Category: COVID

Visitation Guidance for Facilities

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Please see Department of Health and Senior Services guidance regarding visitation restrictions in all long term care facilities including residential care facilities, assisted living facilities, intermediate care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and intermediate care facilities for persons with intellectual disabilities.

This guidance along with similar guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should be implemented immediately.

These documents will also be posted to the Department’s COVID-19 website at https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/ under the Health Care Professionals tab.

LTCF Webinar: Coronavirus Disease 2019

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This video includes information from the Department of Health and Senior Services regarding guidance and education surrounding COVID-19. The focus is on the basics of COVID-19 (symptoms, who is at most risk), the types of coronavirus, how long term care communities can prepare and testing protocols.

The LTCF Video is available at https://youtu.be/u-OZNQ3A-fs.

Please note information is changing rapidly so please check the Department’s COVID-19 website frequently for updated information.

Supporting Coronavirus Prevention in LTC Facilities

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Some LTC homes will make the difficult decision to limit and/or restrict entry of family and friends into their care settings. To help family and friends understand restrictions being put into place by many LTC providers, Consumer Voice, a national Ombudsman program resource, has put together a webpage: https://theconsumervoice.org/issues/other-issues-and-resources/covid-19.

News Release: Missouri opens novel coronavirus information hotline

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JEFFERSON CITY, MO –The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) activated a statewide public hotline for citizens or providers needing guidance regarding the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. At 8 a.m. today, the hotline opened and can be reached at 877-435-8411. The hotline is being operated by medical professionals and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“Communication is vital to our response to this rapidly-evolving situation,” said Dr. Randall Williams, director of DHSS. “For several weeks, our COVID-19 webpage has been and continues to be a great resource for the public, but having the hotline as an additional resource will likely be invaluable as citizens seek guidance for their concerns.”

To date, 46 patients in Missouri have been tested for the virus that causes COVID-19; one of those has tested positive.

“It is important to know what to do if you have concerns about an illness during this outbreak,” said Williams. “For those who may be at risk for COVID-19, we encourage them to utilize this hotline or call their health care provider or local public health agency to inform them of their travel history and symptoms. They’ll be instructed on how to receive care without exposing others to the possible illness.”

Simple preventive actions that help prevent the spread of all types of respiratory viruses include:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.

For more information, visit www.health.mo.gov/coronavirus or the CDC’s COVID-19 website.

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Past Missouri COVID-19 news releases:

About the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services: The department seeks to be the leader in protecting health and keeping people safe. More information about DHSS can be found at http://health.mo.gov or find us on Facebook and Twitter @HealthyLivingMo

CMS Memo: QSO-20-17-ALL: Guidance for use of Certain Industrial Respirators by Health Care Personnel

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Guidance for use of Certain Industrial Respirators by Health Care Personnel

  • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) CMS is committed to taking critical steps to ensure America’s health care facilities are prepared to respond to the threat of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other respiratory illnesses.
  • The memo clarifies the application of CMS policies in light of recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance expanding the types of facemasks healthcare workers may use in situations involving COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

Please see the memo for further details.

 

For additional information, please visit the Department’s website at health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/. This site also contains a link specific to long-term care communities.

CMS Memo: QSO-20-14-NHL: Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in nursing homes (REVISED)

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Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in nursing homes (REVISED)

  • CMS is committed to taking critical steps to ensure America’s health care facilities and clinical laboratories are prepared to respond to the threat of the COVID-19.
  • Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of COVID-19 – CMS is providing additional guidance to nursing homes to help them improve their infection control and prevention practices to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, including revised guidance for visitation.
  • Coordination with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local public health departments – We encourage all nursing homes to monitor the CDC website for information and resources and contact their local health department when needed (CDC Resources for Health Care Facilities: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/healthcare-facilities/index.html) .
  • Following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) expanding the use of certain industrial respirators to health care personnel, CMS is clarifying that such use is appropriate in Medicare/Medicaid certified providers and suppliers.

 Please see the memo for further details.

For additional information, please visit the Department’s website at https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/.

DHSS Long-Term Care COVID-19 Webinar

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DHSS Long Term Care COVID-19 Webinar

Monday, March 9, 2020 10:00 am

Representatives from the Department of Health and Senior Services will be hosting a webinar to provide information, guidance and education surrounding COVID-19. The webinar will focus on the basics of COVID-19 (symptoms, who is at most risk), the types of coronavirus, how long term care communities can prepare, testing protocols and coordination with healthcare coalitions.

Please join us for this important webinar.

Webex Event Registration
https://stateofmo.webex.com/stateofmo/onstage/g.php?MTID=eacb119d9cc214df93ea6e8e3e4c294fb.
After registration, you will receive a confirmation email with further instructions including the webinar link.

If you prefer to join via audio conference:
Call-in toll number (US/Canada): 1-650-479-3207
Event number (access code): 801 063 245

For additional information, please visit the Department’s website at https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/. This site also contains a link specific to long-term care communities.

CMS Memo: QSO-20-09-ALL

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Information for Healthcare Facilities Concerning 2019 Novel Coronavirus Illness (2019-nCoV)

  • Information Regarding Patients with Possible Coronavirus Illness: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued information on the respiratory illness caused by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Links to these documents are provided.
  • Healthcare Facility Expectations: CMS strongly urges the review of CDC’s guidance and encourages facilities to review their own infection prevention and control policies and practices to prevent the spread of infection.

Please see the full memo download at www.cms.gov/medicareprovider-enrollment-and-certificationsurveycertificationgeninfopolicy-and-memos-states-and/information-healthcare-facilities-concerning-2019-novel-coronavirus-illness-2019-ncov.

Questions about this memorandum should be addressed to QSOG_EmergencyPrep@cms.hhs.gov.

Questions about the 2019-nCoV guidance/screening criteria should be addressed to the State Epidemiologist or other responsible state or local public health officials in your state.

Coronavirus Update

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As you are likely aware, the response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak is rapidly evolving. On January 18, 2020, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) disseminated a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Health Update on this outbreak. The CDC Health Update includes recommendations for health care providers pertaining to 2019-nCoV (https://health.mo.gov/emergencies/ert/alertsadvisories/pdf/cdc-update1-17-20.pdf). The specific topics covered include patient evaluation, reporting, specimen collection, testing, and recommendations for infection control.

For the most up-to-date information regarding the outbreak of 2019-nCoV, please continue to check the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html). Please be aware that guidance for health care and public health professionals is subject to change, and that updated guidance will be disseminated through the CDC website and the Missouri Health Alert Network (HAN). All HAN documents are archived and available on the DHSS website at: https://health.mo.gov/emergencies/ert/alertsadvisories/index.php.