LEADINGAGE KANSAS NEWS
LeadingAge Kansas continues, in cooperation with KHCA, to advocate for emergency regulatory relief and waivers as the pandemic re-escalates. We pressed the Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) to take up our request at their September 15th meeting. No agenda is available, yet. See our letter to the LCC and Governor.
STATE NEWS
Please Respond to KDHE/KDADS LTCF Booster Preparedness Survey by September 14th
It is likely the FDA will authorize boosters and the CDC will recommend boosters within the next 30 days for people 65 or older, healthcare workers, and long term care residents and staff.
KDADS and KDHE are collecting information from long-term care facilities in preparation for the coming COVID-19 boosters. If you haven’t already done so, please complete this 2-minute survey by Tuesday, September 14th.
Learn About Emergency Use of mAbs (Regen-Cov)
If you have decided to administer mAbs (monoclonal antibody treatment) you must register to use HHS Protect to report inventory on hand. Email: hhs-protect@teletracking.com or Call 1-877-570-6903. Once registered, use the online order form to request mAbs. Make sure to order Regen-Cov if you are planning to use it for post-exposure prophylaxis as well as treatment for patients with a positive COVID-19 test.
More resources on this topic:
- The phe.gov website has a lot of useful information about using mAbs, including a playbook which is helpful for thinking about supplies you’ll need for administration.
- The EMS protocol for mAbs administration.
- Info related to billing CMS for the administration fee.
- HHS/ASPR Weekly Updates and Office Hours webpage for additional information about support for mAbs providers.
Questions? Email Deputy State Health Officer Joan Duwve at joan.duwve@ks.gov
FEDERAL NEWS
Biden-Harris Administration to Expand Vaccination Requirements for Health Care Settings
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced yesterday that emergency regulations requiring vaccinations for nursing home workers will be expanded to include hospitals, dialysis facilities, ambulatory surgical settings, and home health agencies, among others, as a condition for participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The decision was based on the continued and growing spread of the virus in health care settings, especially in parts of the U.S. with higher incidence of COVID-19.
Here’s a good snapshot of the provisions: New White House Plan: Expanded Vaccine Mandates, Boosters, Testing, Provider Help.
The expanded vaccination requirements are a part of the “Path Out of the Pandemic: President Biden’s COVID-19 Action Plan,” released yesterday.
LEADINGAGE NATIONAL NEWS
Next Week’s Coronavirus Update Calls
- September 13, 2:30 PM – Join Dr. Robert Wachter of the University of California, San Francisco for his thoughts on what’s going on with breakthrough infections, and whether they are higher in congregate living settings for older people, plus his perspective on boosters.
- September 15, 2:30 PM – Has your community noticed a change in resident attitudes toward and treatment of staff, as the pandemic wears on and with staffing shortages so common? Peter Sullivan of member organization Birch Bay Village will join the Update Call to talk about strategies for creating and maintaining a culture of respect and caring between residents and staff, even in these tough times.
If you haven’t registered for LeadingAge Update Calls, you can do so here.
RESOURCES
- Why I got Vaccinated Poster
- A Guide for Talking to Your Congregation: Supporting Empathetic Congregational Conversations on COVID-19 Vaccination
- OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard FAQs
- Study Shows Vaccine Hesitancy is Not All Politics. A Brookings Institute study indicates that a person’s hesitancy on getting the flu vaccine is much more likely to predict whether they will get the COVID vaccine, rather than political leanings. Read more.
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