Category: COVID

Changes to the Weekly NHSN COVID-19 Vaccination Data Collection Forms for Long-Term Care Facilities

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Changes are underway for CDC’s Weekly NHSN COVID-19 Vaccination Modules. In anticipation of recommendations for additional COVID-19 vaccine series, new questions on COVID-19 vaccine doses will be added to the current data collection forms in August 2021. The main changes to the forms for all three facility types are listed below:

  • Added question #4 for facilities to report on the cumulative number of individuals eligible to receive an additional dose or booster of COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Added question #5 for facilities to report on the cumulative number of individuals who received an additional dose or booster of COVID-19 vaccine (by manufacturer type).

To help facilities prepare for these changes, CDC is conducting listen-only training webinars.

Topic: Changes to the Weekly NHSN COVID-19 Vaccination Data Collection Forms for Long-Term Care Facilities
Date: Wednesday, Aug 25, 2021
Time: 2:30 – 3:30 PM ET
https://cdc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_tC-VNNB_QIaHs5IslpwmcQ

DHSS COVID After Action Report Survey

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Below is a link to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services COVID-19 after action survey. This survey is designed to gather feedback from a variety of healthcare and public health partners and organizations. Please respond by selecting the discipline that reflects your organization and submit one survey per organization, excluding state agency partners. Your responses to this survey should be based on your organizations role and perspective of the COVID response. Receiving input from a variety of stakeholders, at all levels of the response, will help us better identify our strengths and weakness of the public health and medical services emergency Support function.

https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/d20126ad3a05496d87dbf3b4b65d7592?portalUrl=https://mophep.maps.arcgis.com

Please see this FAQs for more information. Thank you in advance for your participation!

National Healthcare Safety Network

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  • COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Questions

Healthcare personnel and resident COVID-19 vaccination coverage data submitted to NHSN provide critical information to public health officials. These data are used to assess resource needs and enable partner coordination for the deployment of vaccination supply and administration support.

We ask that you pay close attention to the following questions in the Vaccine Supply section of the vaccination coverage forms:

  1. For the current reporting week, please describe the availability of COVID-19 vaccine(s) for your facility’s residents:
    • 1. Is your facility enrolled as a COVID-19 vaccination provider? [Select Yes or No]
    • 2. Did your facility have a sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccine(s) to offer all residents the opportunity to receive COVID-19 vaccine(s) from your facility in the current reporting week? [Select Yes or No]
    • 3. Did your facility have other arrangements sufficient to offer all residents the opportunity to receive COVID-19 vaccine(s) in the current reporting week (examples of other arrangements include referring to the health department or pharmacies for vaccination)? [Select Yes or No]
    • 4. Please describe any other COVID-19 vaccination supply-related issue(s) at your facility. [Optional]

NHSN strongly encourages users to continually review responses to these questions in the NHSN application to ensure the information reported is up-to-date and accurate. This will give public health officials a better sense of any current COVID-19 vaccine supply needs and issues that facilities may be encountering. Data collection forms for residents and healthcare personnel of long-term care facilities can be found under the “Data Collection Forms and Instructions” heading of the following webpage: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/ltc/weekly-covid-vac/index.html.

If your facility is experiencing issues with COVID-19 vaccine supply, please contact your state or local jurisdiction for assistance and learn more through this CDC webpage: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/long-term-care/pharmacy-partnerships-access.html.

For questions related to NHSN and data reporting, please contact us at: NHSN@cdc.gov.

 

  • Changes to NHSN COVID-19 Vaccination Data Reporting for Healthcare Personnel Coming this Fall!

NHSN COVID-19 Vaccination Data Collection Forms for Healthcare Personnel will be Revised

What are the changes?

  1. Data on the current healthcare personnel categories for question #1 will no longer be collected.

New categories will now include:

    • Employees: Staff on facility payroll
    • Licensed independent practitioners: Contracted physicians, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants
    • Adult students/trainees and volunteers: Non-employee students/trainees and volunteers aged 18 or older
    • Other contract personnel: Contracted staff who do not fall into any of the other denominator categories
  1. Question #3.2 (offered but declined COVID-19 vaccine) and question #3.3 (unknown COVID-19 vaccination status) will now be required.
  2. Question #4 on COVID-19 Vaccine(s) Supply will now be optional.
  3. Facilities will need to create a monthly reporting plan before entering data into NHSN.

How should I prepare?
Long-term care and non-long-term care facilities should develop or update data tracking mechanisms to collect weekly COVID-19 vaccination data on these new categories of healthcare personnel.

