LEADINGAGE KANSAS NEWS
Here is the Recording from our Weekly Webinar
Did you miss our webinar today? Never fear, we have the recording and handouts for you to peruse. Don’t forget to re-register (if you haven’t already) for our weekly webinar. Register here.
STATE NEWS
Latest KDHE COVID-19 Update for Local Partners
Here are the slides and Q&A for the 10-7-21 COVID-19 Update for Local Partners webinar. If your time is limited, at least take a look at slides 9,10,11, 18, 30, 59, 60, 61. Listen to the recording.
The next Update will take place Thursday, October 14th at 10AM. Register here. Password: KDHECOVID
FEDERAL NEWS
Phase 4 Provider Relief Funds – A Clarification from Nicole Fallon at LeadingAge National
Provider Relief Funds can be used for the same things as before…those expenses and lost revenues related to preparing for, responding to and preventing coronavirus. This is outlined in the terms and conditions for use of the funds. There are a lot of moving parts here:
- First, there is what is required by the application. The Phase 4 application only wants your application to include these relevant expenses/losses for the timeframe July 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021. These data will be used to determine the amount of the payment you receive. The time limits were imposed by Congress that remaining PRF could only be distributed based upon losses/expenses from this timeframe.
- Second, there is the timeframe for which you can use any Phase 4 PRF received. Once you receive a Phase 4 payment, you can use that payment to cover permitted losses and expenses (as described in the terms and conditions) that are incurred between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022 (this is called the period of availability) assuming you receive your payment by December 31, 2021, which is HRSA’s plan.
- Third, there is the timeframe that you need to report on how you used the funds. Providers who receive Phase 4 and any other PRF between July 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 will be required to report on the use of these funds in Reporting Period 4 by March 31, 2023.
Deadline to Apply for Emergency Rural Health Care Grants is October 12th
$500M in COVID-19 ARP funds are available for rural health care. See original announcement. USDA is administering the program. Eligible entities: Government entities and government owned entities; non-profits and total/urban consortiums; and tribes. There are two tracks of funds to apply for:
- Track 1 – Recovery Grants – provide immediate relief to address the economic conditions arising from the COVID-19 emergency (dollars can be used for pre-award costs incurred related to COVID-19 as long as not reimbursed by other federal sources); and
- Track 2 – Impact Grants – future efforts to address and support long-term sustainability of rural health care. The grants do have a matching requirement that may not make applying manageable for all rural members.
Track 1 applications will be determined by each state USDA Rural Development Office, while the federal USDA office will review Track 2 applications. More information on these two grant programs including the application guides is available here.
HHS Posts Strike Team Guidance
As reported last week, the feds are releasing $500M to state public health agencies to assist LTC facilities with COVID-19 response. HHS has released Nursing Home & Long-Term Care Facility Strike Team and Infrastructure Project Guidance. The guidance spells out the administration and use of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021’s $500 million funding for states to establish and implement strike teams to help respond to COVID-19 in Medicare-certified ($250 million) and Medicaid-certified ($250 million) nursing homes. The state strike teams are to assist Medicaid- and Medicare-certified nursing homes with clinical care, infection control, or staffing during the COVID-19 emergency period and for one year following the emergency period. LeadingAge will provide additional analysis of this guidance.
LeadingAge Kansas met earlier this week for a preliminary discussion with state officials. KDHE will be required to submit a plan as to how the funding will be used. In our initial conversation, we emphasized the multi-faceted workforce crisis. Questions that are out there: 1) How much funding is Kansas eligible for (estimate is around $5+M), 2) How can this funding help with staffing problems associated with COVID-19.
If you have ideas about how the funding could be used to help with staffing during a COVID outbreak, that will be especially helpful. Send your ideas to rachel@leadingagekansas.org. Thank you for your input.
VACCINE NEWS
- CDC updated the “Who is Eligible for a COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot?” page. Specifically, a booster shot is administered when a person has completed their vaccine series and protection against the virus has decreased over time. Additional doses are administered to people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems. This additional dose of an mRNA-COVID-19 vaccine is intended to improve immunocompromised people’s response to their initial vaccine series.
- CDC updated their key things to know about COVID-19 vaccines to include additional information on eligibility, effectiveness, safety, population immunity, and variants. CDC also updated their information for older adults on the COVID-19 vaccine to include additional information on booster shots. The update also emphasized that the vaccines cannot make you sick with COVID-19.
- A new report from the US HHS shows that COVID-19 vaccinations may have helped prevent hundreds of thousands of new COVID-19 infections and tens of thousands of deaths among seniors. The study found that vaccinations were linked to a reduction of approximately 265,000 COVID-19 infections, 107,000 hospitalizations, and 39,000 deaths among Medicare beneficiaries between January and May 2021.
LEADINGAGE NATIONAL NEWS
Upcoming LeadingAge Policy Calls
- October 11th, 2:30 PM LeadingAge Coronavirus Call topic- Workforce Strategies to help with employee engagement and retention.
- October 13th, 2:30 PM LeadingAge Coronavirus Call topic- CNA mentorship program, Drive culture webinars, and employee benefits.
If you haven’t registered for LeadingAge Update Calls, you can do so here.
Please Do Your Part – Send a Message to Your US Representative and Senators Today (Ask Others to Do the Same)
We need you and people in your sphere of influence that are interested in services for older adults to send a message to your U.S. Representative and Senators today. Remember, you are encouraged to personalize and modify the template message as you desire.
New Insights and Tools from LeadingAge
- LeadingAge Releases Booster Shot Toolkit for Long-Term Care Settings
- HUD Will Require Owners to Notify At-Risk Residents of Emergency Rental Assistance
- Expert Insights: Interview with Brian Kane, October 4, 2021 (Religious exemptions)
- Staffing Survey: Better Pay, Vaccine Avoidance and Temporary Staffing Agencies are Top Concerns
RESOURCES
OSHA ETS – 2 Example Plans. Among other things, they lay out medical removal provisions well.
- https://beavercreekrehab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/OSHA-COVID-19-Plan-Final.pdf
- https://www.globalmedicalresponse.com/docs/7-06-21-covid-19-healthcare-ets-model-plan.pdf. One page summary: https://www.aaoms.org/docs/COVID-19/Medical_Removal_Protection_OSHA.pdf
THANK YOU TO OUR BRONZE LEVEL SPONSOR
