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Next week, many of you will celebrate Thanksgiving, and the LeadingAge Minnesota office will be closed on Thursday and Friday. Here's what you can expect next week from our team.

It's time for the LeadingAge quarterly affordable housing survey! LeadingAge, our national affiliate, is conducting its regular survey on affordable housing, and we encourage you to participate.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have released the 2022 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs.

As of this week, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that Provider Relief Funds (PRF) and Paycheck Protection Program Loans (PPP) will not be offset in care center rates.

You are feeling like you can't handle one more month, week, or day of COVID-19? Register for a 30-minute workshop with Dr. Alyson Van Ahn from the Associated Clinic of Psychology.

The Minnesota Department of Health has indicated that the agency will issue guidance for assisted living settings in the coming days, reflecting recent federal guidance for nursing homes and eliminating visitation restrictions in long-term care settings.

The assisted living rule contains specificity regarding several requirements of the assisted living statute, including staffing plans. The rule requires the Clinical Nurse Supervisor (CNS) to develop a staffing plan that considers several vital elements.

As providers continue preparing to implement staff vaccination mandates, here are the latest available situational updates:

CMS Omnibus COVID–19 Health Care Staff Vaccination Rule

CMS has clarified that the Phase 1 implementation deadline is Dec. 6, not Dec. 5.

On this Veteran’s Day, LeadingAge Minnesota and our members join those throughout our country honoring veterans who have served and sacrificed.

As we approach the new year, we invite all members to get involved in LeadingAge Minnesota committees in 2022. We are tackling the challenges you face on numerous fronts, and we need you to help shape the critical work ahead.

The US Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a free downloadable manual, Psychosocial Interventions for Older Adults with Serious Mental Illness.

Last week we talked about bringing more joy to your workplace by starting your meetings by sharing one good thing. Another simple way to share good things and boost positive emotions in the workplace is to hang posters on the walls around the campus or in the breakroom to record and share good things visually. Get the list started and encourage others to add their own good things.

Congress is currently working on the Build Back Better Act, the second part of President Biden's infrastructure improvement effort. The BBB is a $1.75 trillion proposal to enhance and improve "social" infrastructure, including services to older adults. It is currently being finalized in the House. Then it will head to the Senate and, once both houses agree, to the President. The current version of the bill includes the following investments in programs for older adults-

The Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness program cycle is accepting applications through 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. Please join the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) team for a webinar to learn more about this program on Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 9-10 a.m. Register here.

Care centers have access to an engagement, retention, and leadership building platform for free through a grant for Align’s Employee Engagement Solution. The current grant window closes on Nov. 23. Previous messages indicated that subsequent grant cycles would open over the next two years; however, applications cycles will be limited and will likely end in early 2022. If you plan to apply in future application cycles, please plan accordingly. 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) frequently cites the following in assisted living surveys: “The licensee failed to ensure a side rail was assessed for appropriateness and safety.”

This week, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that MDH-licensed providers, including home care, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes, will not transition back to fingerprint-based background studies until Jan. 5, 2022. Until the transition occurs, these providers will continue to submit emergency studies, as we have been doing throughout the pandemic.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

These days, we have better knowledge and skills about managing big problems that seemed unimaginable before COVID. However, many of us are at the point now when even hearing the word "resilience" has become tiresome. 

Alongside our members, LeadingAge Minnesota is working to answer questions regarding both the OSHA and CMS Vaccine and Testing Emergency Temporary Standards. We have shared answers each day as quickly as possible, but we would like to summarize some of the frequently asked questions we are getting from members across the state.

When OSHA’s Nov. 5 COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (the “Vaccine ETS”) indicates that it does not apply to workplaces that are subject to the requirements of a broader COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard (the “Healthcare ETS”) that OHSA released in June 2021.

The Associated Press has reported that a coalition of 10 states sued the federal government on Nov. 10 to block the CMS COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers. The CMS rule remains in full effect, and the filing of this suit has no impact unless and until the court issues a ruling. We will follow this breaking story closely, but long-term care providers should continue working to implement the CMS vaccine rules.

Looking to recruit staff, build the pipeline, or increase engagement with students? The most effective way to reach University of Minnesota (U of M) students and alumni is through a no-charge job, internship, and volunteer database called Handshake.

The Senate Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee met on Wednesday, Nov. 10 to discuss the recently-released rules surrounding the federal vaccine mandate for long-term care workers and the broader workforce emergency occurring in the long-term care sector.

State and federal regulators have added clarifying information to the conversation about how vaccine rules will be implemented and enforced in long-term care settings.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) completed work on the Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) and published information about the ETS this morning. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today released the long-awaited rule requiring COVID-19 vaccination of staff working in a wide-range of Medicare and Medicaid-certified provider types.

SAINT PAUL, MN (Nov. 4, 2021) - Vaccination is a critical part of combatting COVID-19. Alongside health care providers and public health officials, we have strongly encouraged vaccination through education, counseling, public information campaigns and monetary incentives. Despite widespread efforts to improve vaccination rates, many people, including health care workers in long-term care settings, remain unvaccinated. Our greatest hope is that this mandate may be the nudge they need to get the shot. We know that there are strongly held feelings about vaccination, and we are deeply concerned that in the midst of a record level worker shortages, some of our devoted caregivers may leave careers in our field rather than be vaccinated.

LeadingAge Minnesota nursing home members interested in utilizing the CMS Five Star Report to improve the quality of their services and their ratings will want to attend a free webinar on Thursday, Nov. 18 from 11 a.m. – noon.

As we approach the new year, we invite all members to get involved in LeadingAge Minnesota committees in 2022. We are tackling the challenges you face on numerous fronts, and we need you to help shape the critical work ahead.

The Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness program cycle opens Nov. 1 and is accepting applications through 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. Please join the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) team for a webinar to learn more about this program on Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 9-10 a.m. Register here.