Mass Senior Care Association Offers Resources and Support to Help You Protect Your Long Term Care Community
Long term care facilities practice quality infection control procedures every day however, the coronavirus (COVID-19) has heightened the focus on infection prevention and control. Mass Senior Care Association is providing resources and support to assist long term care facilities with issues surrounding COVID-19. Please check this dedicated page daily as we provide updates on this rapidly evolving healthcare challenge.
Most current information
- Mass Senior Care Updates
- New Workforce Resources for Mass Senior Care Members (April 9, 2020)
- COVID-19 Updates: MassHealth Updates: Supplemental Payments, New Rules for Eligibility – Self Attestation; Today’s CMS Call; OSHA Updates, and a PBJ Update (April 8, 2020)
- PPE Donations to Massachusetts Nursing Homes
- COVID-19 Updates: DoN Program Moratorium on New LTC Beds; DPH Weekly Call; Massachusetts Crisis Standards of Care Advisory Committee and New PPE Donation Website (April 7, 2020)
- DPH Guidance on the Use of PPE, Caring for Residents with Presumed or Confirmed COVID-19 and Other Important Memos (April 6, 2020)
- DPH Updates Testing Criteria for Suspected COVID-19, When COVID-19 Gets Into Your Facility, Updated Guidance on Cohorting Residents (April 5, 2020)
- COVID-19 Updates: CMS Issues New Recommendation to Nursing Homes and DPH Releases Guidance on Verbal Consent for MOLST and Revised Guidance for HCP with Known Exposure to COVID-19, Proper Donning and Duffing of PPE (April 3, 2020)
- SBA Paycheck Protection Program and MassHealth Provider Resource (April 3, 2020)
- Today's CMS Call, User Fee Payments and SBA Paycheck Protection Program (April 1, 2020)
- Weekly DPH Call Reminder, Training and Certification of Nurse Aides and Revised Screening Checklist for Visitors and Staff (March 31, 2020)
- CMS Issues Blanket Regulatory Waivers (March 31, 2020)
- COVID-19 Updates: Onsite COVID-19 Testing in Nursing Homes and Rest Homes, MassHealth Update and N95 Fit Testing Guidance (March 30, 2020)
- COVID-19 Updates: DOL Guidance on Leave Exemptions, COVID-19 Recovery SNFs, Virtual Town Halls to Support Healthcare Workers (March 29, 2020)
- COVID-19 Updates – MSCA Statement, PPE, Telehealth (March 28, 2020)
- Talking Points for Crisis Communications: COVID-19 Outbreak (March 28, 2020)
- CMS: Prioritization of Survey Activities (March 24, 2020)
- COVID-19 Update: Testing of Persons with Suspect COVID-19, Utilizing Non-Direct Care Staff to Support Needs, Making Decisions on Essential Staff Entering Your Building, Resident Laundry Guidance with COVID-19 and When Families Want to Do Residents’ Laundry (March 23, 2020)
- Essential Health Care Workers Exempt from Governor Baker's Order (March 23, 2020)
- Update on Exempt Day Care Programs, SBA Loans and New Paid Leave Provisions (March 22, 2020)
- Exempt Emergency Child Care Programs (March 20, 2020)
- Supply and Vendor Resource List (March 20, 2020)
- COVID-19 Update Memo (March 19, 2020)
- NEW CDC Guidance on Use of Masks, Gowns, and Eye Protection to Conserve Supplies (March 18, 2020)
- Guidance to Nursing Homes on Admissions from and Discharges to Hospitals Relating to COVID-19 (March 18, 2020)
- CMS Issues Guidance on Billing Under 3-Day Spell of Illness Waivers (March 17, 2020)
- MassHealth Guidance on COVID-19 (March 17, 2020)
- COVID-19 Update – Command Center, Visitors, 3-Day Rule, Medicaid Funding (March 14, 2020)
- CMS Restricts All Visits to Nursing Homes (March 13, 2020)
- Mass Senior Care provides information on how to stay informed through the DPH NH Listserv and Health and Homeland Alert Network (HHAN). (March 5, 2020)
- Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information for Mass Senior Care Members (March 3, 2020)
- Other Mass Senior Care Memos/Updates
- Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS)
- Prioritization of Survey Activities
CMS released guidance prioritizing and suspending most federal and state survey agency surveys, and delaying revisit surveys, for the next three weeks beginning on March 20th. For non-IJ related onsite surveys that are currently in process, survey teams are instructed to end the survey and exit the facility. (March 23, 2020) - Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Nursing Homes (REVISED)
CMS has issued new guidance based on the newest recommendations from the CDC. It directs nursing homes to significantly restrict visitors and nonessential personnel, as well as restrict communal activities inside nursing homes. (March 13, 2020) - Guidance for use of Certain Industrial Respirators by Health Care Personnel
Recent CDC and FDA guidance expands the types of face masks healthcare workers may use in situations involving COVID-19 and other respiratory infections. (March 10, 2020) - Suspension of Survey Activities
CMS will re-prioritize surveys to conduct focus surveys about infection control for facilities that have had an infection control deficiency in the past. (March 4, 2020)
- Prioritization of Survey Activities
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH)
- Guidance on Optimization of PPE in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Guidance for prioritizing and optimizing use of PPE in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 response. (March 22, 2020) - DPH Circular Letter DHCQ 20-03-702
DPH updated policies and procedures for restricting resident visitors in nursing homes and rest homes and PPE recommendation. (March 16, 2020) - Testing of Persons with Suspect COVID-19 through the Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory
DPH has made some changes in testing prioritization, these are based on the CDC’s current person under investigation (PUI) criteria. (March 13, 2020) - Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
DPH updated guidance on strategies to optimize the use of PPE for health care facilities. (March 4, 2020) - DPH Update for Long-Term Care Facilities
New guidance assists facilities to prepare for the possibility of COVID-19 and prevent its potential spread in LTCFs. (March 3, 2020)
- Guidance on Optimization of PPE in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA)
- EOEA Revised FAQs
EOEA issued revised FAQs to address the most pressing questions from ALR operators regarding visitors and congregate dining/activities. (March 24, 2020) - Reporting Non-Resident Incidents of COVID-19
EOEA has created the attached excel form for reporting status of any non-resident (employee, outside provider, family) who is known to the ALR to be suspected of having or received a positive COVID-19 test result. (March 24, 2020) - Amended Assisted Living Residence Operators Guidance and Policies and Procedures to Protect Residents, Facilities, and Services during the COVID-19 Outbreak
EOEA issued amended guidance for Assisted Living Residences on a number of issues including visitors policy and procedures, activities and communal dining. (March 16, 2020)
- EOEA Revised FAQs
Additional Resources
- U.S. Department of Labor releases new guidance in response to Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers clinical guidance, situation updates, and more.
- Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of PPE
- Interim U.S. Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure in a Healthcare Setting to Patients with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
- Criteria for Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 (Interim Guidance)
- Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in LTC Facilities
- The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has information for the public and providers on efforts within the Commonwealth.
- American Health Care Association (AHCA/NCAL) has information and resources for long term care providers.
- 3-Day Waiver and Spell of Illness FAQs
- Communal Dining Guidance
- How You Can Help Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Long Term Care Facilities -- Resources for Providers, Residents & Patients, and Families & Friends
- Webinar for Long Term Care Providers with the CDC and Slides (March 3, 2020)
- The World Health Organization (WHO) provides rolling updates from around the globe.