VACCINE NEWS
CDC Shares Latest on Pharmacy Partnership, Reporting System
Yesterday, the CDC told LeadingAge and a couple of other associations that first vaccine clinics have occurred or are scheduled at more than 12,500 nursing homes as part of the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, and that there remain more than 800 nursing homes with which CVS, Walgreens, and state and local health departments are still trying to make contact. Policy staff also heard an update on the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a reporting tool for vaccine side effects that pre-dates COVID-19. An article on these updates is here.
Vaccine Flow Sheet Available
The flow sheet to help determine how to proceed with vaccination if someone has symptoms. Download it here.
Allergic Reactions Including Anaphylaxis After Receipt of the First Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
CDC released an MMWR on the Allergic Reactions Including Anaphylaxis After Receipt of the First Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.
TESTING NEWS
HHS Updates Point-of-Care Testing Reporting for Nursing Homes
You may recall us alerting you at the end of December to changes in point-of-care testing reporting. On December 26th, HHS walked back their requirement that nursing homes must report point-of-care testing to NHSN. This change did not eliminate the requirement for “labs” (including nursing homes) to report point-of-care testing data but allowed for NHSN to simply be an option for reporting, with other options including a point-of-care testing platform and process established by your state. CDC updated the information on their site on December 28th (here). Around that time, HHS updated the Lab Data Reporting Guidance by eliminating the language related to NHSN reporting. On January 8th, HHS issued a newly updated Lab Data Reporting Guidance document that more clearly reflects the change, as excerpted below:
CMS-certified long-term care facilities may submit point-of-care SARS-CoV-2 testing data, including antigen testing data, to CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). This CDC- and CMS-preferred pathway to submit data to CDC’s NHSN applies only to CMS-certified long-term care facilities. Test data submitted to NHSN will be reported to appropriate state and local health departments using standard electronic laboratory messages. Other types of LTC facilities may also report testing data in NHSN for self-tracking or to fulfill state or local reporting requirements, if any.
STATE NEWS
TB Testing and Workers’ Compensation Question and Answer
During a member update on KDHE and KDADS’ plan to delay TB testing for those needing a COVID-19 vaccine, we received the following question:
Is there a worker’s compensation issue concerning delayed TB testing? Correct me if wrong, but I believe that if TB is not completed on employees by day 14, positive TB is considered a work-related illness? How will this play with a TB waiver for staff?
Answer from KING program legal counsel:
The TB testing is to protect against TB coming into a facility, and primarily for the protection of the residents. Therefore, the suspension of TB testing is not going to affect a potential TB claim by an employee. Regardless of whether TB testing occurs, any employee with a TB claim will need to prove that the TB came from a work exposure. I do not think the suspension of TB testing alone would have any impact on the claim.
FEDERAL NEWS
PPP Second Draw
We expect the loan portal to open up this week or early next, so if folks want/need a loan, we recommend starting that process ASAP. Learn more.
AHRQ ECHO National Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network
The AHRQ ECHO National Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network is offering a no-cost COVID-19 community of practice for nursing home staff and administrators. The Network will cover topics including:
- Infection control practices
- Vaccine distribution
- Testing and case management
- Use of personal protective equipment
- Managing social isolation
More than 8,500 nursing homes have already joined the Network. Sign up now to take advantage of a final enrollment period. If you have any questions, contact Janine Finck-Boyle.
LEADINGAGE KANSAS NEWS
Members in the News
Great article from NPR on Kansas Christian Home getting their Vaccine
Friday’s Webinar Will Feature Representatives from Walgreens and CVS
We have secured Christina Morris – CVS Pharmacy – Regional Director State Government Affairs and
Tracie Bowman – Walgreens Pharmacy – Regional Healthcare Director to talk about Vaccination this Friday at 10 AM. If you haven’t registered, you can do so here.
RESOURCES
Generous Member Offers to Donate BD Machine Supplies to Others in Need
PMMA has offered to donate extra BD machine supplies they have in inventory that will expire in the next 2 – 6 weeks. If you are in or near Olathe, Lawrence, Newton or Ark City and are in need of these supplies, email jgerstenkorn@pmma.org.
Compassion Fatigue? We Can Help
Have you ever heard of burnout? Or compassion fatigue? What about compassion satisfaction? These are terms that describe varying levels of one’s professional quality of life, or “the quality one feels in relation to their work as a helper.” The ProQOL is a standardized self-assessment tool that allows professional helpers to take a quick inventory of their well-being (www.proqol.org). Compassion satisfaction encompasses the positive aspects of being a professional helper – fulfillment of their passion or calling. Compassion fatigue is the negative aspect, including exhaustion, frustration, anger, and feelings of depression. When these emotions last longer than usual and become a pattern for a person, the term “burnout” becomes the more accurate descriptor. The ProQOL also seeks to measure the symptoms of Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) for a professional helper. STS is the farthest end of the spectrum where one feels fear and a need to avoid work or specific circumstances due to experiences of trauma at work.
In our Coping with COVID weekly groups (Mondays at noon and Thursdays at 4pm), we are learning about these different aspects of professional quality of life and well-being. We are planning on taking the ProQOL together this week, then we will talk about different ways to respond to the findings. Some of the practical tools to assist you in finding balance during this especially stressful time include: a) getting enough sleep; b) eating nutritional foods when your body is hungry; c) moving your body; d) mindfulness practices; e) specific exercises such as progressive muscle relaxation; and f) finding support from each other. For more information on the ProQOL, including the self-assessment tool, please go to www.proqol.org.
Any member’s employees can participate each Monday at Noon by registering here.
Starting January 14th, we will be adding a session on Thursdays at Noon. If that time fits your schedule better, register here.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2021 GOLD PARTNER