How can I learn more?
CDC will be conducting training webinars this fall. More information on these webinars will be shared later this summer, so stayed tuned!

Who do I contact with questions?
Please send an e-mail to NHSN@cdc.gov with ‘COVID-19 Vaccination Data Reporting’ in the subject line.

Conversations with Carmen

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August 20, 2021: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Guest: LaVrene Norton, Action Pact Founder & Executive Leader and Megan Hannan, Action Pact Consultant; with Host Carmen Bowman

Need help getting everyone out of the doldrums of COVID? Let free the spirit of joy and love – work together to bring back the simple pleasures of home. Create team on the fly. Let music and laughter rock the halls. Wave!

Think Neighborhood. Have a block party.

We begin again with a short presentation on the Artifacts of Culture Change as they can offer us a measurable road map. We will then head down the path to Neighborhood where culture change begins. Where good neighbors work together to enjoy and share the simple pleasures of daily life.

LTC Bed Availability Portal

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The healthcare continuum is again becoming strained with the number of positive cases across the state. This portal was originally established in November to improve communication across the care continuum to assist in ensuring Missourians have access to the right care in the right setting.

We are renewing our request for long-term care communities to complete a brief survey each day in order to identify available beds for potential admissions. Participation in the bed availability survey is voluntary. The survey may be accessed at https://arcg.is/1rjKy8.

The dashboard was reset on July 15th, so any homes that have not submitted data since the reset occurred will need to submit an initial survey – old update links will no longer work. Homes that have submitted data since the reset can continue to submit using the update link.

 Reminder: After submitting the initial survey, a confirmation email will be provided for a link to update your survey each day (instead of submitting a new survey). Submitting a new survey results in multiple surveys showing on the map with different bed numbers. This makes it difficult to know which totals are current. Please use the link emailed after the initial submission to edit facility bed availability. Please do not submit an “initial” submission more than once. If information does not change from day to day, the submitter can simply update the date and submit – the prior day’s information will populate.

The survey information will populate an accompanying dashboard that will be available to hospitals to use as a tool in finding placement for those patients who would be best served in a long-term care setting. This dashboard may be accessed at https://mophep.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/f1e0745f93fe46b482d8ff4585f821bf. To view instructions on utilizing the dashboard, click on ‘Instructions’ under the map for information.

Infection Control Assessment and Response Project

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QIPMO has collaborated with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) in response to the novel Coronavirus known as COVID-19. In doing so, QIPMO has formed a new Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) team with a primary goal of assisting Missouri Long-Term Care Facilities to navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious diseases.

Please see the flyer or visit the following QIPMO webpage – https://nursinghomehelp.org/icar-project/.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

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Missouri has limited PPE reserves to assist in filling these critical needs and will prioritize healthcare providers providing direct care to confirmed or suspected COVID patients. Note requests should only be submitted after all normal supply chains, including the Missouri COVID Supply Solution, have been exhausted and providers have a supply of twenty-one days or less on hand.

Please be sure to describe the urgent need for PPE and your situation in the comments on the form.
https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/ppe.php

COVID Related Information

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LTC Bed Availability Portal

The healthcare continuum is again becoming strained with the number of positive cases across the state. This portal was originally established in November to improve communication across the care continuum to assist in ensuring Missourians have access to the right care in the right setting.

We are renewing our request for long-term care communities to complete a brief survey each day in order to identify available beds for potential admissions. Participation in the bed availability survey is voluntary. The survey may be accessed at https://arcg.is/1rjKy8.

The dashboard is being reset and all previous data is being deleted, so all communities will need to submit an initial survey – old update links will no longer work.

 Reminder: After submitting the initial survey, a confirmation email will be provided for a link to update your survey each day (instead of submitting a new survey). Submitting a new survey results in multiple surveys showing on the map with different bed numbers. This makes it difficult to know which totals are current. Please use the link emailed after the initial submission to edit facility bed availability. Please do not submit an “initial” submission more than once. If information does not change from day to day, the submitter can simply update the date and submit – the prior day’s information will populate.

The survey information will populate an accompanying dashboard that will be available to hospitals to use as a tool in finding placement for those patients who would be best served in a long-term care setting. This dashboard may be accessed at https://mophep.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/f1e0745f93fe46b482d8ff4585f821bf. To view instructions on utilizing the dashboard, click on ‘Instructions’ under the map for information.

