ALL Together: New Assisted Living Newsletter Available from MDH

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Bobbie Guidry

The Minnesota Department of Health's Health Regulation Division (HRD) will provide information, news, updates and links to assisted living providers, residents, resident families, and the public through a new weekly newsletter, ALL Together. To subscribe, enter your email address and click submit. 

The newsletter is intended to inform providers and consumers as our state moves through the full implementation of Assisted Living Licensure. The first edition was published Oct. 11 and includes these topics:

• Assisted Living Licensure (ALL) Together News and Updates
• HRD begins surveys of ALL facilities
• Lessons Learned
• ALL Statute Highlights
• Questions? Comments? Contact us!
• HRD's Vision

The newsletter reports that HRD began surveying ALL facilities in mid-August. Assisted living facilities must be surveyed every two years. With 1,973 assisted living providers, the Health Regulation Division will be busy meeting with providers to survey their facilities in the months ahead. MDH encourages providers to check out the ALL Resources and FAQ webpages and to use the ALL Survey Forms to:

• Understand the requirements of assisted living statutes
• Conduct self-audits
• Be ready for an MDH survey

Each month MDH will highlight a portion of the Assisted Living License law (Minn. Statute 144G) that providers did not meet in recent surveys with resources to help providers comply with the law.

Since Assisted Living Licensure was implemented on Aug. 1, HRD completed 17 surveys in the first four weeks of surveying in addition to initiating complaint investigations. There is a wide range of readiness. Some providers and settings are prepared for the new licensure, while others are just getting started. ALL Together is a new and timely resource.