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Beginning in early 2021, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is gathering data about direct care workers in Home and Community Based Services organizations. Organizations are asked to identify a contact person to complete this survey and can submit their contact information here.

On October 25^th, staff of the Board of Executives of Long-Term Services and Supports (BELTSS) submitted the draft Licensed Assisted Living Director rules to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). The rules will be posted for a 30-day public comment period to begin December 1, 2020 (LeadingAge Minnesota will provide a link as soon as it is available). A Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR) has also been prepared and can be viewed on the BELTSS website along with the updated rule draft.

Last week, MDH shared a discussion document with LeadingAge MN staff outlining key questions regarding the application of physical plant and design requirements under the assisted living licensure law to existing settings and those settings under development. At the time 144G passed the Legislature, there was a common understanding among stakeholders that existing providers would be grandfathered under current building codes and new physical plant requirements would not apply. We further understood that these “legacy providers” would include those settings currently under development, so long as they had applied for building permits on or before July 31, 2021.

MDH has released Proposed Rules for Assisted Living Licensure. It is important to note that these rules are not yet final, and changes may be made through the rulemaking process.

As staff, residents, and families plan for the Thanksgiving holiday, the CDC has published winter holiday guidance and recommendations for COVID-19 safe practices. Members may want to link to this page on your organization’s website and post it in your employee publications in the coming weeks. This guidance includes tips for hosting gatherings, attending events, and traveling safely if necessary.

As community spread of COVID-19 continues at a rapid pace in Minnesota, it has consequences for care centers under the CMS staff testing mandate. The most recent CMS data, for the period from 10/15 through 10/28, has 29 counties with red status, due to a test positivity rate of over 10%. That’s up from 13 counties just a week before. Care centers who are using the CMS data to determine their testing practice and who are now in a red county will have to implement twice a week staff testing.

Antigen tests are a rapid test used to determine whether or not an individual has a current infection. Multiple antigen testing methods are available in long-term care settings including the BD Veritor antigen test machine, the Sophia Quidel antigen test machine, and the Abbot BinaxNOW card tests.

As of the writing of this article, votes are still being counted in several close races in St. Cloud, Rochester, Austin and a few key suburbs, however, it is looking like there will not be a major shift in party control in the Minnesota Legislature. Minnesota entered the 2020 election with the only divided Legislature in the country. DFLers were seeking to gain control over the Minnesota Senate, allowing for single party control of the state Government, something that hasn’t happened since 2013. It needed only to knock off two Republican incumbents and hold its own seats to retake the Senate.

We received a question recently asking if a healthcare worker who experiences a high risk exposure to COVID-19, but who is asymptomatic and has not tested positive for the virus, may return to work prior to the end of his or her 14-day quarantine – if staffing needs are acute. The answer is yes, but only if certain conditions are met.

In new Guidance for Selecting In-building Visitation Area in Long-Term Facilities (11/04/20) released today, MDH provides more details about divider specifications in rooms or visitation areas, as well as specifics on room ventilation and airflow diagrams.

Expanding the Reach of Your Adult Day Services: Meeting the Needs of Older Adults on Public Programs – 2-Part Webinar Series 

Part 1 - Monday, November 2, 2020 - 2 - 3 p.m.
Part 2 - Monday, November 16, 2020 - Noon – 1 p.m.

Today’s Unemployment Claims: An Employer’s Guide

The arrival of the pandemic brought many changes to federal and state laws on unemployment compensation for workers in health care settings including changes to employees’ eligibility criteria and the effect of paid benefits on your unemployment costs.

This November, the LeadingAge Annual Meeting Virtual Experience will include keynote speakers Dr. Brené Brown, Vernā Myers and Scott Gottlieb addressing how to prepare for the future in the aging services field.

Throughout the months during the pandemic, we have heard some amazing stories about your staff team’s dedication and resilience. We’d love to shine the spotlight on these “COVID Silver Linings” through our annual Stars Among Us Awards.

Everyone is working hard to balance visitation and safety. LeadingAge Minnesota’s new 4-minute Safe Practices for Safe Visits video provides the 4 key safety rules

November is Mask Month! Join your colleagues in creating safe mask wearing habits across our communities.

For the past 15 years, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs has hosted a live Veterans Day event, typically held at the Veterans Memorial Community Center in Inver Grove Heights.

A national survey of senior housing providers by LeadingAge finds COVID-19 cases in a majority of communities, and that financial strain and resident social isolation are key concerns.

In LeadingAge Minnesota’s weekly Huddles and Clinical Coaching Rooms, we continue to get questions about the length of quarantine and when staff can be back at work.

The LTC Imperative recently wrapped up our most recent short survey, this one on testing practices using questions developed in consultation with MDH to give them a view into what is happening with testing in long-term care.

The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) may be able to assist your organization with emergency staffing needs related to COVID-19.

Today, the Minnesota Department of Health published two new resources to assist members with testing and reporting requirements. 

Registration opened this week for nursing homes to join a 16-week online learning collaborative on COVID-19 care and prevention—led by Hennepin Healthcare Systems and the University of Minnesota

Federal authorities announced today that they will be distributing about $333 million in first-round infection control performance payments to more than 10,000 care centers based on their results battling the spread of COVID-19.

Senior living and other long-term care providers now have until Nov. 6 to sign up for the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program.

2020 Sales & Marketing in Senior Housing Certificate Program
Oct. 20, 27; Nov. 10, 19; Dec. 1, 8 (six virtual half-days)

The Annual Minnesota Real Estate Journal Senior Housing Summit, presented by Ebenezer, will take place on October 29.

One of the most important elements of any senior living experience is dining. Prospective clients inquire about it. Current residents talk about it.

Webinar Series Announced for Adult Day Providers

Attention Adult Day Services providers: Three upcoming webinars are specifically designed for you to address some of 2020’s unique challenges.

The CNA Staffing Summit, hosted by The National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA), offered an unfettered look at the career of nursing assistants and the state of our long term care work environments during the COVID-19 pandemic.