 

Abbott BinaxNOW Testing Supplies

To order Abbott BinaxNOW from the state (one time shipments):

Missouri Long Term Care Facilities (RCF, ALF, ICF, and SNF), private Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF-IID), and Adult Day Care programs may order free Abbott BinaxNOW Testing Supplies from DHSS and SEMA via the following link: https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/testing-resources.php.Then scroll down under BinaxNOW Testing to the BinaxNOW hub and click on that link – then scroll to the icon for long-term care facilities and click on that icon. It takes you to a gray colored page that says to click ‘here’ to re-order; from that re-order form, click on Facility Type in the upper right hand corner and choose LTCF from the drop down box; then click on the your facility’s name in the drop down box entitled Facility Name.

The re-order form should then auto populate your contact information into the form and you simply tell us how many tests you need toward the bottom of that form, then click submit.

To reinstate direct shipments of Abbott BinaxNOW from the federal government:

Providers should email their facility information, shipping address and the BinaxNOW delivery Point of Contact for the facility and request to be added back onto the direct shipment list to Binax.Team@hhs.gov. Please be aware this can take up to 2 weeks to begin receiving shipments again.

 

DHSS guidance related to COVID-19 outbreaks, visitation, reporting, waivers, etc.- can be found on our website:

https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/professionals.php#collapseSix

 

COVID-19 Reporting Requirements

 

Reporting Process/Form

System

Purpose/Description

Required?
For Whom?

Time Frame

1

Electronic COVID-19 Case Reporting

REDCap: DHSS

Reporting form for all positive case results, including staff and residents. This includes Point of Care (POC) and PCR testing.

Yes, for all SNF, ICF, RCF, ALF, ICF-IID and Adult Day Care

Within 24 hours of positive result

2

Long Term Care Facility COVID-19 Outbreak Testing Data Reporting

REDCap: DHSS

Reporting portal for outbreak testing dates, number of residents and staff tested.

Yes, for all SNF, ICF, RCF, ALF, and ICF-IID.

Within 24 hours of testing

3

NHSN LTCF COVID-19 Module

Web Portal:

Managed by NHSN

NHSN-required fields solely for certified nursing homes (SNF/NFs).

Yes, for all certified SNF/NF. Voluntary for any state licensed only facility (RCF/ALF/Adult Day Care) or ICF-IID.

Weekly, with a preference for submission on the same day each week

4

NHSN Point of Care Laboratory Reporting Tool

Web Portal:

NHSN

POC test reporting that includes both positive and negative POC test results (even if potentially a false positive).

Yes, for any facility not reporting to DHSS in Row 5

Within 24 hours of result of POC test

5

Electronic COVID-19 Laboratory Reporting

Secure File Transfer/CSV file: DHSS

POC test reporting that includes both positive and negative POC test results (even if potentially a false positive).

Yes, for any facility not reporting to NHSN in Row 4

Within 24 hours of result of POC test

 

Archived Listserv messages can be found on our blog site: https://ltc.health.mo.gov/

Abbott BinaxNOW Testing Supplies

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Missouri Long Term Care Facilities (RCF, ALF, ICF, and SNF), private Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF-IID), and Adult Day Care programs may order free Abbott BinaxNOW Testing Supplies from DHSS and SEMA via the following link:  https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/testing-resources.php.

If your organization is a new requester from the state, the form will direct you to complete a new application for tests rather than just re-ordering. The link for the initial application for each user type is within the above re-order link.

NHSN Deadline Tracking & Troubleshooting Assistance

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires nursing homes to submit information each week to the National Healthcare Safety Network’s (NHSN) COVID-19 Vaccination Data Reporting Module. The deadline for reporting the previous week’s cumulative vaccination rates is every Sunday by 11:59 p.m. ET.

To help keep your reporting weeks organized at-a-glance, the Health Quality Innovation Network (HQIN) has developed a printable NHSN Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Data Reporting sheet outlining the NHSN submission deadlines for 2021.

HQIN has provided NHSN reporting assistance to many facilities across the state. If you would like to receive no-cost assistance, we encourage you to join the HQIN Nursing Home NHSN Reporting Group. This will enable HQIN to view your data for problem-solving and quality improvement purposes. Download How to Join the HQIN Nursing Home Reporting NHSN Group for easy instructions on how to join.

As your dedicated Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO), HQIN is available to support you and your facility with the required COVID-19 vaccine administration reporting. If you have questions, please contact HQIN.

