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While COVID-19 cases in aging services settings have fallen sharply in recent months, we know the virus is still having a serious impact on many providers.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) wishes to remind providers that it continues to have resources available for nursing homes and assisted living providers that need support:

On Feb. 16, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) released a new document COVID-19 Recommendations for Health Care Workers that reviews diagnostic testing of health care workers (HCW), management of HCW exposure to COVID-19, HCW return to work, guidance for ill HCW and travel recommendations for our staff. Additionally, within the guidance document, MDH cites several already existing documents that informed the creation of this resource.

LeadingAge Minnesota President & CEO Gayle Kvenvold announced this week in a President’s Message that the 2021 Institute will be a virtual conference from May 18-21.

Respiratory disease is one of the leading causes of death and disability. During COVID-19, respiratory therapists are treating even greater numbers of clients with compromised lung function. Two complimentary webinars hosted by Select Rehabilitation provide strategies for treatment interventions and in-room therapy.

Next Gen Governance for a Next Gen World is a two-part workshop for executives and board members to explore proactive and agile governance in navigating your organization through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explores reputation management to restore consumer confidence and includes a study of top trends impaction senior living.

The Governance Workshop is April 7 and 14, 4 – 6 p.m. each day. Find complete details and register here.

This month, Friendship Village of Bloomington will officially open the first phase of its new health center to area seniors. The project adds 16 assisted living apartment homes and five memory care suites to the senior living community, bringing the total communitywide capacity to 42 assisted living apartments and 32 memory care suites. The three-story building is equipped with a secure memory care courtyard, game and activity room, and spa bath.

Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm visited Jones-Harrison to highlight Minnesota’s successful vaccination effort in long-term care settings on the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 9.

LeadingAge Minnesota recently mailed out complimentary copies of the 2020 compensation reports for nursing facilities and senior housing providers to members who participated in those surveys. Copies of those reports are now available for purchase by members who did not participate.

We noted two newsworthy items from CDC this week relating to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) data collection system.

Monoclonal Antibodies
CDC has added data fields for monoclonal antibodies to the NHSN COVID-19 surveillance module.

Earlier today, LeadingAge sent all care center members Five-Star Analysis reports that reflect updates to the data implemented by CMS a couple weeks ago. For more details on the scoring updates, go to this recent Advantage story that covers the changes in depth.

The Minnesota Department of Health is offering a webinar on Thursday Feb. 18, 2021, from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Information will be provided regarding changes to the laws that affect home care, assisted living and housing with services providers in relation to assisted living licensure.

With about a month to go until the first of three lawmaking deadlines, policy makers are shepherding numerous bills through the committee process, in particular, legislation that allows for providers to have extra time to get background reviews completed for their employees following the expiration of the public health emergency. Here is what you need to know about what’s happening at the Capitol:

Join us starting March 15, 2021 for a week of virtual advocacy at the Capitol featuring expert training from our public affairs team, inspiring conversations with aging services leaders, opportunities to meet with your legislator, and times to share with colleagues from around the state about your successes and challenges in serving seniors. 

The public comment period on the proposed rules for assisted living closed on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 4:30 p.m. In addition to comments provided during the public hearing held Jan. 19 and 20, over 275 were submitted to the administrative law judge (ALJ) on the topic of assisted living licensure.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

You are in good company if you have noticed changes in your sleeping patterns during COVID-19. Because of factors like extra screen time, change in routines and increase in stress, we are prone to poor sleep at this time. Sleep is important not only for our well-being and stability of mood, but it is also linked to immune system function.

Evan Shulman, Director of the Division of Nursing Homes, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will answer questions about how CMS is approaching any changes in visitation guidance on Thursday, February 11 at 2:30 on the Coronavirus Update Call hosted by LeadingAge, the national partner of LeadingAge Minnesota.

This week, the Minnesota Association for Geriatrics Inspired Clinicians (MAGIC) launched a new video resource to help providers address vaccine hesitancy in long-term care settings.

A 14-day quarantine after admission is daunting for many residents.  Transitions may already be difficult and are now compounded by the necessary infection prevention and control practices in place during the pandemic.

The Minnesota Senate’s Human Services Licensing Policy Committee has advanced a proposal designed to address challenges with Minnesota’s background studies system.

Leadership Academy is returning in June 2021. The acclaimed leadership development program will begin in a virtual setting with plans to resume in-person meetings as soon as it is safe to do so. Leadership Academy blends leadership theory, applied learning, and personalized coaching to groom leaders in our field. Now entering its 12^th year, the program boasts over 300 graduates.

Preparing for Minnesota’s Assisted Living Licensure is a three-part webinar series to help prepare providers with a basic knowledge and understanding of the Assisted Living Licensure requirements which will be implemented in Minnesota on August 1, 2021. The series is facilitated by attorneys from business partner firm Fredrickson & Byron, PA.

Respiratory disease is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States and with the emergence of COVID-19, therapists are treating even greater numbers of clients with compromised lung function. Select Rehabilitation is offering two complimentary webinars that provide strategies for treatment interventions and in-room therapy.

How do we maintain our not-for-profit values and missions of service, while performing and competing at levels that position us to emerge from the pandemic as strong, long-term players in the field of senior services?

LeadingAge Minnesota extends our deep appreciation and gratitude to Sue Voigt, partner at Voigt, Rode, Boxeth & Coffin Law Firm, for her years of dedicated service to our field and our association. Sue has announced she has stepped away from her practice as of Feb. 1, 2021.

Livanta, the Quality Improvement Organization for Minnesota, announced a change in how it will communicate with providers on appeals cases. What follows is an alert Livanta issued on Feb. 1.

Ahead of the Jan. 31 expiration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has ordered the extension of the current eviction moratorium for non-payment of rent.

The order prevents residential evictions until March 31; tenants must self-certify eligibility for the protections. The extension keeps the moratorium largely unchanged, and tenants who previously submitted the self-certification should not have to resubmit.

In the meantime, we are advocating to quickly provide rent relief for senior housing communities impacted by COVID-19.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is making some changes to the timeline and process for the Performance Incentive Payment Projects (PIPP) program, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next PIPP Request for Proposals will be posted in a couple of weeks. PIPP proposals for this year will be due to DHS by June 1, 2021 to allow eligible settings more time to research and submit projects.

The assisted living licensure rule comment period ends Tuesday, and it is not too late to make your voices heard! We strongly encourage you to submit comments before the public comment period closes. The deadline to submit comments is 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2021. You can submit a comment electronically, found at https://minnesotaoah.granicusideas.com/.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

As helpers, we pride ourselves on assisting those who have lost control of their lives in some manner. Residents may have memory loss, an injury, a loss of independence or feeling they’ve lost control of decisions made about their lives. For leaders, it’s important to guide staff with a sense of control that’s flexible and also conveys confidence and security.

The Hennepin Healthcare ECHO Training Center is recruiting an additional cohort for the AHRQ ECHO National Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network. The first session will start Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. They will be enrolling 33 nursing facilities in this cohort.