News

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has announced that it is withdrawing the non-record keeping portions of the COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard ETS (the “Healthcare ETS”) the agency issued in June 2021. This standard establishes various protections for workers in settings where healthcare and health support services are provided and is separate from the vaccination or testing requirement issued by OSHA in early November.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-developed drug Paxlovid, the First Oral Antiviral Treatment of COVID-19.

Gov. Tim Walz announced a new initiative to recruit, train, and deploy at least 1,000 new certified nursing assistants for Minnesota long-term care facilities experiencing staffing shortages by the end of January. LeadingAge Minnesota and our Long-Term Care Imperative played a critical role in advocating for this initiative.

$50 million in American Rescue Plan funding will be sent to care centers soon to provide retention and recruitment bonuses for employees. Although the initial announcement indicated the money would arrive in December, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) plans to send the funding out on the Jan. 4 remittance advice due to red tape within the agency. Each care center will receive $10.97 times their number of Medicaid resident days on the 2020 cost report.

Starting this week, Minnesota National Guard teams arrived in selected nursing homes to fill staffing needs. On Nov. 22, 2021, Gov. Tim Walz announced an emergency relief package for nursing homes that included a plan to deploy 400 national guard soldiers in small teams to nursing homes that have crisis staffing needs. Starting this week, teams arrived in selected nursing homes to fill staffing needs.

The holidays are upon us, and several members asked questions about musicians in our settings. MDH published recommendations for music activities and performances during COVID-19 on May 28. The document is not healthcare specific, but it is the document that MDH references when asked about musicians in our settings.

On Tuesday of this week, a federal judge in Louisiana has granted a nationwide preliminary injunction against the COVID-19 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate following a lawsuit filed by Montana and 13 other states.

As we brace for a new COVID-19 variant and your teams are exhausted from staffing challenges, learn ways to reduce burnout risk in your organization. Register for a 30-minute workshop with Dr. Alyson Van Ahn from the Associated Clinic of Psychology.

CMS has updated its COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers list to address requirements for a nursing home's Director of Food and Nutrition Services.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is developing plans to distribute the $50 million in American Rescue Plan funds to care centers after an announcement from Gov. Walz last week. This funding is to provide recruitment and retention bonuses to staff when staffing shortages are having a significant impact on care centers statewide. The Long-Term Care Imperative is pleased that the Administration has heard our workforce concerns and is taking steps to address that problem.

You are feeling like you can't handle one more month, week, or day of COVID-19? Register for a 30-minute workshop with Dr. Alyson Van Ahn from the Associated Clinic of Psychology.

The Minnesota Department of Health has indicated that the agency will issue guidance for assisted living settings in the coming days, reflecting recent federal guidance for nursing homes and eliminating visitation restrictions in long-term care settings.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

These days, we have better knowledge and skills about managing big problems that seemed unimaginable before COVID. However, many of us are at the point now when even hearing the word "resilience" has become tiresome. 

Alongside our members, LeadingAge Minnesota is working to answer questions regarding both the OSHA and CMS Vaccine and Testing Emergency Temporary Standards. We have shared answers each day as quickly as possible, but we would like to summarize some of the frequently asked questions we are getting from members across the state.

When OSHA’s Nov. 5 COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (the “Vaccine ETS”) indicates that it does not apply to workplaces that are subject to the requirements of a broader COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard (the “Healthcare ETS”) that OHSA released in June 2021.

The Associated Press has reported that a coalition of 10 states sued the federal government on Nov. 10 to block the CMS COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers. The CMS rule remains in full effect, and the filing of this suit has no impact unless and until the court issues a ruling. We will follow this breaking story closely, but long-term care providers should continue working to implement the CMS vaccine rules.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today released the long-awaited rule requiring COVID-19 vaccination of staff working in a wide-range of Medicare and Medicaid-certified provider types.

The Midwest Coordination Center, in partnership with U.S. Health and Human Services Department is rolling out a free, federally funded COVID-19 reflexive testing program for congregate setting, including skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, and adult day services.

LeadingAge Minnesota has launched the second of six Self Care for Safe Care activities called Three Good Things. We invite you to write down three good things that happened to you each day to practice gratitude and build resilience throughout November and December.

If your organization has utilized Basic Care Aides (BCAs) during the public health emergency, please complete this two-question survey to identify the next steps for BCAs in your organization. The results of this survey will help determine the tools needed to help organizations upskill BCAs as required.