About the Health Quality Innovation Network

Led by Health Quality Innovators and its quality improvement partners, the Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence, KFMC Health Improvement Partners, and the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative, HQIN is the Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) for Kansas, Missouri, South Carolina and Virginia. To learn more visit https://www.hqin.org.

COVID-19 FREE Testing

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Testing remains a key tool to keeping Missourians safe and open for activity. Testing is not only for those who are symptomatic, but important for periodic surveillance especially when interacting with vulnerable populations and crowds. Many camps, events, and travel now require evidence of a test result before participation.

A simple test can provide peace of mind. Missouri provides several options for obtaining a free COVID-19 PCR test without any symptom criteria. The opportunities for testing include:

More information about testing can be found at www.health.mo.gov/communitytest.

National Pause for the Distribution and Utilization of Bamlanivimab and Etesevimab for the Treatment of Mild to Moderate COVID-19

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Below is the DHSS Health Advisory, dated 06/30/2021, entitled, “National Pause for the Distribution and Utilization of Bamlanivimab and Etesevimab for the Treatment of Mild to Moderate COVID-19” Should you have any questions, please contact the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ Bureau of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention at 573-751-6113.

06.30.21 DHSS HA – National Pause fo

COVID-19 FREE Testing

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Of special note, because of the increase in cases in the Southwest region, there will be one additional testing day this week and one next week, Friday, July 2 in Joplin, and Tuesday, July 6 in Wright County– see below.

Testing remains a very important tool in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is now offering two options for FREE COVID-19 testing.

First, there are in-person testing events hosted around the state. Individuals are not required to pre-register or have an appointment, simply show up to one of the events below to receive the test. A government issued ID is not a requirement for this testing, but having one available onsite speeds up the registration process. Additional testing sites (with regular or one-time opportunities) may be added as indicators suggest the need for additional testing. The following events listed below are scheduled as of today. The latest information can always be found at www.health.mo.gov/communitytest.

Second, Missouri residents may order a free test to be mailed to their Missouri address. These are PCR kits that are designed for self-collection with a return FedEx shipping container. Once received back by the laboratory, the result is returned to the person tested (via email provided) within 48 hours. More information about the at home self-collection kits and a link to order are also found at www.health.mo.gov/communitytest.

In-person Testing Events Scheduled as of June 29, 2021:

St. Louis Area

    • Every Monday – 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      IBEW Local #1
      5850 Elizabeth Avenue
      St. Louis, MO 63110
    • Every Tuesday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      “Legacy Bar & Café”
      Delmar Plaza
      5261 Delmar Blvd
      St. Louis, MO 63108
    • Every Thursday – 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      Laborers Local #110
      4532 S Lindbergh Blvd
      St. Louis, MO 63127
    • Every Saturday – 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      Machinist Lodge #777
      12365 St Charles Rock Rd
      Bridgeton, MO 63044

Central Area

    • Sunday (dates below)
      11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      July 18
      August 8, 22
      September 12, 26
      American Legion #1423
      Tanner Bridge Road
      Jefferson City, MO 65101

Southwest Area

    • Tuesday – July 6
      9:00 am – 5:00 pm
      Wright County Health Department Annex
      602 East State Street, Suite B
      Mountain Grove, MO 65711
    • Every Tuesday – 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      Mother’s Brewing Company
      Open Lot located on the corner of West College and Grant Avenue
      Springfield, MO
    • Wednesday (dates below)
      9:00 am – 4:30 pm
      June 30
      Webster County Health Unit
      233 E. Washington Street
      Marshfield, MO 65706
    • Friday – July 2
      11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      “The Roxy” Parking Lot
      108 N. Joplin
      Joplin, MO 64801
    • Every Friday – 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce
      4100 Gretna Rd
      Branson, MO 65616

Kansas City Area

    • Every Monday – 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      Heavy Construction Laborers, Local #663
      7820 Prospect
      Kansas City, MO 64132
    • Every Thursday – 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      Heavy Construction Laborers, Local #663
      7820 Prospect
      Kansas City, MO 64132
    • Every Saturday – 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      Teamsters Local #955
      4501 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd
      Kansas City, MO 64130

Southeast Area

    • Sunday (dates below)
      11:00 am – 7:00 pm
      July 11, 25
      August 1, 15
      Red Show Barn
      410 Kiwanis Drive
      Cape Girardeau MO 63701

COVID-19 Vaccination Tools for Long-Term Care Facilities

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Community Corps Members:

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, staff in nursing homes have been providing ongoing care to our nation’s most vulnerable. It’s on trusted messengers like you to make sure we’re reaching people who need to be protected from the COVID-19 virus.

