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In the last several weeks, the number of COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes and assisted living settings have increased. Because there was an extended time when outbreaks were low, we have received many questions about handling them, specifically visitation and testing.

The most recent Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) update on long-term care vaccination shows slow progress continuing for staff rates, while resident rates remain outstanding.

Staff at all levels are experiencing stress and burnout from their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and unfortunately, we know the pandemic is not over. To address this stress and help teams thrive, the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation is releasing a set of resources to help teams and individual staff process, recover, and renew from the trauma of COVID-19.

Since President Biden announced last week that CMS will develop regulations requiring all nursing homes to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their staff, LeadingAge Minnesota has been working closely with our national affiliate LeadingAge to seek additional information, better understand the directive, and advocate on behalf of our members.

In a significant escalation of the federal government’s effort to increase vaccination rates, President Biden announced today that he has directed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop regulations requiring all nursing homes to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their staff, as a condition of receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid funding.

House calls are the latest trend in employee health benefits delivery. Learn more about how one company is disrupting the employee benefits world with house calls for your sick team members tomorrow at 10 a.m.

The next Nursing Leadership Certificate Program will be held on multiple dates from Sept. 2021 – Jan. 2022. Program details are currently being finalized. Registration is coming soon.

Mark your calendar for two upcoming conferences in October.

The new Quality and Patient Safety Conference is on Oct. 18, emphasizing how to create the culture and environment that supports continuous improvement. A pre-conference workshop on Oct. 17 focuses on the foundations of quality improvement.

With COVID-19 rates lower than the pandemic's peak, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is resuming usual survey activities. This Aug. 31 webinar is designed to provide skilled nursing communities with information and practices to prepare for licensing and certification surveys.

Planning is underway for the 2022 Institute & Expo, Feb. 8-11 at the RiverCentre in St. Paul. We are now accepting your proposals to present concurrent educational sessions at the conference, which over 3,000 aging services professionals attend. Institute is an excellent opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise in an area of interest to providers. The Call for Presentations guides you through your submission process. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 11 p.m. CST.

Guardian Pharmacy of Minnesota, a LeadingAge Minnesota Business Partner, announced a new location in Minneapolis.

The new 12,000 square-foot Minneapolis facility will house new technology/automation and a training center to provide in-service and nursing instruction courses for pharmacy employees and community staff members.

Nominations are being accepted through Monday, Sept. 13 for the 2022 Stars Among Us Awards in multiple categories, including:

• Caregiver of the Year
• Rising Star Award (new award)
• Outstanding Leadership
• Volunteer of the Year
• Spirit of Aging
• Excellence in Practice for Process Improvement or Safe Care for Seniors

Care centers have only two weeks left to apply for grant funding to implement an employee engagement strategy and improvement program through Align’s Employee Engagement Solution.

CMS approves civil money penalty (CMP) grant dollars to address employee turnover and its impact on the resident experience and quality of life in Minnesota skilled nursing facilities.

Have you posted open positions on the new AgingServicesJobs.Org platform? The new site is now available! Post today and receive an introductory rate of $39 per posting using the coupon code Aging2021 (postings typically $99). This discount will be available to all members for a limited time as we recognize this critical time in building our workforce.

The LeadingAge Minnesota staff team is working to identify care center members who rely upon the Fire Safety Evaluation System (FSES) as an alternative means to demonstrate compliance with fire safety requirements of NFPA 101®: Life Safety Code® (LSC).

Based on the annual SNF Payment Rule released earlier this summer, new skilled nursing facility (SNF) Medicare rates for the third year of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) take effect on Oct. 1. The Oct. 1 rates include an inflation update of 1.2% based on a formula in existing law. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has suspended the Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program for the upcoming rate year.

In late July, a select working group began hosting hearings on allocating the money set aside during the 2021 special session for bonuses for frontline workers. Several different groups are vying for the $250 million set aside for the bonuses and this week. The working group is hosting a hearing to discuss eligibility requirements and take more public testimony.

Assisted living providers must send a Disclosure of Special Care Status to the Office of Ombudsman for Long-term Care when applicable.

The requirement is not new. However, it is an excellent time to update and send this disclosure if it applies to your setting. The Disclosure of Special Care Status is required of any assisted living with dementia care setting. 

Funding for the Basic Care Aide and Paid Feeding Assistant Training programs will end on Friday, Sept. 10. Access to the training will remain available to members through EduCare until the 1135 waiver expires, which has no known expiration date at this time. Non-EduCare users may access programs for a fee by contacting Jennifer Anderson or calling 952-288-3800.

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent an email to National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) users requesting information on vaccine access. This information is reported through the required weekly reporting for nursing homes on the resident and staff vaccine reporting sections.

Earlier today, LeadingAge sent all care center members updated Five-Star Analysis reports that reflect data from earlier this year during the height of the pandemic. In addition to showing the status of each of the measures and the overall score, the report also shows areas where care centers are close to gaining or losing points. To look at your care center’s performance over time on any of the measures, members should click on any of the red “trend” boxes on the Five Star report.

One of the Association’s most cherished and time-honored traditions is getting together each fall for LeadingAge Minnesota’s Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum at Madden’s Resort near Brainerd. The LeadingAge Minnesota Board of Directors voted to convert our planned in-person meeting to a virtual event.

In a Joint Statement issued today, Health and Human Services (HHS) officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and other agencies announced plans to begin offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to all Americans beginning the week of Sept. 20 and starting eight months after an individual’s second dose. 

Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in Minnesota and, as a result, long-term care settings should review guidance, policies, and practices to ensure infection prevention and control protocols are up to date. Organizations are also experiencing an increase in outbreak cases. Many reached out to LeadingAge Minnesota regarding visitation practices.

Senior Community Services is proud to be hosting the sixth annual Reimagine Aging Conference. This year, the conference will be held on Oct. 6, both in-person and virtually, so the event is accessible to everyone.

Join us for a 15-minute webinar on Thursday, Aug. 19 at 10 a.m. to learn how one company is disrupting the employee benefits world with house calls for your sick team members. That's right; house calls are the latest trend in employee health benefits delivery. 

A recording of the July 22 webinar, Emergency Preparedness in Assisted Living, is available for purchase to help your assisted living organization comply with new, extensive requirements for disaster planning and emergency preparedness, which incorporate federal preparedness standards. This is an area of scrutiny in assisted living surveys, and recent mock surveys identified substantial gaps in providers' readiness.

Order your copy here.

With COVID-19 rates lower than the pandemic's peak, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is resuming usual survey activities. This webinar is designed to provide skilled nursing communities with information and practices to prepare for licensing and certification surveys.

Early Bird Registration Deadline is Friday, Aug. 20

LeadingAge Minnesota’s Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum is Sept. 21–24 in person at Madden’s in Brainerd. Register by Friday, Aug. 20 to receive the best value for your investment. Registration fees increase on Aug. 21.

The next Nursing Leadership Certificate Program will be held on multiple dates from Sept. 2021 – Jan. 2022. 

Below are the dates to save for the 2021-2022 Nursing Leadership Certificate program; program details are currently being finalized. This year’s program is a combination of in-person and virtual live sessions.