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The Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness program cycle is accepting applications through Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. The Loan Forgiveness program is available for various health care professionals serving in high-need areas, including nurses in nursing homes, assisted living, and home care settings. You can find general program information for long-term care on the MDH website.

A request for proposals for the Home and Community Based (HCBS) Scholarship Grant is currently open, with applications due on Jan. 31. This grant is offered through the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Office of Rural Health and Primary Care. You can find the HCBS Scholarship Grant details, including the RFP, on the MDH website.

Care centers have access to an engagement, retention, and leadership building platform for free through a grant for Align’s Employee Engagement Solution. The final grant window closes on Jan. 30. Download a webinar to learn more about the application process here.

This week LeadingAge and the American Health Care Association sent a joint letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recommending accommodations for skilled nursing facilities impacted by a ransomware attack that human resources company Ultimate Kronos Group faced on Dec. 10, 2021.

In late December, HUD opened renewal applications for existing Service Coordinator grants for Calendar Year 2022. Applications are due Feb. 7 and must include HUD's one-year budget form. The agency has applied a 5.9% Cost of Living Adjustment, higher than in previous years and falls in line with this year's Social Security benefits increase.

On Jan. 7, CMS posted QSO-22-08-NH stating that it will publish additional nursing home staffing data to the public-facing Care Compare website beginning this month:

The rules for Licensed Assisted Living Directors (LALD) require licensees licensed through the legacy pathways to complete within the first year of licensure at least seven hours of continuing education in topics related to assisted living settings. On an ongoing basis, a LALD must complete 30 continuing education credits in qualifying areas within two years of the license renewal.

Join us on April 5 for a day of virtual advocacy at the Capitol featuring expert training from our public affairs team, opportunities to meet with your legislator, and times to share with colleagues from around the state about your successes and challenges in serving seniors.

Nursing homes subject to CMS Rule; Mandate does not apply to assisted living or other HCBS settings

Last Friday, the US Supreme Court heard lengthy oral arguments concerning challenges to the CMS Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination rule and OSHA Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). Both of these cases were before the court on emergency petitions to determine whether injunctions should be in place, pending trials on the merits of challenges to the respective rules.

In the recent CDC guidance revisions, there were notable changes in the return-to-work guidance for healthcare workers who test positive for COVID-19. The guidance is divided into three options depending on whether the organization is in conventional staffing, contingency staffing, or crisis staffing. 

The CDC released revisions to their Interim Guidance for Managing Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and Strategies to Mitigate Healthcare Personnel (HCW) Staffing Shortages on Dec. 23, 2021. There are significant changes to return to work for staff who experience high-risk exposures in the recent update.

On Jan. 7, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) modified their recommendations for when a booster dose of the Moderna vaccine should be administered, and the CDC has published updated information. The booster recommendations are the same for both Pfizer and Moderna with this update.

Critical Steps Support SNF Operations; Advocacy for Assisted Living Continues

Earlier this week, Gov. Tim Walz announced two new steps his administration will take to offer financial assistance for care centers as the battle against COVID-19 continues.

LeadingAge Minnesota is seeking volunteers for the 2022 Institute & Expo, scheduled for Feb. 9-11 at the RiverCentre in St. Paul.

It takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make the Institute run as smoothly as possible. One vital job requires no previous experience, no public speaking, and the opportunity to network with expert faculty.

Two Pre-Conference Intensive Sessions on Tuesday, Feb. 8, provide deep-dive learning on essential issues. They offer excellent add-on value to the Institute experience and can be attended whether you are registered for the Institute or not. Separate registration and fee are required.

As 2022 begins, LeadingAge Minnesota wants to make sure you know about all our educational resources and events throughout the year.

Our professional education programs are designed around proven research-based best practices. They don't just focus on what members need to comply with regulations. Regulations are the minimum; best practices go above and beyond.

With the return of the Institute to RiverCentre in February, we are excited to announce that the Experience Expo is SOLD OUT with 145 exhibit booths of products, services, and other goods to help make your work easier. Our exhibitors are very much looking forward to seeing you in person after a two-year absence. Make plans now to spend some time connecting with exhibitors.

Jenna Kellerman, LeadingAge Minnesota's Director of Workforce Solutions, has accepted a position at LeadingAge, our national partner based in Washington, DC. In her new role as Workforce Strategy and Development Director, she will apply her many talents to impact the long-term care workforce at a national level and tackle federal barriers and solutions that will benefit all states.

Register by Jan. 14 to join your colleagues in building effective Rapid Evaluation Teams that can save lives and provide support and assurance to staff. By joining the Rapid Evaluation Team (RET) Implementation Collaborative, you will participate in six monthly 30-minute sessions designed to support you in implementing or strengthening one step of your rapid response process each month.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently opened the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) reporting portal for providers to begin entering data to submit their second period PRF reports. Second period reports cover PRF payments from July 1 – Dec. 31, 2020, including Phase 2 and Phase 3 general distributions and nursing home infection control distributions and incentive payments. The deadline to submit the second period report is March 31, 2022.

All rental property owners, managers or operators must provide a Certificate of Rent Paid (CRP) to each person who rented from them during the previous year by Jan. 31 if either of the following are true:

Have you ever noticed how it warmed your heart when someone appreciates you? Research shows that expressing gratitude to someone who has done something to enrich your life (no matter how big or small) significantly impacts both the giver and the receiver.

As previously reported, CMS has announced that it will begin enforcing its Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination mandate for facilities located in all states where the rule is not currently blocked by a legal injunction, including Minnesota. CMS has not published new information over the past several days, but we wanted to share what we know for any readers who missed our story last week.

We continue to monitor the status of the OSHA emergency temporary standards relating to COVID-19, and here is the latest available information.

Effective next Wednesday, Jan. 5, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) will be implementing changes to the preadmission screening process for care centers.

On the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) long-term care call this week, the Department discussed the updated CDC guidance released on Dec. 23. It appears the CDC guidance will be adopted for our settings. MDH reported it is the intention of CMS to revise the current memos to be in alignment with this guidance. The publication timeline for updated CMS memo(s) is unknown.

Updated return-to-work guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has significantly changed from its last release. In the updated information, return to work is based upon several different variables including those who test positive, those who have been exposed, the staffing situation within the organization, and the vaccination and booster status of the health care worker (HCW).

The Early Bird Registration Deadline for the 2022 Institute & Expo is Tuesday, Jan. 4. Register your organization and team by the deadline to lock in early-bird fees.

LeadingAge Minnesota has selected Kari Thurlow as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. She will begin her new role on Jan. 3. 

LeadingAge recently mailed complimentary copies of the 2021 compensation reports for nursing facilities and senior housing providers to members who participated in those surveys.