Building vaccine confidence among Long-Term Care Facility staff and residents is important. That’s why we wanted to pass along useful data, materials, and resources to be able to guide conversations, answer questions, and help get people vaccinated.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Resources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Resources:

Keeping our communities safe has never been more critical. Thanks for all you do.
The HHS COVID-19 Community Corps Team

Missouri DHSS Urges Continued Vaccination as Close Monitoring of Delta Variant Continues

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Missouri is experiencing a rise in individuals contracting the Delta variant (B.1.617.2, first detected in India) of the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2. It was announced by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention yesterday that the Delta variant has been reclassified as a “variant of concern” in the United States. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has been closely monitoring these developments and has been on the national leading edge of aggressive wastewater testing for variants of concern.

The Delta variant joins the B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma), B.1.427/B.1.429 (Epsilon) variants circulating in the United States which are already classified as variants of concern.

Deemed highly transmissible, the Delta virus has been already detected in over 70 countries of the world, and is projected to become dominant worldwide. It is also causing more serious illness and hospitalizations among those who have not been vaccinated.

Monitoring the spread of emerging variants in the United States relies on widespread, rapid sequencing. While this national effort is still somewhat limited, it is clear that the variant has become prevalent in communities throughout Missouri. In February, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) began testing wastewater samples to look for the presence of these variants. These testing results are displayed in a new layer of the COVID-19 sewershed surveillance StoryMap.

The unpredictability of emerging variants is cause for continuation of infection prevention precautions.

“Our greatest concern in Missouri is areas with lower vaccine uptake,” said Robert Knodell, Acting Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). “With this variant being easier to spread and possibly causing more severe illnesses among unvaccinated people of all ages, vaccinations are the best way to stop this virus in its tracks.”

This recent rise of the highly transmissible Delta variant underscores the importance of continued testing for COVID-19 of all those with related symptoms, as well as those who have been exposed to the virus but may not have symptoms.

Social distancing and appropriate masking remain important and effective public health countermeasures. Vaccination is the most effective and long-lasting tool for protection from this infection. DHSS continues to encourage anyone age 12 and up to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Get the facts about COVID-19 vaccines and where to get vaccinated at MOStopsCovid.com.

DHSS teams up with Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council to launch COVID-19 plain language guide for the disability community

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The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) along with the Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council released a new resource, the “Missouri Plain Language Guide for People with Disabilities, their Families and Caregivers,” on COVID-19 and the vaccine.

Through this partnership, the new guide will ensure that important information related to COVID-19 and vaccine access is more accessible to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and others with disabilities affecting reading, comprehension and other cognitive functions.

“After reading this new Missouri Plain Language Guide, I was very impressed with two very important things: 1) the amount of important and vitally necessary information that it contains; and 2) how plain and understandable the format is, that was used to present it, without diluting any of the valuable information that it conveys to the reader. I believe that this will prove to be a very valuable tool for persons with disabilities and many others,” said Cathy Enfield, Chairperson and Self-Advocate, Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council.

“There is so much information available about COVID-19 and vaccines, that it could be hard to navigate through the information. We value the collaboration with DHSS, to provide accurate information in a plain language format that is accessible to so many who experience disabilities. We look forward to continuing this important work to ensure the disability community has information to make decisions about their health,” said Vicky Davidson, Executive Director, Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council.

People with disabilities, their family members and caregivers have been eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the earliest phases of Missouri’s vaccine rollout. Currently, any Missourian age 12 and older is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Since the beginning of 2021, DHSS and the Missouri Advisory Committee on Equitable COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution have been focused on deploying new strategies and resources to meet the disability community where they are – this new guide is a resource to support Missouri’s disability community and those individuals, family members and caregivers who support them.

“Since day one at DHSS, our goal has been to ensure Missouri’s most vulnerable, people with disabilities and those who support them (i.e., their families, caregivers and disability service providers) were at the front of the line to receive the free vaccine throughout our vaccine roll-out process. Throughout the year, we have also been working to deploy new strategies and resources to meet the disability community where they are. Our new plain language guide is an additional resource for Missourians with disabilities and those who support them,” said Sara Hart Weir, co-chair of the Missouri Advisory Committee on Equitable COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution.

Enfield added, “We simply need information to be supplied in a clear, plain and understandable way. As Chair of the Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council, I am proud of the work that our members and staff did on the document. I applaud their efforts and the efforts of all those who were involved.”

