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The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) recently informed LeadingAge Minnesota that they are ending this current round of Assisted Living Resident Satisfaction surveys. The surveys are currently being conducted under contract by Vital Research.

As case counts are starting to decrease in Minnesota, questions about eye protection arise. The level of community transmission guides the use of universal eye protection. Those individuals in counties with high to substantial transmission rates are more likely to have contact with someone who is asymptomatic and positive for COVID-19.

On Jan. 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its Interim Guidance for Managing Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2. There were two small changes to the guidance.

The Minnesota Office of Management and Budget (MMB) released the February budget forecast earlier this week. This budget will guide lawmakers as they determine their spending priorities in the current legislative session. Since the last forecast in November, the budget surplus for the two years ended June 30, 2023, has grown by $1.5 billion to a historic $9.25 billion.

This week President Biden announced a wide-ranging nursing home reform initiative to be implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The announcement was timed to coincide with the State of the Union Address, but President Biden made only a very brief reference to one small part of his reform package in his speech Tuesday evening. After analyzing the proposal, we have more questions than answers, and the timeline for change is unclear.

The HUD/ACL Housing and Services Resource Center will host two sessions related to cross-sector partnerships that create housing stability in March.

Do you have rising stars and emerging leaders in your organization? Are you one of them? We encourage you to apply for the 2022 LeadingAge Minnesota Leadership Academy – a year-long program designed to develop and cultivate the next wave of transformational leaders in our field.

Tiffani Kortenbusch, Director of Nursing for CentraCare Melrose Care Center, received LeadingAge Minnesota's first-ever Rising Star Award at the annual Institute & Expo on Feb. 9.

Aging services communities looking to build a pipeline of foreign workers hired as trainees and specialists might be interested in hiring long-term care workers through the J-1 visa exchange visitor program.

Please note the corrected date range for the increased rate for Housing Support. 

On July 1, 2022, the Housing Support maximum monthly room and board rate will increase significantly to $1,041.

Two new reference tools for assisted living facilities are now available in the Minnesota Department of Health’s Food Code Requirements section of the Resources and FAQs page. These documents give an overview of the Minnesota Food Code and outline the requirements that assisted living facilities must meet to serve food safely and prevent foodborne illnesses.

Implementation of the CMS staff vaccination mandate continues in full swing, with the Phase 2 compliance deadline arriving on Monday, Feb. 28.

Providers licensed or regulated by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will transition back to fingerprint-based background studies beginning March 2 for new employees. In late January, following two previous delays, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) announced March 2 as the date for the resumption of fingerprinting. The transition is moving forward without further postponement.

One month into the legislative session, bills are moving through the committee process rapidly. This week, three bills with our Long-Term Care Imperative-supported proposals were heard in Senate and House committees.

Last week’s Institute was terrific – great sessions, speakers, and celebrations; a sold-out Expo, and the opportunity to be together in person. Our goal is to build upon that positive experience through the virtual portion of the event.

Applications are being accepted for LeadingAge Minnesota’s Leadership Academy – a year-long program designed to develop and cultivate the next wave of transformational leaders in our field. Entering its 13^th year, Leadership Academy provides experienced and emerging leaders an opportunity to explore and practice ideas, tools, principles, and theories that they leverage to strengthen their leadership and support their teams and organizations.

Rev. Dr. Gary Wilkerson, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Cassia in Edina, was recently named Board Trustee of the Year by LeadingAge Minnesota.

LeadingAge Minnesota is offering a new quick guide to help members understand state- and federal-level nursing home quality initiatives.

The Data Sub-Committee of the LeadingAge Minnesota Quality, Safety & Performance Excellence Committee developed Understanding the Quality Measures: A Quick Guide to Federal and State Care Center Quality Measures & Programs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued expanded guidance for the COVID-19 In-Person Visitation Aid Grants available to nursing homes.

Minnesota’s new congressional and legislative district maps, which will govern for the next decade, were released yesterday.

The state's legislative and congressional districts are redrawn two years after every census to ensure each elected official represents an equal number of constituents. According to our state's constitution, the legislature is tasked with this duty.

This week, a bill introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives to impose workforce standards in nursing home settings would yield troubling unintended consequences if passed. HF 3405, introduced by House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) and supported by SEIU, would establish the Minnesota Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board with broad authority to regulate employment standards for nursing home workers. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services has announced an increase to the Housing Support rates effective mid-2022. On July 1, 2022, the Housing Support maximum monthly room and board rate will increase significantly to $1,041.

Assisted living licenses must be renewed annually. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) intends to send renewal notices to current licensees on or about May 1. Renewal applications must be submitted at least 60 calendar days before the license's expiration. The renewed licenses are effective Aug. 1. MDH will issue fines for licenses that are not renewed in a timely manner.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated their Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines.

This week, the Minnesota Senate discussed two bills aimed at helping to resolve the workforce crisis in long-term care. The proposals contain funding for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), hiring and retention bonuses, education and training grants, temporary regulatory changes for retired and out-of-state nurses to practice, modification of training requirements in long-term care settings, and a correction program for sites to work with MDH on technical issues.

The Next Generation Nursing Assistant Training Program has successfully recruited over 1000 individuals into its no-cost training programs throughout the state. Providers should begin to position themselves to connect with students as they complete their training in the upcoming weeks.

The Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) helps workers stay at or return to work when an injury or illness impacts employment. RETAIN supports these individuals as they safely return to work as soon as possible.

We celebrated the 2021 Class of Leadership Academy Fellows today at the Institute & Expo – one of the largest classes in this program's twelve-year history. Applications are being accepted for the 2022 class.

Join LeadingAge, our national affiliate, for a workshop focused on strategies to move the public perception of the aging services field.

Want to take your advocacy to the next level? We encourage you to consider attending one – or more – of the upcoming advocacy days at the State and Federal levels.