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September 08, 2021

Featured News

DHS Announces Timeline for Return to Background Studies with Fingerprints

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced a plan for moving from emergency background studies back to studies with fingerprints and photographs.

The plan calls for transitioning to fingerprint-based studies in stages for various provider types. Key target transition dates include:

  • Oct. 6: The start date for DHS licensed and non-licensed providers to resume fingerprint-based studies for new hires, including adult day providers.
  • Oct. 20: The start date for MDH licensed and non-licensed providers to resume fingerprint-based studies for new hires, including assisted living, home care, and nursing homes.
  • Dec. 1: The start date to resubmit a fingerprint-based study for all individuals who have had only an emergency background study.

DHS notes that it is continuing to conduct emergency studies at this time, and providers do not need to take any action until they are notified.  However, once DHS instructs a provider type to return to fingerprint-based studies, that group will no longer be able to submit emergency studies.

The Department will work with providers after Dec. 1 as it begins to accept resubmissions for fully compliant studies for those with emergency studies. The emergency studies will remain valid until July 2, 2022.

As described in this FAQ, DHS has selected a new vendor (IDEMIA), which is finalizing processes to provide services for fingerprints and photographs. A map of fingerprinting locations is not yet available, but we expect to have that information soon.

We will provide additional information for members as it becomes available.  If you have questions, please contact Jonathan Lips, and we will work to gather answers from DHS.

Workforce Survey Results to Inform Key Advocacy to Address Staffing Challenges

This week, the Long-Term Care Imperative is conducting a survey of workforce conditions faced by care center and assisted living members.

We’ve been hearing from members a great deal in the last few weeks about how the workforce situation has reached the point that it is an unprecedented crisis, so this survey will be crucial to informing legislators, state agency staff, media and the public in general about that situation.

This survey is a little longer than previous Long-Term Care Imperative surveys, but the information is essential, so we hope as many members as possible will participate.  We are giving members a little extra time to do so, as this survey is due by 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 13.

If you have questions about the survey, please contact Jeff Bostic.

At the Capitol: Minnesota Lawmakers Working Overtime on Hero Pay Bonus Package

Thursday, Sept. 2 marked the final working group meeting for Hero Pay. Since July, lawmakers have been meeting to finalize how the $250 million allocated to reward frontline workers will be distributed. In their final meeting, co-chairs Senator Housley and Majority Leader Winkler indicated that progress is being made. However, they have yet to reach a consensus and will continue the conversation beyond their self-imposed deadline of Sept. 7.

Where things are
The frontline working group on Hero Pay bonuses has officially reached its deadline without a consensus proposal. While the working group is committed to providing the legislature with a proposal agreed upon by all members, differences presently exist around the criteria for receiving a bonus. Democrat members would like a broader group of frontline workers to be included despite receiving a smaller bonus. Republicans are proposing that frontline healthcare workers receive bonus prioritization above other frontline workers. LeadingAge Minnesota and our Long-Term Care Imperative partners are advocating for a $1500 bonus for long-term care workers. Given that long-term care is the only sector spelled out in the initial legislation creating the bonus fund, we are strongly pushing lawmakers to ensure they receive a meaningful bonus.

Where things are going
The working group leadership has publicly committed to issuing a consensus proposal for the legislature to approve. While the initial commitment was to present these in Sept., we understand that the legislature will be called back into a special session in October to consider the recommendations. In the coming weeks, we will be developing more grassroots opportunities to advocate and make your voices heard to ensure long-term care workers receive a bonus that matches sacrifice and service.

COVID-19

COVID-19 Screening in Assisted Living

Last week, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) clarified their interpretation of COVID-19 prevention and infection control in assisted living licensed facilities. Screening of residents by staff is required for each resident who is receiving assisted living services. Residents who are only receiving housing and supportive services may screen themselves and report results to staff.

We posed several questions to MDH on operationalizing this guidance in a meeting with stakeholders and the Department late last week. Additional guidance from MDH is expected soon related to any documentation or tracking expectations of the provider, how to manage resident refusals, and how to manage the testing of those not on assisted living services should testing be indicated.

BCA Funding Extended

As the workforce crisis deepens due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 1135 waiver remains in place, grant funding for the Basic Care Aide and Paid Feeding Assistant Training programs has been extended until November. This support comes from the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation and EduCare. You may continue to register students here, while EduCare users can still access the training in your EduCare library.

We anticipate dynamic changes in caregiving needs, and organizations may still want to begin a plan to transition BCAs into Registered Nursing Assistants as they are able. Contact LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation’s OnTrack team to learn about how you can access online and on-demand nursing assistant training in addition to BCA. We offer options for organizations with and without MDH-approved Nursing Assistant Training programs.