If you or someone you know is unable to visit a COVID-19 vaccination clinic without assistance, please call the COVID-19 Hotline at 877-435-8411 and press option 4 to be routed directly to your local Area Agency on Aging to make a vaccine appointment. You can also register individuals for the vaccine by visiting Missouri’s COVID-19 website, MOStopsCovid.com. COVID-19 Hotline hours of operation are Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m.-2 p.m. (Hotline is open on Saturdays through until June 11.) Individuals are encouraged to call soon to ensure their names are added to the list.

Conversations with Carmen

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June 18, 2021: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Guest: LaVrene Norton, Action Pact Founder, Executive Leader/CEO

Need help getting everyone out of the doldrums of COVID? Let free the spirit of joy and love – work together to bring back the simple pleasures of home. Create team on the fly. Let music and laughter rock the halls. Wave!

Think Neighborhood. Have a block party.

We begin again with a short presentation on the Artifacts of Culture Change as they can offer us a measurable road map. We will then head down the path to Neighborhood where culture change begins. Where good neighbors work together to enjoy and share the simple pleasures of daily life.

BinaxNOW Recoupment – Ending Friday June 11th

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DHSS will cease recoupment of excess Abbott BinaxNOW cards effective Friday, June 11 – meaning any recoupment requests must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 11 in order to be sent a mailing label. As before, we will only accept unopened boxes and box lots that have at least 30 days or more to expiration, please refer to the most recent extension expiry letter from Abbott. After that date, the recoupment form will be removed from the DHSS website.

If your facility has an excess of Abbott BinaxNow Cards, which you are unable to use prior to them expiring, please provide your information on the recoupment form link: https://mophep.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/1913bb3c639843c49b74350a4652d750.

SEMA will send you UPS shipping labels and the tests will be sent to the state warehouse for redistribution- so they do not expire before they can be used.

Please note the following:

  • Unless you have specifically ordered the tests from DHSS via an online ordering portal- the tests you are returning were from FEDERAL.
  • SEMA is unable to accept tests that are 30 days or less until expiration date (this can be within the new expiry date). With less than 30 days, they are unable to recoup and redistribute those tests to another user in a timeframe that allows the new user time to incorporate into their testing regimen.
  • Abbott’s guidance for unused kits is that all components of this kit should be discarded as Biohazard waste.

CANCELLING DIRECT SHIPMENTS

  • If there are facilities in your state receiving direct allocations of Abbott Binax NOW that would like to cancel those allocations, please submit the cancellation request to ARDxUSGovernmentSupport@abbott.com. Note: this is a cancellation not a pause. Pausing allocations is not an option. Once received allocations can be transferred to other facilities within the state.

Wanted: COVID-19 Vaccine Champions

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The sooner we’re all vaccinated for COVID-19, the safer we’ll all be. And that is especially true for point of care staff. That’s why the Health Quality Innovation Network (HQIN), in collaboration with the Missouri Nursing Home Advisory Council, is seeking brief statements from the frontline – why your staff members chose to be vaccinated.

Peer-to-peer encouragement can boost vaccine confidence as well as vaccination rates.

Would any of your team members be willing to share their vaccination “story?” All it takes is completing a brief online form and uploading a photo, which could be a selfie, the staff member being vaccinated, or even an image to depict the reason they got vaccinated such as to keep their loved ones and residents healthy.

To participate, simply share the COVID-19 Vaccine Experience Consent form with staff or complete it for them (with their consent).

The collection of powerful impact statements will be developed into posters and social media posts so that we can spread the word, rather than the virus.

Questions? Email HQI.

Monthly Infection Control and Prevention Webinar Series: What you need to know to keep you, your patients and community safe.

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June 2021 -December 2022 – 2nd Tuesday of each month from 12-1 p.m.: ICP Monthly Webinar Series

June 10 – Inaugural Webinar: Vaccines are Safe – How we know!
Lynelle Phillips, MPH, RN, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Public Health, School of Health Professions, Extension Service Nurse Specialist, University of Missouri, Columbia

  • General rules of vaccines
  • FDA approval process and Emergency Use Authorization Use (EUA) process
  • How were we able to get a vaccine to market in such a short time and still cut no corners?
  • Compare the different vaccines – safety and efficacy
  • Is the lesser protection by J&J significant enough to be important? J&J Case Study.

