News

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

Just when things are looking hopeful on the COVID front, we may find ourselves less than elated. We may have encouragement from lower COVID case counts, hospitalizations and death rates. This is progress. But, sometimes progress and hope improve our outlook and at the same time we are left perhaps more discouraged when losses continue or resurface.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is notifying providers that they have applied federal relief to 2020 unemployment insurance charges. Many not-for-profits are “reimbursing” providers under that program, meaning that they do not pay the regular unemployment insurance tax but must cover actual unemployment insurance costs. During the pandemic, those costs spiked due to employees who did not want to take the risk of working during the pandemic.

In the most recent Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) update, staff rates for full vaccination were 58% in all reporting care centers and 49% in all reporting assisted living settings. These numbers both increased 1% from the previous week. To reach the MDH goal of 70% staff vaccination rates, providers will need to continue encouraging vaccinations among staff. MDH is now limiting reporting for providers who are meeting the goal rates for residents and staff, and as of the most recent report, 26% of providers are meeting the goal.

According to the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, the most effective way to address vaccine hesitancy is through conversations with trusted peers. LeadingAge Minnesota has piloted COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador training, a new Safe Care for Staff initiative for frontline staff. We have scheduled additional training opportunities on April 30, May 3, and May 6. The training is free. Please register by April 28.

In the most recent Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) update, staff rates for full vaccination were 57% in all reporting care centers and 48% in all reporting assisted living settings. These numbers are essentially unchanged from the previous week. To reach the MDH goal of 70% staff vaccination rates, providers will need to continue encouraging vaccinations among staff. MDH is now limiting reporting for providers who are meeting the goal rates for residents and staff, and as of the most recent report, 25% of providers were meeting the goal.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) posted an update on April 20 to its Long-term Care Visitation Guidance Flowchart for Outbreak Status tool. MDH first released this resource a few weeks ago as a companion to its updated guidance on indoor visitation. The April update provides additional information to explain how outbreak testing and visitation intersect.

The CDC will host a call on Monday, April 19, 11 a.m. CT for LeadingAge and Argentum members to provide information and perspective on COVID-19 for independent living settings. The call will also include an update from CDC on guidance for adult day services.

In the most recent Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) update, staff rates for full vaccination were 56% in all reporting care centers and 48% in all reporting assisted living settings. These numbers both went up by one percentage point in the last week, which is encouraging. To reach the MDH goal of 70% staff vaccination rates, providers will need to continue encouraging staff vaccinations. MDH is now limiting reporting for providers who are meeting the goal rates for residents and staff, and as of the most recent report, 23% of providers were meeting the goal.

According to the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, the most effective way to address vaccine hesitancy is through conversations with trusted peers. LeadingAge Minnesota has piloted COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador training, a new Safe Care for Staff initiative. We have scheduled additional training opportunities on April 30, May 3, and May 6. The training is free and open to all staff.

The most effective way to address vaccine hesitancy is through conversations with trusted peers, according to the Institute of Healthcare Improvement. With these findings, LeadingAge Minnesota has developed a set of resources to help leaders improve staff vaccination acceptance through a new Safe Care for Staff initiative.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

In senior care communities, there are a lot of medications passed in the hopes of improving or maintaining the health of residents. What’s often overlooked is all the care that you provide—for residents, colleagues and your own families—is essential medicine, too.

As we work toward the LeadingAge goal of 75% of staff receiving their COVID-19 vaccination by July 1, we will be tracking our progress across the LeadingAge Minnesota membership and will be highlighting organizations that have reached or exceeded the Drive for 75 vaccination goal. 

In the most recent Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) update, staff rates for full vaccination were 55% in all reporting care centers and 47% in all reporting assisted living settings. These numbers increased slightly in the last week, which is good to see. To reach the MDH goal of 70% staff vaccination rates, providers will need to continue encouraging vaccinations among staff.

CMS has approved modifications to alternative adult day services effective immediately.  The modifications will:

• Increase the maximum daily service duration for alternative adult day services (delivered remotely and/or in person) to one person at a time from 4 hours per day to 6 hours per day
•  Increase the maximum number of people attending online events.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has implemented changes to the vaccination reporting for long-term care providers. As mass clinics wrap up, MDH is implementing what they call “maintenance mode” for providers who have achieved a 70% vaccination rate for both staff and residents. At this point, 15% of providers meet that standard; therefore, they will be asked only to report monthly to show that they are maintaining high vaccination rates.

As providers across the country work to absorb and implement updated visitation guidance, many questions are rising to the surface. To address these trending questions, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hold a National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call this Thursday, March 25, from 3 – 4 p.m. CT.

According to Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) data collected through March 17, 97% of care centers and 50% of assisted living have completed a third clinic. By the next weekly update, the mass vaccination clinic program will likely be completed.

First dose staff vaccination rates were 57% in all reporting care centers and 51% in all reporting assisted living settings. Some of the difference is due to care centers being ahead of the curve on the number of clinics held; the staff vaccination rate in assisted living has room to rise with the completion of third clinics.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is continuing its efforts to support COVID-19 vaccination efforts in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other congregate living facilities.

Knowing our settings will be completing third clinics over the next couple of weeks, MDH, in consultation with LeadingAge MN and other provider associations and existing long-term care (LTC) vaccine providers, has launched an interim process for staff and residents to access vaccine administration until more vaccine is made more widely available.

Applications are due March 24 at 5 p.m. for two LeadingAge MN Foundation rural grant programs:

LAMF COVID-19 Courage Funds Grants
For staff support funds, LAMF is offering grants of up to $10,000 for each awarded site. Called the LAMF COVID-19 Courage Funds Grants, these applications can be for existing or new staff support programs that provide cash assistance and/or mental health support for staff of LeadingAge Minnesota senior care provider members across settings including assisted living, care centers, home care, and adult day programs.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

This month marks the anniversary of when COVID arrived in Minnesota and began to ravage our facilities and dismantle our personal and professional lives.

The anniversary can leave us sad for what we have lost, angry that we are not over this yet and too exhausted from months of survival mode to feel good about our work. It can also cast doubt on whether the huge effort we have put into keeping things as good as possible even made a difference.