VACCINE NEWS

Kansas Vaccine Website
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/ includes data, vaccine information/FAQ, how providers like physicians and pharmacies can apply to get and give the vaccine, priority categories and how/where to access the vaccine.  Some of this information is still being loaded into the website. Questions? Email Phil Griffin  or Kendra Baldridge.

KDHE reports that 3.8% of Kansans have been vaccinated as of this noon today.  

PPE NEWS

Storing Bulk PPE…Have You Created a Hazardous Area?
Like so many new focus areas and challenges brought on by the pandemic, the emphasis on personal protective equipment (PPE) has created some unintended consequences in regard to Life Safety Code® compliance. With various states mandating significant PPE quantities to be on-hand, some organizations are forced to create new storage locations. This sometime involves the repurposing of existing spaces that were utilized differently in the past. In many cases, this essentially creates “new” hazardous areas. Read more.

STATE NEWS

Highlights of KDADS Weekly Meeting with LTC Associations
The every Tuesday meetings of the LTC associations and KDADS, that started in the initial days of the pandemic, continue. These meetings have provided an avenue for updates from the Agency, and feedback, questions and advocacy by the provider community.  Items covered this week:

• KDADS was just informed that CMS regional office is calling nursing homes (not clear, but possibly assisted living, to) providers in the next couple of weeks to ask these questions. The associations offered that these calls will take needless time from already time-pressured providers. (Please let Rachel rachel@leadingagekansas.org  or Debra debra@leadingagekansas.org know if you receive a call and how it goes.)
• KDADS will be instituting a testing protocol for surveyors in the next couple of weeks. (We will let you know when it goes live.)  The basics:  Surveyors have to demonstrate competency to do Binax test. Then they will complete it on themselves at the beginning of each week. Surveyors who test positive will not go into buildings until further PCR testing is done and further quarantine measures are completed depending on the results of the test.  If a surveyor shows up to do your survey, that means they have completed testing a per the protocol. Surveyors will share the protocol upon request.
•  Surveyors fit into Phase 2 of the state vaccination plan. (KDADS advocated for Phase 1.) Phase 2 is supposed to start in February. Vaccination will not be mandatory for surveyors.
• The State Office of Recovery and/or KDADS will be doing a random sampling of providers that received CARES Act dollars (ex SPARK funds) to ask how it was spent.  The Agency was not able to share when this will occur, nor how big a sample it will be. This does not nullify the requirement that all providers report their expenditures at some yet to be determined time.
• The Agency plans (date TBD) to create a new Commission of Long-Term Care in which all matters related to Medicaid reimbursement, including rate setting and changes in reimbursement structure housed/administered.  The Agency has not had this kind of focused commission for nearly 12 years. The timeline for creation is uncertain.
• There was discussion about the Governor’s plan to consolidate KDADS and DCF into a new Agency to be called the Department of Human Services. AN Executive reorganization Order (ERO) will come before the Legislature in the coming weeks for their consideration. KDADS staff conveyed what they see as benefits, and there was opportunity for questions. KDADS has asked the associations to support the change. The LeadingAge Kansas Board will be taking this issue up in their meeting this week.

Kansas COVID Stats as of January 20, 2021

• Statewide case rate – 90.47% per 1,000 population. Highest case rate is in Norton County this week (220.5) and lowest is in Potawatomie County (57%)
• Positivity Rates for January 3 – 16:  Nine Kansas counties are green, 41 counties are yellow and 55 counties are red.  Overall this is an improvement over the last reporting period, a few counties’ positivity rates have gone up.
• 28 clusters of five or more active positive cases in long term care facilities in the last 2 weeks: 28.  In LeadingAge Kansas member communities: 10.
• More stats

LEADINGAGE NATIONAL NEWS

Reaching Out to Displaced Workers
Now’s the time to reach out again to displaced workers! Restaurants, hotel and retail staff have been on irregular schedules for nearly a year and may be seeking longer term opportunities in older communities. There are a lot of similarities in the fields. Click here for an email template you can use to reach out to your state restaurant or hotel association, or to the restaurants and hotels in your community. And don’t forget, the Aging Services Career Center is still free. Post your open jobs today.