Thank you for your patience as the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation adapts to the changing environment alongside providers. Questions can be directed to Jenna Kellerman.

Promote Random Acts of Kindness for Trauma Resilience

Resilience is our ability to bounce back from the stresses of life, and doing Random Acts of Kindness for others is a scientifically proven way to build resilience. Learn more in this 2-minute Self Care for Safe Care video with Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinics of Psychology.

Random Acts of Kindness can be as simple as bringing a co-worker a cup of coffee, leaving a note of kindness on a co-worker's desk or neighbor's door, or taking a few extra moments to sit down with a resident and ask them about their day. Research shows us that it can boost your happiness for up to 24 hours and increase your happiness and resilience for up to two weeks. 

Visit the Self Care for Safe Care site to find all the resources and tools for bringing Random Acts of Kindness to your community in Sept. and October. This is the first of six Self Care for Safe Care activities designed to build our resilience and increase our sense of happiness and well-being. 

For more information on Self Care for Safe Care or our other resiliency and mental health support resources, reach out to Jenna Kellerman or Julie Apold.

State News

Complete Affiliation of AL Background Studies Before Home Care Records Close

LeadingAge Minnesota encourages all assisted living providers to complete the background study affiliation process before the Minnesota Department of Health closes home care records. If your home care agency is closing, you must act quickly if you have staff to affiliate from your home care agency record.

Once a licensed entity closes, the background study records are locked. We have requested that MDH keep the home care agencies open for a brief period to allow providers to complete the process.

A commonly asked question is if all employees of an assisted living need a new background study. In most situations, new background studies should not be required; however, you must include all employees under the newly established assisted living record. If your assisted living was able to "affiliate" the managerial employees from your previous home care background study record, then you can also affiliate the remainder of your employees from the previous home care record under your new assisted living facility record. If you have many employees to affiliate, the designated Sensitive Information Person (SIP) can add individuals under them to assist in the process.

If your facility was in a situation that required a new SIP or was, for some other reason, not able to affiliate individuals from the home care record to the new assisted living record, then new background studies must be completed for your employees. Employees, individual contractors providing services, and regularly scheduled volunteers providing services are subject to the background study required by section 144.057 and may be disqualified under chapter 245C.

Federal News

Affordable Housing Members Call on Staffing Issues with LeadingAge National

Join our LeadingAge, our national affiliate, for a housing call on Monday, Sept. 13 at 11:30 a.m. CT to discuss staffing issues in affordable housing communities.

Based on the results of a recent LeadingAge survey, there will be a discussion on the number and types of positions that housing communities employ, HUD support for staffing, recruitment and retention issues, training, and salaries. LeadingAge hosts Housing Advisory Group calls every Monday at 11:30 a.m. CT, and any LeadingAge member can join. Email Linda Couch to learn more or to join the group.

Notable News

New CMP Grant Window: Employee Engagement with Align

Care centers have access to an engagement, retention, and leadership building platform for FREE through a grant for Align’s Employee Engagement Solution. A new grant window is opening soon, just as the previous cycle is wrapping up.

LeadingAge Minnesota and Care Providers of Minnesota collaboratively led this two-year initiative through the civil money penalty (CMP) grants to address employee turnover and its impact on the resident experience and quality of life in Minnesota skilled nursing facilities.

The grant opportunity offers full funding to nursing facilities to improve engagement and retention. In partnership with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) and Align, this project will provide tools to both measure staff engagement and make meaningful improvements to create a more engaged workforce. Ultimately, this will positively impact the experience of Minnesota skilled nursing residents.

Five Easy Steps to Apply for Grant Dollars
Step 1:
Download the RFP from the Minnesota Department of Human Services website entitled "Nursing Facility Align Employee Engagement Project." Read the RFP to ensure you understand this grant's goals and participant expectations and are prepared to write the most effective application. Download application from the Minnesota Department of Human Services website.

Questions about the application? For technical assistance in preparing your RFP response, please contact Munna Yasiri, DHS, at (651) 431–2264 or email at munna.yasiri@state.mn.us. Contacting any other state employee in connection with this RFP could result in rejection of your response. Email info@align30.com with your questions.

Step 2: Complete and submit your application package to DHS. The fillable form must be submitted to DHS as an email attachment by midnight on Aug. 30. A second round will open after Aug. 30 if this deadline is too soon for your organization. The email address for submission is DHS.NFRP.CostReport@state.mn.us.

Step 3: DHS will review your application and notify you if your application is accepted.

Step 4: Once you’ve received notification of acceptance, contact Align to arrange for your contract. Align will provide an invoice. Following payment, Align will provide you with a receipt to be submitted to DHS.

Step 5: Submit receipt to DHS for reimbursement of the full amount through CMP grant dollars.

