White House Announces Vaccination Distribution Program for LTC Residents Today, the White House announced the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program--a national vaccine distribution program for long term care residents.
The COVID-19 vaccine will likely become available in phases over the coming months. To prepare, the federal government has partnered with CVS and Walgreens to distribute and administer the vaccine to residents in long term care facilities. This program is free of charge and covers all of the reporting requirements associated with the vaccine. Vaccination for health care workers will be handled by states, and likely take place in early phases of distribution.
Starting on Monday, October 19, long term care facilities (nursing homes, assisted living communities, ICF/IIDs and other congregate settings for older adults) will have two weeks to register with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) on how they want to receive and administer the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.
Nursing homes will be able to register through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) website, while assisted living communities and other congregate settings can register through an online survey.
CDC has developed a communication toolkit to assist providers with registration and also share information in emails, newsletters, and social media. These resources include:
We strongly encourage all long term care facilities to participate and register as soon as the portals open. This is critical to ensuring our vulnerable residents are among the first to receive a vaccine when it becomes available.
AHCA/NCAL has offered an overview. To prepare, we encourage you to review these materials, as well as:
HCAM will share additional information as it evolves and becomes available.
Governor Whitmer's Emergency Rules to Provide Workers' Compensation for Frontline Health Care Workers Affected by COVID-19 This morning, Governor Whitmer signed emergency rules to clarify workers' compensation coverage for health care employees and first responders who have tested positive for COVID-19. The emergency rules apply to workers in the medical industry, including those working in long term care communities. Under the emergency rules, affected employees are presumed eligible for compensable personal injuries under the Workers' Disability Compensation Act if they are diagnosed with COVID-19, either by a physician or as the result of a presumed positive COVID-19 test result.
The emergency rules replace protections previously offered by Executive Order 2020-128, and are effective through March 20, 2021.
Helping Residents Vote in 2020 With the election less than a month away and a pandemic that uniquely targets the long term care population still rampant, providers have an opportunity to play a larger role in helping residents exercise their right to vote in 2020. As the prevalence of COVID-19 continues to require targeted restrictions and precautions for indoor visiting, previous strategies to facilitate voting for residents, such as making facilities polling places on Election Day, have likely shifted to reduce the risk to residents and staff. Nonetheless, our seniors and other residents have a right to make their voice heard, and providers should make every effort to assist them in doing so.
For nursing homes, this is nothing new, as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has regulations regarding residents' rights, including their rights as citizens, which would include the right to vote:
CMS recently issued a memo specific to this issue, encouraging nursing home owners and administrators to collaborate with states and localities to ensure a resident's right to vote this year. Learn more from AHCA/NCAL's summary of the memo.
Here are some specific resources and ideas to help providers in assisting residents who would like to vote this year. This is a great opportunity for an activity director to coordinate with the local community and help residents engage. It is also an opportunity to engage your resident council and family council in supporting residents in exercising their right to vote.
First and foremost, make sure any activities surrounding voting do not pressure residents with regard to their voting choices or preferences. As stated in the above regulation, providers should help make sure residents are able to exercise their right to vote but should avoid any appearance of interference or coercion.
Help Residents Register to Vote - The first step is making sure residents who want to vote are registered to vote. Michigan has several key dates to be aware of:
Voters can register online HERE.
Help Residents with Mail-In/Absentee Ballots - Due to the threat that COVID poses to long term care residents, many may prefer to mail in their ballot or vote early, rather than going to a polling place on Election Day.
When residents receive their ballots in the mail, make sure staff understand what they can and cannot help with when it comes to assisting residents in filling out their ballots. For example, an assistance provider should ask the voter what choice he or she wants to make. The assistance provider must never make assumptions regarding how a person wants to vote. If the resident has a power of attorney, that person should be contacted about helping the resident fill out their ballot.
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) affirm the right to a private, independent, and accessible vote for people with disabilities. Some additional resources to review are:
Send in completed ballots as soon as possible, whether by mail or at local ballot drop boxes.
Michigan also offers voters the ability to track their ballot online. Work with the resident or their loved one, if they wish to make sure their ballot was received and qualified to be counted. Sending in ballots quickly may help a resident address any issues flagged with their ballot promptly, to ensure it will be counted.
What If Assisted Living (AL) or Independent Living (IL) Residents Still Want to Go to the Polls on Election Day? - There may be some residents who prefer to vote in-person, either through early voting or on Election Day. This is their right to do so, but given the exposure risk due to COVID, staff should work with each resident (and any friends or family that are helping) to educate and guide decisions about this outing to help reduce the risk of exposure to other residents and staff.
Tip: Communicate with Families and Loved Ones
As we've seen through the pandemic, constant communication with residents' family members, friends and legal representatives is pivotal. Keep loved ones aware of how you're helping residents exercise their right to vote and see how they can help partner with you in this effort. See if residents want their loved one's help in filling out their ballot via video chat. See if they can help track the resident's ballot, if the resident wants their help. If a family member wants to take their AL or IL loved one to the polls on Election Day, make sure they are informed on how best to limit exposure and what precautions will be in place when the resident returns. For residents in any setting with a power of attorney, their representative should be contacted to help with voting.
Nursing Facility Grants The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) is moving to put information and applications for all three available nursing facility grants on its Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) webpage to aid providers. These updates should be completed by early next week.
In addition, the Communications Device grant application deadline is being removed as MDHHS has received guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has shared with them that both the Communication Devices and Visitation Aides grants will be in effect until the public health emergency (PHE) concludes. The Infection Control grant has less flexibility as the funds must be spent by December 31, 2020.
For more information or to access application documents please check the website early next week or reach out to HCAM. 
New HCAM and MCAL Websites Coming Soon The association is turning the page...on our old website! Completely redesigned websites for both HCAM and MCAL are in the finishing stages. We look forward to sharing our new sites with you soon. |