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With workforce pressures reaching unprecedented levels, the 2021 LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation Golf Fundraiser helped raise funds for our next round of caregiver scholarships. The golf event was held on Aug. 3 at Prestwick Golf Club in Woodbury.

Under the new assisted living (AL) law, providers must submit certain notices to the Office of Ombudsman for Long-Term Care (OOLTC). A Cover Sheet for AL Notice to OOLTC has been developed to accompany every notice to OOLTC. Notices must be submitted to the fax number 651-431-7452 or emailed to ALnotices.OOLTC@state.mn.us. Do not send the notices to the Regional Ombudsman. For any questions about this cover sheet, please email ALnotices.OOLTC@state.mn.us.

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recently released a list of moratorium exception project proposals submitted in the current round of that process. Thirteen providers submitted proposals, and the total one-year state Medicaid cost of those proposals is roughly $2.7 million. The current round is funded using less than one million in state funding due to previously canceled projects, so, unfortunately, less than half of the proposals can be approved.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

We live in a culture that rewards many things, some positive and some that tax our resilience. As health care workers during an ongoing pandemic, we might be especially prone to burning the candle at both ends to hold it all together at work and home.

Funding for the Basic Care Aide and Paid Feeding Assistant Training programs, expedited training for caregivers available under the 1135 Waiver, will soon end. Access will remain available to members through EduCare until the waiver expires. Non-EduCare users may access programs for a fee by contacting Jennifer Anderson or calling 952-288-3800.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) release new testing recommendations for long-term care providers on Monday, Aug. 3.

The Delta variant is more easily transmissible and spreads faster than the original COVID-19 virus or other variants, primarily among unvaccinated and vulnerable individuals. Data shows most COVID-19 cases in long-term care organizations are brought in by staff members. With the Delta variant, the dominant strain in Minnesota, there is risk for increased infection in our settings.

On Tuesday, July 27, a select working group began hosting a series of hearings to determine how to allocate the money set aside during a special session for Hero Pay 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 the effects of the pandemic on long-term care staff. Here is what you need to know about what is happening at the capitol this week:

During the June special session, legislation changed resident assessment practices that care centers now need to follow: the requirement for a significant change assessment after therapy services end or after completing a period of required isolation for an infection.

The Minnesota Department of Health has issued over 1,700 assisted living facility or assisted living facility with dementia care licenses as of Friday afternoon. For the remaining 286 conversion applicants who are waiting for background checks or who have final documents to submit, MDH has issued a conditional license.

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

Attention billing office professionals: register now for LeadingAge Minnesota’s popular annual conference, Billing University for Care Centers, on Aug. 10-11.

LeadingAge Minnesota’s Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum returns to an in-person event from Sept. 21–24 at Madden’s in Brainerd.

Register today to attend this signature event where high-level, strategic-focused sessions include:

Congressional leaders are deep in negotiations on a $3.5 trillion infrastructure investment package—so NOW is the moment to make sure US Representatives and Senators hear our voices!

LeadingAge Minnesota Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of LeadingAge MN, has partnered with PharMerica, a national leader of pharmacy services. PharMerica specializes in servicing communities with medically complex patient populations, including long-term care, senior living, home health, hospice and more.

The deadline is fast approaching to apply for a Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) grant to cover the costs of the award-winning HealthCare Interactive (HCI)-CARES online dementia behavior training for your staff.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will share information on fiscal year 2022 skilled nursing facility payment policies during a Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)/Long Term Care Open Door Forum next Thursday, Aug. 5, at 1-2 p.m.

The Minnesota Board of Executives for Long-term Services and Supports (BELTSS) received over 2,995 applications before June 30 and over 1,600 Licensed Assisted Living Directors (LALDs) were fully licensed as of July 26.

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

With Minnesota's COVID-19 Peacetime Emergency ending July 1, a question on members' minds is what waivers are still in place and for how long.

As we transition to Assisted Living Licensure on Aug. 1, action is required to be a provider of Medical Assistance waiver programs in the Provider Enrollment record with the Department of Human Services.

Implementation of assisted living licensure is only days away, and there are many process changes to both operational and clinical work. A new Assisted Living Bill of Rights was created and posted on the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) website many weeks ago. Organizations are required to ensure all residents living in assisted living receive a copy.

We have experienced a significant decrease in COVID-19 cases in the spring and early summer compared to the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, during the middle of July, COVID-19 case numbers have spiked, with an approximately 300% increase in cases nationally.

Just ten days remain to view more than 100 recorded educational sessions from the 2021 virtual Institute. Sessions from the May conference were recorded and available to registered individuals to view and earn CEUs through July 31, when on-demand access ends.

Attention billing office professionals: register now for LeadingAge Minnesota’s popular annual conference, Billing University for Care Centers, on Aug. 10-11. The all-virtual Billing U equips business office staff with the knowledge, skills and resources necessary to capture appropriate reimbursement and revenue for services provided. Its core curriculum is updated each year.

It’s time to reunite! Register now for our Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum, which returns to an entirely in-person event Sept. 21–24 at Madden's in Brainerd.

Many of the state's Area Agencies on Aging are hosting competitive requests for proposals (RFPs) seeking community partners to implement programs funded through the Older Americans Act. Proposals will support services in the calendar year 2022 for Supportive Services (Title III-B) and Evidence-Based Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (Title III-D).

Congress has begun developing a $3.5 trillion infrastructure investment package — so NOW is the moment to make sure U.S. Representatives and Senators hear our voices!

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has reopened the application process for basic and temporary home care licenses as of July 16.

On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) posted the forms staff will use to conduct a survey under the new assisted living licensure laws.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

As a senior care employee at any level, we have busy lives and many pressures from different directions that we absorb every day. In leadership, there are pressures to complete your administrative tasks and also support your staff to be compassionate and productive. The number of things on your mind can seem to soar to new levels with each email or conversation.