Other questions can be directed to Jenna Kellerman at jkellerman@leadingagemn.org.

Member News

Final Week – 2022 Stars Among Us Award Nomination Deadline is Sept. 13

Nominations are due Monday, Sept. 13 for the 2022 Stars Among Us Awards.

Award categories include Caregiver, Volunteer, and Board Trustee of the Year, Outstanding Leadership, Spirit of Aging and the new Rising Star Award. Excellence in Practice organizational awards are for performance improvement and Safe Care for Seniors initiatives.

Nominations close at midnight on Monday, Sept. 13, and award recipients will be honored at the 2022 Institute & Expo, Feb. 9–11 in St. Paul. Click here for a complete list of awards and nomination details.

Two Weeks Until Advantage Moves to Thursday

To streamline and coordinate timing between national and state communications, Advantage, LeadingAge Minnesota’s weekly newsletter, will be sent to you on Thursdays starting on Thursday, Sept. 23. You can expect the same timely content delivered into your inboxes each week, just one day later.

In addition to the content you receive each week in Advantage from LeadingAge Minnesota and in the Need to Know newsletters from LeadingAge, we will continue to send member messages on Mondays to make sure you have all the information you need regarding COVID-19 and other essential topics like advocacy, new assisted living regulations, and more!

If you would like more information about the regular communications you can expect to receive from LeadingAge Minnesota, contact Libbie Chapuran, Director of Communications.

LeadingAge Minnesota Education Solutions

Fall Conferences Coming in Sept. and October

Make plans to join us at three signature event conferences this fall – the virtual Annual Meeting and Leadership Forum, the Quality and Patient Safety Conference and Workshop, and the Connect Conference. Registration is open for all events.

Connect Conference Oct. 27-28 in Brooklyn Center
The 2021 Connect Conference brings together senior housing, assisted living and home care on Oct. 27-28 at Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center.

The Connect Conference features education sessions and conversations to help navigate the new senior housing and home care landscape in the wake of assisted living licensure and the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes topics for Licensed Assisted Living Directors (LALDs) licensed under a legacy pathway to earn the required seven hours of continuing education within their first year of licensure. Conference details and registration are available here.

Virtual Annual Meeting is Sept. 22-24, Oct. 5
The 2021 Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum is all virtual. The conference will be held across four half-days on Sept. 22, 23, 24, and Oct. 5.

  • Wednesday, Sept. 22: 8:15 a.m.–1:45 p.m.
  • Thursday, Sept. 23: 7:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
  • Friday, Sept. 24: 8:30–10:45 a.m.
  • Tuesday, Oct.5: 8:30 a.m.–Noon

Registration fees remain at early bird rates through the conference. The content will be made available for on-demand viewing and earning extra CEUs through the end of November for all registered participants! Conference details and registration are available here.

Quality & Patient Safety Conference and Workshop Oct. 13-14
The Quality and Patient Safety Conference on Oct. 14 in Bloomington and the pre-conference workshop, Foundations of Quality Improvement, on Oct. 13 focus on building and improving quality programs in all aging services settings.

This two-part event delivers practical information and tools participants can use right away. The early bird registration rates are available through Sept. 14, and individuals may register for either event of both. Details and registration are available here. For more information on the pre-conference workshop, check out today’s article in Advantage.

Attend Pre-Conference Workshop to Strengthen Your Quality Improvement Program

Join colleagues on Oct. 13 to learn and practice approaches to enhance your quality improvement program, use data and information to drive decision-making and develop and implement solutions to address priority issues.

Having a solid quality improvement program and approach impacts all aspects of your organization, from meeting regulatory compliance, reducing costs, and maximizing value-based payments to improving resident satisfaction and care and staff engagement and retention.

In the workshop, we will be covering quality improvement topics such as a deep dive into identifying contributing factors and root causes, PDSA cycles, and understanding and using data to drive decision-making. The workshop is hands-on with opportunities to apply strategies to case studies and learn from quality improvement leaders to support successful implementation.

Details and registration for the Oct. 13 Pre-Conference Workshop and the Oct. 14 Quality & Patient Safety Conference are available here.  The early bird rates are available on or before Sept.14.

Register Today - Nursing Leadership Certificate Program Begins Sept. 29

Leadership has never been more critical than it is right now.

LeadingAge Minnesota's highly acclaimed Nursing Leadership Certificate Program begins Sept. 29 and runs through spring. It has a proven, 30+ year track record of developing and supporting nursing leaders in aging services.

The multi-session program combines lecture, discussion, experiential learning, self-assessment, independent assignments, and opportunities to interact with guest experts. It is facilitated by Kari Everson, Vice President of Clinical Services.

Find details and register here.

AgingServicesJobs.org
Find/post open positions serving older adults in Minnesota.