Health & Safety Requirement Updated for 2022 Institute; Still Time to Register

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Heidi Simpson

The 2022 Institute & Expo is less than three weeks away, and we are looking forward to seeing so many of our members again after two years. There is still time to register your organization and staff for this multi-day conference which is in person at RiverCentre in St. Paul Feb. 9-11 and virtually Feb. 22-24. The registration deadline is Monday, Jan. 31.

New Requirements Announced for Attending In-Person Institute

We are committed to creating the safest environment possible for our Institute & Expo. We want to do all we can to create an interactive, educational, and safe experience for you to gather and learn with your peers from around the state. 

On Tuesday, Jan. 18, LeadingAge Minnesota President & CEO Kari Thurlow announced a motion by the Board of Directors to require all Institute participants to present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test administered no more than 48 hours before arriving at the conference, regardless of vaccination status, before gaining entrance to the event. A subsequent retest during the week is not required.

In light of the Omicron variant and the increase in breakthrough cases for those fully vaccinated, the Board took this vital step to limit the spread of COVID-19 after hearing from several members throughout the state asking for testing to be part of the experience for all who attend.

The following test results will be accepted:

• A negative test result from a PCR test taken within 48 hours before the event/venue arrival;
• A negative test result from an FDA-approved COVID-19 antigen test (aka rapid test) administered by a testing provider within 48 hours before the event/venue arrival. (A testing provider can be a clinic, testing site, or your organization with test documentation signed by a licensed health care provider.) 

Rapid tests used without the supervision of a testing provider (e.g., self-administered over-the-counter tests or home tests) will not be accepted.

We encourage you to review the policy and ask any questions you may have. For the complete Health & Safety Requirements, click here.

We want you to be able to engage in the Institute experience, whether you can join us in person or not. That's why we've also created a virtual learning option with additional educational sessions from Feb. 22-24. Please note these are different than the sessions offered in-person Feb. 9-11. There is no live streaming option for in-person events.

We encourage you to learn more at LeadingAgeMN.org/Institute.