertaining to health care settings. Click here for more information about the guidance, including links to other Intelligence articles reviewing its implications for nursing home, adult care facility/assisted living (ACF/AL), and home and community-based services (HCBS) providers.
Still Measuring COVID-19: Transmission Rates and Community Levels
Given the recent changes to masking requirements in health care settings, when developing new policies and procedures, providers should be familiar with COVID-19 tracking resources made available by the CDC. The CDC COVID Data Tracker provides a wealth of key indicators, while the COVID-19 Integrated County View page provides access to state and county-level COVID-19 Transmission Rates as well as Community Levels. Both Transmission Rates and Community Levels are county-level composite measures that provide separate color-coded maps based on the indicators on which they focus.
The Transmission Rate methodology uses a four-category approach (Low (Blue), Moderate (Yellow), Substantial (Orange), High (Red)) and is based on the count of new COVID-19 cases as well as the proportion of positive nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) in the county. The Transmission measure focuses on prevalence and is used primarily in health care settings.
Community Levels is more commonly used for non-health care settings and considers the severity of illness in addition to prevalence. The Community Levels calculation includes new COVID-19 hospital admissions as well as the percentage of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, categorizing each county using a three-color approach: Low (Green), Medium (Yellow), or High (Red).
To access maps showing the Transmission and Level status of each county, navigate to the COVID-19 Integrated County View page. Select the desired measurement using the “Data Type” dropdown menu above the map. The data is updated mid-week. We also post the current and prior two-week Transmission Rate status for each county on the LeadingAge NY website here. Click here to read more about recent changes regarding masking requirements.
Nursing Home and ACF/AL Updates
New Direction on Masking Guidance: What Does It Mean for ACF and Assisted Living Providers?
For a review of the implications of the new State masking guidance for ACF/AL providers, click here.
New State Masking Guidance Requires Policies as Strict as CDC
For a review of the implications of the new State masking guidance for nursing home providers, refer to the “Implications for Nursing Homes” section of this Intelligence article.
DOH Releases New PPE Stockpile Inventory Requirements
DOH notified nursing homes on Feb. 8th that new 60-day personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpile inventory requirements had been posted to the Health Commerce Distribution Management System (HCDMS). The PPE stockpile amounts were changed by recently adopted emergency regulations that calculate required inventory based on average census for calendar year 2022, rather than certified beds. Click here for more information.
HCBS Updates
New Masking Requirements: What They Mean for HCBS Providers
For a review of the implications of the new State masking guidance for HCBS providers, click here.
Affordable Housing/Independent Living Updates
Best Practices for Masking, Infection Control in Independent Living
For a review of CDC recommendations to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in affordable housing/independent living communities as State masking requirements unwind, click here.
HUD Launches New Page for 202 Communities to Order Free COVID-19 Test Kits
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has launched a new, dedicated COVID-19 Test Kit ordering webpage for Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly communities.
Following advocacy by LeadingAge National and others, HUD began accepting orders for the free test kits on Dec. 22nd. The Feb. 9th announcement of a dedicated webpage for Section 202 providers to place no-cost bulk orders for COVID-19 tests, and to provide tips and instructions on how to order the free test kits, is welcome news.
Read more about the new page and its resources from LeadingAge National here.