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The Minnesota Board on Aging has moved the state policy for pre-admission screenings for nursing facility admission to the Senior LinkAge Line website. The document on this site, which replaces two previous bulletins (19-25-02 and 19-25-03), will be updated regularly as pre-admission screening and level of care policies change.

While we advocate for a legislative appropriation to support the moratorium exceptions program in the current special session, we want to remind members that there is currently a round open with close to a million in Medicaid funding available.

With Assisted Living Licensure taking effect on Aug. 1 of this year, those settings that provide customized living services under the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) waiver programs need to take action to ensure continued waiver payment.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

Do you know some of the quickest ways to get resilience have to do with giving a tiny bit yourself? Research shows that gratitude and acts of kindness not only impact others positively, but they give you a boost of goodness, sometimes for months. Goodness here means energy, reduced stress, improved overall well-being, including physical and mental health!

Late Friday, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) put out long-awaited guidance with specific timelines for reporting on the use of PRF dollars received by providers. The guidance addresses both how long providers have to use funds and when the use of the funds must be reported. The first reporting period opens on July 1 and must be completed by Sept. 30 and covers funds received before June 30, 2020. Those funds must be used by June 30 of this year, but funds received later have future deadlines for use.

The Board of Executives for Long-term Services and Supports (BELTSS) has received over 2400 applications from those eligible for licensing under the legacy licensing opportunities. The deadline to apply via the legacy path is June 30.

Minnesota legislators announced on Monday an agreement to end Gov. Tim Walz's eviction moratorium over the next three-and-a-half months. The eviction moratorium has been in place since March 2020, when the governor used executive powers to ban evictions except in extreme circumstances. The agreement still needs to be approved by legislators, but the vote could occur later this week. The bipartisan deal creates a phased eviction moratorium off-ramp, with some protections lasting into June 2022. Governor Walz has said he will rescind the moratorium once a legislative solution is passed.

In the event of a state government shutdown, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) will cease payments to providers of Medicaid services. Per the statutory obligation, DHS will begin to inform Medicaid providers, including aging services providers who serve Medicaid clients, via letters that will be sent out as early as this week.

LeadingAge, AHCA, and AMDA are jointly collaborating with the federal COVID response team to hold a live event, “Update on the Use of Monoclonal Antibody (mAB) Therapies for COVID-19: A Review of New Treatments and At-Risk Populations.” The event is set for June 15 at 2 p.m. CDT.

he Minnesota Department of Human Services, in partnership with the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging, is presenting a free community forum entitled FOUNDATIONS FOR CHANGE: Evaluating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Home and Community Based Services on Thursday, June 17 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

There are new requirements for clinical departments related to the new assisted living license. On June 29 and 30, a two-part virtual webinar series, Assisted Living Licensure Clinical Workshop, provides nurses an in-depth review of the requirements for clinical departments related to the new assisted living license.

The 2021 virtual Institute may be over, but the content is available for viewing and earning CEUs through July 31.

One conference attendee had this to say: “I do appreciate being able to watch courses I wanted to see but couldn't be in two places, and the extra CEUs will be great, too!”

This month, Benedictine will appoint three new senior vice presidents into key roles within the organization. Sister Joan Marie Stelman has been appointed senior vice president for mission integration; Laura Campbell has been appointed as senior vice president for people development; and Gift Matemba-Mutasa will join Benedictine as senior vice president for marketing.

Last week, LeadingAge’s Senior Vice President of Research, Robyn Stone, joined Mathematica’s Center for Studying Disability Policy and other panelists for a webinar on strengthening the direct care workforce post-COVID.

After 15 months of social distancing, LeadingAge Minnesota members are ready to gather again for an afternoon of outdoor fun and fundraising. The 2021 Golf Tournament and 5k Run/Walk will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 3 at Prestwick Golf Club in Woodbury. This year, we’ve added an alternate activity for non-golfers with the 5k Run/Walk.

The team that developed the 2019 Minnesota Drug Diversion Prevention Pathway has just released a series of seven short webinars to assist leaders in implementing the Pathway and provide drug diversion education for staff. 

With the start of tornado, wildfire, and flood season, HUD has reminded subsidized housing communities of their responsibilities for both properties and residents in the event of a disaster.

Featuring Dawn Nickleson, Passion for Dining and Nutrition, and Jennifer Anderson, EduCare

As you begin to navigate dining and culinary services requirements in the assisted living regulation, it is essential to recognize that both the Minnesota Assisted Living License Rules and the Food Code play a role in oversight, training, and compliance.

The transition to Assisted Living Licensure (ALL) also brings a transition to a new Assisted Living Bill of Rights. You should provide the Bill of Rights to both new and existing residents of the facility.

According to recent guidance, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) allows music activities and performance in long-term care settings and recommends several steps to ensure the safety of residents, staff and performers.

Beginning Monday, June 14, CMS will issue citations and mandatory fines to nursing homes that have not submitted the required vaccination-related data to CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network.

LeadingAge Minnesota has recently completed an update of our environmental scan, which tracks key trends and issues across various categories, including demographics, workforce, payment and consumer preferences. The scan is an excellent tool for strategic planning discussions with boards and other key leaders, and the recent updates reflect some of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and questions it raises for the future of long-term care.

With Governor Walz expected to call a special session on Monday, lawmakers worked this past week, mostly behind closed doors, to iron out differences in the two-year budget. By Monday, June 7, only three committees--Commerce and Energy, Legacy, and Higher Education--had publicly announced their joint budget agreements. Here is what you need to know about what is happening at the capitol this week:

Providers that recently applied for an assisted living license (ALL) must take three easy but essential steps by July 1 to ensure the application's approval and prepare for the Aug. 1 implementation date.

On Wednesday, June 16 from 9-10 a.m., Age-Friendly Minnesota invites you to join a Statewide Stakeholder Meeting to learn more about how you can engage with this initiative.

The next Assisted Living/Home Care Nurse Leaders Network (ALNET) meeting is scheduled for June 24 from 10–11:30 a.m.

This summer's District Meetings will be held starting on June 8. Except for District F, which will meet in person in July, all meetings will be held virtually and will go from 1 – 3 p.m.

If you haven’t done so already, please make sure to sign up for district meetings and earn your CEUs.

There are new requirements for clinical departments related to the new assisted living licensure. On June 29 and 30, a two-part virtual webinar series, Assisted Living Licensure Clinical Workshop, provides nurses an in-depth review of the requirements for clinical departments related to the new assisted living license.

The 2021 virtual Institute is now available for on-demand viewing and earning CEUs from June 1 through July 31.

More than 3,300 people attended the live broadcast of this virtual conference May 18-21, and even more are expected to log in to access all the educational sessions and keynote presentations.

The LeadingAge Minnesota Board of Directors will meet for a virtual strategic planning retreat on June 22. We are asking each member site to respond to a quick, 4-minute survey to inform its work.