LEADINGAGE KANSAS NEWS
Weekly Webinar Recording
Thanks to all who joined us Friday morning for our weekly webinar. Here is the recording and here are the handouts. Jump on each week for information and updates about the coronavirus, Fridays at 10 AM. Register here.
Coping with COVID Mondays and Thursdays
Join us to learn tips, tricks and information to help your mental health during the pandemic.
FEDERAL NEWS
Summary and Analysis of Biden’s COVID Response and Relief Plan
Here is an article about the Administration’s $1.9 billion relief plan, the National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness, with a link to a LeadingAge-prepared 9-page summary and analysis of the seven goals within the plan, highlighting elements that particularly affect LeadingAge members. The Administration put together an outline of a legislative proposal, the American Rescue Plan, based on some of the elements of the National Strategy. The bill will have to make its way through Congress, where Congress will likely be shaping the details and adding some pieces of their own over the next couple weeks.
VACCINE NEWS
COVID-19 Vaccine Resources from CMS
CMS has compiled resources and materials to help you share important and relevant information on the COVID- 19 vaccine with the people that you serve. You can find these and more resources on the COVID-19 Partner Resources Page and the HHS COVID Education Campaign page. Don’t forget:
- Providers administering the vaccine to people without health insurance or whose insurance does not provide coverage of the vaccine can request reimbursement from the administration of the vaccine through the Provider Relief Fund.
- Resources to address vaccine hesitancy: Learn more about the benefits of the vaccine.
- Spread the word that the vaccine is safe and that safety is a top priority for COVID-19 vaccines.
- We must continue practicing the 3Ws (Wear a Mask, Watch your distance, Wash your hands).
National Survey on Staff Vaccination Rates and Strategies
This 5-10 minute survey developed by Brown University and AHCA, about staff COVID-19 vaccination rates, will be sent out to long term care providers this week. The information you provide is important and will be analyzed in partnership with the CDC and used to inform national efforts to increase vaccination rates. LeadingAge Kansas encourages members to participate in the survey. Please take the survey by Thursday, February 18th.
LEADINGAGE NATIONAL NEWS
Celebrating Love in Aging Services: #CareIsLove
This Valentine’s Day, LeadingAge is celebrating the bonds of love that grow throughout aging services. From Thursday, February 11 to Sunday, February 14, LeadingAge will transform our social accounts into a #CareIsLove celebration, including a targeted paid social effort to ensure maximum engagement among our social network and to expand our reach and visibility. To make it easy to participate, LeadingAge is providing customizable social graphics and templates, sample social posts, and op-ed, press advisory and pitch call templates for members. Use the materials on this page to join us.
How Exactly Does an Essential Caregiver Visitor Program Work?
Hear the answers to these questions on the Monday (February 8th) 2:30 PM Central LeadingAge Coronavirus Update calls.On the call on Monday, February 8, we’ll tackle a challenging question many providers have considered. Register to join live online coronavirus policy updates on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 2:30 PM Central.
Congressional Action Alert
All eyes are now on Congress as they work to figure out the next COVID-19 relief bill using a process called reconciliation. We are closely monitoring and advocating on this bill and will have updates soon. LeadingAge asks members to use their power to share their views about the need for reform with their members on the Hill, by responding to this Action Alert on the COVID relief we need now.
Letter Sent About Nursing Homes to the new Administration’s Domestic Policy Council
LeadingAge sent a letter earlier this week to the Domestic Policy Council in the Biden Administration to invite them to meet to discuss the future of nursing homes. Review the letter here. During the meeting, they hope to discuss the hard-learned lessons from the past year, including one very important lesson: we can and must do survey and enforcement differently. Points LeadingAge plans to advocate for:
- Improving care through collaborative survey approaches and re-evaluating the effectiveness of enforcements that take away the money that providers need for quality operations.
- Examining infection control and quality to prevent the challenges we have encountered related to PPE, testing, and social isolation.
- Looking at the impact of the 1135 waivers that have permitted some regulatory flexibility during the pandemic and using this as a jumping off point to evaluate what is lost and what is gained through regulation.
- Issuing long overdue interpretive guidance to help providers best navigate requirements in providing quality care.
- Working with and building on the currently ongoing the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine study to examine how we finance, regulate, and measure quality in long-term care.
LeadingAge’s letter was quickly acknowledged. Stay tuned for further developments.
Other Tools and Resources from National
- Addressing Staff Stressors and Mental Health
- Nursing Home Weekly: Recap of LeadingAge Update
- LeadingAge Need to Know for 2-8-2021
- Online Coronavirus Policy Update for 2-4-2021
- Senior Housing Weekly: Recap of LeadingAge Updates
- Updated Housing Credit “10 Red Flags” Tool
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