 

July 8 – How do COVID vaccines affect immunity to COVID?
Taylor Nelson, DO, Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, University of Missouri Health Care, Columbia. Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine/Infectious Disease

  • Natural immunity vs vaccine-induced immunity – which is best?
  • How long does the vaccine protect me?
  • What is Herd immunity and is it reasonable to expect we will ever achieve it?
  • If I’ve had COVID, why get vaccinated?
  • To boost or not to boost?
  • I’m young, isn’t it less risky to take chance with COVID than the vaccine?

 

August 10 – Environmental Health: Air Purification and Quality
Loie Couch, RN, BS, CIC, FAPIC, Infection Prevention Specialist, Barnes Jewish Christian (BJC) Hospital, St. Louis

  • Functions of a ventilation system
  • Benefits and limitations of bi-polar ionization
  • Minimum filtration requirements
  • Apply filtration flexibility on a space-by-space approach
  • Appropriate use of UV light disinfection and accompanying hazards
  • Visible light disinfection and its appropriate use and considerations

Missouri partnerships ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines for homebound residents

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The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) announced a partnership between the Area Agencies on Aging, local public health agencies, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to ensure homebound adults have a streamlined and accessible vaccination experience across the state. Understanding that various communities have already developed a plan for vaccinating homebound individuals in their area, the partnerships established by the State are to merely supplement and allow these efforts to continue at the local level.

COVID-19 vaccination of homebound persons presents unique challenges to ensure the appropriate vaccine storage, temperatures, handling, and administration to ensure safe and effective vaccination.  Both CDC and CMS define homebound persons as those that need the help of another person or medical equipment such as crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair to leave their home, or their medical provider believes that their health or illness could get worse if they leave their home, and they typically do not leave their home. 

The homebound referral process begins with the Area Agencies on Aging who are experts in discerning homebound status. Adults who are homebound and want to be vaccinated in their home can register through their local Area Agency on Aging or through the Missouri Vaccine Navigator registry by indicating they are homebound. Individuals reaching out to the State COVID-19 Hotline seeking vaccination for a homebound individual will be directed to their local Area Agency on Aging.  The homebound individual, their caregiver, family member, or healthcare provider can make the referral. 

The Area Agency on Aging makes contact with the homebound individual to obtain consent and gather the pertinent information to coordinate the vaccination in their home.  In some cases, caregivers and other household members may also be vaccinated at the same time as the homebound individual to prevent vaccine wastage. The Area Agency on Aging turns over the list of registered homebound individuals to their local public health agency or EMS provider who then schedules the in-home appointments. The AAA may also provide the homebound individual with courtesy appointment reminders via phone as many do not have internet or email access. 

The City of St. Louis Department of Health teamed up with the St. Louis Fire Department, Team Rubicon and the St. Louis City Area Agency on Aging to provide their homebound residents COVID-19 vaccination opportunity.

“This program will provide much-needed protection against COVID-19 for clients who may find it difficult to visit a vaccine clinic,” says Dr. Fredrick Echols, Acting Director of Health for the City of St. Louis. “By bringing the vaccine to them, we remove the barrier of travel and ensure these clients are not left behind in the vaccination process.”

[View Photo]  James Thompson, EMS Supervisor, and Mary Sullivan with Team Rubicon vaccinate a homebound resident of St. Louis City.

Kansas City’s homebound vaccination strategy involves a partnership between the Mid-America Region Council (MARC) Area Agency on Aging, the local health departments of Cass, Clay and Platte Counties and Kansas City, as well as multiple EMS and fire districts.

Chief Chip Portz of Central Jackson County Fire District said, “By partnering with our local health department and by taking advantage of reimbursement opportunities, the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District is able to provide this vital community service to a very vulnerable population without using emergency crews who would normally be protecting the rest of our citizens. We use off-duty paramedics in a non-emergency role to ensure our emergency response capacity is not diminished or compromised.”

[View Photo]  Central Jackson County Fire District, Captain Paramedic, Nathan Manley is providing vaccination to a homebound resident.

Lee’s Summit Assistant Fire Chief, Dan Manley, who has been instrumental in regional emergency planning, arranged a vaccine event for MARC Aging and Adult Services staff as well as their community partner who is delivering meals to self-isolating congregate and homebound older adults during COVID.

“Having our staff and volunteers vaccinated protects our most vulnerable homebound residents that we serve,” said Manley.

If you or someone you know is homebound or unable to visit a COVID-19 vaccination clinic without assistance, please call the COVID-19 Hotline at 877-435-8411 and press option 4 to be routed directly to your local Area Agency on Aging to make a vaccine appointment. You can also register homebound individuals for the vaccine by visiting Missouri’s COVID-19 website, MOStopsCovid.com. COVID-19 Hotline hours of operation are Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Individuals are encouraged to call soon to ensure their names are added to the list.  

