News

This week, the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) initiated a plan to demobilize COVID-19 emergency services for long-term care providers over the next several months. Noting significant progress in the fight against the virus, the SEOC has set a timeline for winding down services relating to crisis staffing support, personal protective equipment (PPE), testing/swabbing services, and vaccination administration support. 

With the conclusion of the state peacetime emergency agreed to by lawmakers last week, one of the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) policies that ends with it is a waiver of specific requirements around single rooms. Because of the frequency of quarantining of residents during the pandemic, DHS released a memo in November of 2020 that waived two policies around single rooms for quarantine situations:

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

Undoubtedly, everyone has been impacted by COVID-19. For those of us in senior care facilities, the likelihood that we've experienced trauma is high—the pandemic provided "collective" traumatic experiences.

The most recent Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) update on long-term care vaccination shows slow progress toward the goal rates continuing for staff, while resident rates remain outstanding.

Many skilled nursing facilities are planning ahead to transition caregivers and Basic Care Aides into Registered Nursing Assistant positions. The 1135 Waiver and corresponding Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) approvals that allow nursing assistants to work without being on the Registry still apply. However, there is growing concern amongst members regarding transitioning in advance of the waiver’s discontinuation.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

Do you know some of the quickest ways to get resilience have to do with giving a tiny bit yourself? Research shows that gratitude and acts of kindness not only impact others positively, but they give you a boost of goodness, sometimes for months. Goodness here means energy, reduced stress, improved overall well-being, including physical and mental health!

Late Friday, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) put out long-awaited guidance with specific timelines for reporting on the use of PRF dollars received by providers. The guidance addresses both how long providers have to use funds and when the use of the funds must be reported. The first reporting period opens on July 1 and must be completed by Sept. 30 and covers funds received before June 30, 2020. Those funds must be used by June 30 of this year, but funds received later have future deadlines for use.

According to recent guidance, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) allows music activities and performance in long-term care settings and recommends several steps to ensure the safety of residents, staff and performers.

Beginning Monday, June 14, CMS will issue citations and mandatory fines to nursing homes that have not submitted the required vaccination-related data to CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network.

Monday, June 7 and Thursday, June 10 are the final sessions scheduled for our COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador training. The training is free. If you’re interested in signing up, please email Jenna Kellerman to register by June 4.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

We've talked about resilience as "bouncing back" from hardship for many months now. But what does it mean to try bouncing back when actual burnout has set in? How about keeping up with leadership and management roles when you feel less able to keep organized and optimistic as we try to move forward?

LeadingAge Minnesota has pulled together recent data on vaccination rates, both for long-term care staff in Minnesota and the general population in Minnesota. While progress is continuing in the general population, the pace of improvement in long-term care has slowed recently.

LeadingAge Minnesota has pulled together recent data on vaccination rates, both for long-term care staff in Minnesota as well as the general population in Minnesota.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

By now, you’ve probably been bombarded with one stress after another. And then you hear one way to handle it after another. Resilience isn’t about doing anything perfectly or all at once.

LeadingAge Minnesota will offer the final sessions of our COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador training on Monday, June 7 and Thursday, June 10. The training is free. If you're interested in signing up, please email Jenna Kellerman to register by June 2.

Governor Tim Walz has acted to roll back temporary workforce flexibility relating to out-of-state licensed healthcare professionals.

In April 2020, Gov. Walz issued Executive Order 20-46, which authorized out-of-state healthcare professionals who hold an active license in good standing issued by another state to provide healthcare service in Minnesota during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency. This policy applied to individuals who would otherwise be required to obtain a license to practice here from the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice or the Minnesota Board of Nursing, including LPNs, RNs, and APRNs.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

You've been trudging along throughout the pandemic. Months of serving others and trying to preserve yourself can leave you feeling little purpose outside of keeping on going. Even though we can generally find our professional and personal roles rewarding, at this time, we might question how helpful we are or how much we can enjoy from day to day. 

In the most recent Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) update, staff rates for full vaccination were 60% in all reporting care centers and 53% in all reporting assisted living settings. MDH and providers continue to work toward a goal of 70% staff vaccination rates. MDH is now limiting reporting for providers who are meeting the goal rates for residents and staff, and as of the most recent report, 31% of providers are meeting the goal.

The change in guidance allowing for increased flexibility with PPE, visitation, and testing based upon vaccination status prompted questions regarding how to quickly identify the vaccination status of residents, staff, and visitors. Many long-term care organizations discussed using bracelets, different name tags, stickers or other means of readily identifying an individual’s vaccination status.

LeadingAge Minnesota has pulled together recent data on vaccination rates for long-term care staff in Minnesota and the general population in Minnesota and nationwide.