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Testing continues to be an essential component of infection prevention and control in our settings. Questions about required testing continue because of the rapid guidance changes and the different required testing strategies between assisted living and nursing homes. New testing guidance for assisted living communities was updated on March 3.

The Senior LinkAge Line will be updating their verification codes, which will have a slightly different look than previously generated codes. The change is anticipated to take effect in April.

On Tuesday, March 29, LeadingAge Minnesota testified in support of our bill to provide permanent wage increases to caregivers in the Senate’s Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee.

The NHSN Vaccination Team is providing two webinars on Tuesday, March 29, and Thursday, March 31, at 1 pm to review new “Event-Level COVID-19 Vaccination Forms.”  These are currently called the Data Tracking Worksheets that are available to facilities in an Excel spreadsheet format. This worksheet has now been built into the NHSN application for long-term care facilities to manage person-level vaccination data.

Sodexo Seniors and McKnight's Senior Living are hosting a free webinar on the staffing challenges facing senior services on March 30 at noon (CT). Along with Sodexo Seniors CEO (Zeta Smith) and VP Human Resources (Jim Moran), Matt McNeill, Director of Senior Living at StuartCo and a LeadingAge Minnesota member, will be the featured presenters.

There are five weeks remaining to view on-demand content from the Virtual Institute and select sessions from the in-person conference. Access to view sessions and earn CEUs is available online for registered participants through April 30.

We invite you to join your colleagues from all over the state at our upcoming Virtual Day at the Capitol. It is a day filled with information and advocacy.

Attend the Sales & Marketing in Senior Living Certificate Program to refresh your marketing efforts, sharpen your sales and closing skills, and increase occupancy. The three-part series is April 12, May 10, and June 14 in St. Paul. It emphasizes the proven, foundational practices to help distinguish your community from your competitors. 

Mary Baker, a resident at The Glenn Minnetonka, was honored by LeadingAge Minnesota with the Spirit of Aging Award at LeadingAge Minnesota’s annual Institute & Expo. The Spirit of Aging Award honors an older adult who exemplifies the concept of positive and active aging.

Since August of 2021, several LeadingAge Minnesota members across the state have invited federal and state lawmakers from both political parties into their communities to raise awareness around the growing workforce crisis in long-term care

Employer applications are being accepted for the 2022 Summer Health Care Internship Program (SHCIP). Hospitals, clinics, nursing facilities, home care providers and adult day services facilities are encouraged to participate on behalf of qualified students in their community.

HUD's NSPIRE Demonstration program, which will replace REAC's current physical inspection standards and protocol under the Uniform Physical Condition Standards (UPCS) for the HUD-assisted housing portfolio, is on track to complete over 900 advisory inspections by the end of May 2022. HUD inspectors will continue to work with approximately 4,500 volunteer properties to identify potential adjustments to NSPIRE standards, protocols, and processes, which will then be rolled out to the broader portfolio.

Periodically, CMS raises the Quality Measure (QM) ratings’ thresholds in the Five Star Quality Rating System to promote continuously quality improvement. CMS is implementing a new process for raising QM rating thresholds by increasing the threshold for the average rate of improvement in QM scores by 50% every six months. For example, if there is an average rate of improvement of 2%, the QM rating thresholds would be raised 1%.   

The current round of applications for nursing facility moratorium exceptions has closed, and MDH recently informed LeadingAge that fifteen care centers submitted proposals for this round. A review committee will hear the proposals on May 3 and 4, and the MDH commissioner will announce the approved projects by June 22.

Last week, Governor Tim Walz released an updated supplemental budget that proposes to use the state’s more than $9 billion in general fund surplus. The Governor's proposed budget serves as a negotiating position in final budget conversations. Legislators in the House and Senate majorities will also advance their budget proposals in the upcoming weeks.

This week the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate approved passage of Senate File 2876, granting certain temporary waiver authorities to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), and authorizing DHS to invest $1 million in an emergency staffing pool.

OSHA announced this week that it will take new public comment on the emergency temporary standard (ETS) issued last summer in relation to COVID-19 exposure in healthcare settings, and will hold a public hearing on these issues April 27.

The federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) updated the reporting requirements for COVID-19 point of care (POC) tests. The update to section 18115 of the Cares Act changes the facility’s reporting requirements for negative point of care (POC) test results.

MDH recently shared data on surveys of Assisted Living facilities that had been conducted through February 2022. Since the initiation of Assisted Living Licensure, 126 surveys of conversion licensees were completed.

Back in January, DHS distributed $50 million in American Rescue Plan funding to care centers to provide hiring and retention bonuses to staff. Reporting on the use of the funds is due to DHS by end of day on Monday April 4.

Tomorrow, Friday, March 25, critical legislation being advanced by LeadingAge Minnesota and our LTC Imperative partner is scheduled to be heard in the House Human Service Finance and Policy Committee.

Sodexo Seniors and McKnight's Senior Living are hosting a free webinar on the staffing challenges facing senior services on March 30 at noon (CT). Along with Sodexo Seniors CEO (Zeta Smith) and VP Human Resources (Jim Moran), Matt McNeill, Director of Senior Living at StuartCo and a LeadingAge Minnesota member, will be the featured presenters.

On-demand content from the Virtual Institute and select sessions from the in-person conference are available online for registered participants to view and earn CEUs through April 30.

We invite your voices at our upcoming Virtual Day at the Capitol. Join other LeadingAge Minnesota members in a day filled with information and advocacy.

Attend the Sales & Marketing in Senior Living Certificate Program to boost your marketing efforts, sharpen your sales and closing skills, and increase occupancy. The three-part series is on April 12, May 10, and June 14 in St. Paul. It emphasizes the proven, foundational practices to help distinguish your community from your competitors.

Join us for a virtual conversation on March 22 at 3:30 – 4 p.m. to get a refresher on all we do to support our members. 

Volunteers were honored at the statewide and district levels at the recent Institute & Expo. The award recognizes individuals who volunteer in older adult services for their dedication, commitment, and positive impact on the lives of seniors and their communities.

Project Firstline, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), launched a new toolkit yesterday entitled Risk Recognition and Infection Control in Healthcare. As with other Project Firstline resources, the new toolkit aims to increase infection control knowledge and understanding among frontline staff.

In assisted living settings, there is a critical difference between “I’m Okay Checks” and “Security Checks” that every provider should understand.

This week, the makers of a COVID-19 vaccine applied with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization (EUA) for a second booster dose.