News Release: State adds five additional language options to Missouri Vaccine Navigator

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The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has launched the Missouri Vaccine Navigator in five additional languages for non-English speaking individuals. Already available in English and Spanish, Vaccine Navigator now also allows individuals to register and find vaccination appointments throughout Missouri in Chinese, French, Korean, Portuguese and Russian.

All individuals over the age of 12 are now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Missouri, regardless of their citizenship. (Pfizer is the only vaccine authorized for those ages 12-17).

Approximately 775,000 individuals are currently registered in Missouri Vaccine Navigator, which is powered by Qualtrics. The system allows individuals to register and schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine by viewing vaccination events throughout the state.

In addition to helping individuals register for a vaccine, the Missouri Vaccine Navigator will remind registrants when it is time to schedule their second dose. Two of the vaccines currently authorized for use (Pfizer and Moderna) require two doses, and the second dose is critical to ensure individual and community protection.

The Missouri Vaccine Navigator also integrates with ShowMeVax, the state’s immunization database for providers. Vaccination events using the Missouri Vaccine Navigator for scheduling enables  coordinators to quickly load vaccination administration data into the system and avoid cumbersome data entry.

Once an individual is registered with Missouri Vaccine Navigator, the scheduling platform becomes available and can be accessed as often as needed or until vaccination is achieved.

Those with online accessibility issues are encouraged to call the COVID-19 hotline at 877-435-8411 for registration assistance. Language translation and other services are available to callers.

COVID-19 vaccines are completely free for everyone in the U.S. Get the facts at  MOStopsCovid.com.

Cream of the Crop Webinars

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CE Available for Nurses, Social Workers, Nursing Home Administrators, and pharmacotherapeutics (RX)
We hand selected 12 of our most popular webinars from 2020.
https://web.cvent.com/event/dcf77498-045c-48e7-aa2a-d17a5cd8aa09/summary

Sessions for NHA CE:

Age Friendly Health Systems
John Morley, MD, Professor Geriatrics, St. Louis University Medical School
This session will address recognizing and managing geriatric syndromes. The 4M framework will be included to ascertain specific health outcome goals and care preferences.

Preserving Integrity in Turbulent Times
Cynda Ruston, PhD, RN, FAAN, Anne & George L. Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics, German Institute of Bioethics/School of Nursing, Professor of Nursing & Pediatrics, John Hopkins University
Listen to a recognized and international leader in nursing ethics, from John Hopkins University. This session will focus on selected sources of moral suffering, consequences of moral suffering, and offers a pathway of moral resilience by restoring integrity.

Medication Considerations in the Elderly During the COVID-Pandemic
Curt Wood, R.PD., BCGP, FASP, Elder Care Pharmacy Consultant, LLC
Medication usage is even more critical in a pandemic as many long-term care communities are experiencing outbreaks of the virus. Ideas on gradual dose reduction and managing chronic diseases will be discussed.

Resiliency: Using Gratitude to Thrive Through Adversity
T.J. Sweet, MHA, Practice Manager, Ellis Administration, University of Missouri Hospital, Columbia
Learn how to use strategies to validate feelings and practical ways to support colleagues when exposed to high stress levels in uncertain times. Learn to thrive despite adversity and maintain a resilient mindset using gratitude.

Reducing Meds – The When, What and How to Minimize Adverse Outcomes
Craig Sever, BS, R.Ph., Clinical Coordinator Eversprings Pharmacy, St. Louis, Missouri
The speaker will provide insight on how to pharmacologically assess the most reducible meds and develop an appropriate reduction strategy for older adults.

COVID-19 Testing and other Necessary COVID-19 Related Invoices – Important Update: Please Read!

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ALFs, ICFs, and RCFs that have billed for “other” costs as of 5/3/2021 may continue to submit “other” necessary COVID-19 related invoices through June 30, 2021. All “other” invoices (as of 5/3/2021) submitted by ICFs, ALFs, and RCFs must include a new signed addendum.

SNFs may continue to bill for “other” necessary COVID-19 related invoices through June 30, 2021.

All Long-Term Care facilities (SNFs, ICFs, ALFs, and RCFs) may continue to submit testing invoices until further notice.

Due to time constraints, please do not wait until the last minute to submit these invoices.

The web portal can be found here: https://apps.dss.mo.gov/LongTermCareCovid19Invoices/