| Accurate Headcount Vital to Making Vaccination Program Work | https://www.providermagazine.com/Articles/Pages/Accurate-Headcount-Vital-to-Making-Vaccination-Program-Work.aspx | Accurate Headcount Vital to Making Vaccination Program Work | <p></p><div><p>In a new COVID-19 update, the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) said it has received feedback from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that nursing facilities are significantly overestimating the number of people expected to be vaccinated. </p><p>AHCA/NCAL said the high head count is being attributed to a variety of things, including last-minute decisions to stagger staff, poor estimates, or staff backing out of being vaccinated at the last minute. </p><p>“This results in the pharmacies thawing too many vaccines, which must be used within six hours, and states scrambling to reallocate to other priority groups before they expire. We are also hearing of this happening in other settings too, such as hospitals," the association said. <br></p><p>To help remedy the problem, AHCA/NCAL said if a provider is participating in the pharmacy partnership program, the matched pharmacy (CVS/Walgreens/LTC pharmacy) will call a few days before the clinic visit to confirm the number of people to be vaccinated.</p><p>“It is very important providers accurately estimate the number of people to be vaccinated at this time to avoid any wastage. If there are any changes to that estimate, communicate this to your matched pharmacy partner as soon as possible," AHCA/NCAL said. </p><p>Recommendations to address the situation include the following:</p><ul><li>Timely surveys (within two to three days of the clinic) of staff and residents to determine how many plan to take the vaccine.</li><li>Frequent and regular communication on vaccine benefits and safety up until the clinic date.</li><ul><li>For ideas, resources, and collateral material, visit <a href="https://cl.exct.net/?qs=5f735efda90db9f75be12847aec5dfe2d06dcfb3d1ae05744670c06f0a25a30ae5df4f702c378df628d7451eb317fea1de49461298057d04">AHCA/NCAL's #GetVaccinated website</a></li><li>Also check out <a href="https://cl.exct.net/?qs=5f735efda90db9f7088613a28493073cd00547672022f6d650cecc7e8ed4afd48b7363f155f8623f5785360bdc9fa76bdd54595865668063">CDC's Long-Term Care Facility Toolkit: Preparing for COVID-19 Vaccination at Your Facility</a></li></ul><li>Materials (handouts, posters, lawn signs, etc.) on the day of the clinic emphasizing the importance of vaccination.</li><ul><li>AHCA/NCAL <a href="https://cl.exct.net/?qs=5f735efda90db9f7f74bf5d42e8e3e66e2600983846411ffa191f783963f873f76394010e182a34ac4a5c3d92337e835cb717b8df753d1ea">Infection Control Post-Vaccine</a></li><li>AHCA/NCAL <a href="https://cl.exct.net/?qs=5f735efda90db9f733d74ccd89b7364f1433ecd8a2c09c951db4d584b73d09d4a6c343e812b428217070eb110eb95dd6fcf790514e8cb2dd">Facts and Myths One-Pager</a></li><li><a href="https://cl.exct.net/?qs=5f735efda90db9f787fce8d72e6d9b3ed2edc851899efad0bfda81eb8d4f3955e34654fee54834d2065976260cac41591ff92cbdc248e92f">CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Posters and Stickers</a></li></ul><li>Celebratory items on the day of the vaccine to encourage staff to get vaccinated. </li><ul><li>AHCA/NCAL <a href="https://cl.exct.net/?qs=5f735efda90db9f7104cceadcdfd9e772d8d6acf0f876989ce2e6af390685d5270303e240dbbf612f46d8aca4ecbff1279273550962df622">Social Media Toolkit</a></li><li>AHCA/NCAL Graphics</li><ul><li><a href="https://cl.exct.net/?qs=5f735efda90db9f768c9c67b85571ce6eda47fa924b3651f5fc07de06b7f6676d8b3cfceec446560e22cf8780341d8acd23a5a8c857076ab">#GetVaccinated</a></li><li><a href="https://cl.exct.net/?qs=5f735efda90db9f73c309347ef940b17ccb8f1b758bf59ad4fe6a3ebbd48be170f060a3a140a02e084dc7d2fd77a2bd5fec1624186cf6393">#GotVaccinated</a></li></ul><li><a href="https://cl.exct.net/?qs=5f735efda90db9f787fce8d72e6d9b3ed2edc851899efad0bfda81eb8d4f3955e34654fee54834d2065976260cac41591ff92cbdc248e92f">CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Posters and Stickers</a></li></ul></ul><span></span></div><div><span>Also, AHCA/NCAL said to address concerns over staff calling out after the vaccine, please review <a href="https://cl.exct.net/?qs=5f735efda90db9f779cfc1784771c94274153ab5d7c99b73c1c0d2b13d5f17c1cbc34267cc4fc964e576395933eafd4cb5f430d7ee7c23c6">staffing considerations guidance</a>.
“However, be aware that we have not heard of many call-outs yet from
states or providers that have completed vaccinations," AHCA/NCAL said. </span></div><div><span></span></div><span> <br> Visit <a href="https://cl.exct.net/?qs=5f735efda90db9f73c3c557e2ee392535ae734e710620aa4829fccb7f4e86d353be6ec6bd8ce50caeb93b7fd67894797bee765df16652d52">ahcancal.org/coronavirus</a> for more information.</span> | Late decisions to stagger staff or staff backing out of inoculations may add to the overestimates. | 2020-12-28T05:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Articles/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/vaccination.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | COVID-19;Infection Control |
| A Family Like None Other | https://www.providermagazine.com/Articles/Pages/A-Family-Like-None-Other.aspx | A Family Like None Other | <p>In a year like none other, the holiday season can be especially hard in long term and post-acute care centers, where elderly residents and those with disabilities are limited from seeing loved ones in person due to COVID-19. Luckily, dedicated and supportive nurses and caregivers, many of whom have known and cared for the residents for years, naturally fall into the role of daughter, son, or friend.</p><p><img class="ms-rtePosition-1" alt="Brenda Kincaid" src="/Articles/PublishingImages/BrendaKincaid.jpg" style="margin:5px;" />Brenda Kincaid is a licensed practical nurse (LPN) with Virginia Health Services, based in Newport News, Va. At The Huntington, an assisted living community, and The Newport, a rehabilitation center, she’s formed a number of bonds with residents over the years, who treat her as family.</p><p>“It’s a very close relationship, especially with restrictions that we’ve had this year with visitors coming in,” says Kincaid. “And, they rely on us. We’re sort of filling in for their family right now. We are like a big family.”</p><p>It’s a natural fit for someone who chooses a career in caring for others. Kincaid stresses that the center is home for many residents, especially those receiving long term care.</p><p>“We’re really dedicated to treating them as a whole person,” she says. “That’s not a patient. It’s a resident. You know, this is their home, and we’re coming into it. And we want to bring good things into that.”</p><p>Kim Randolph, a fellow LPN at Virginia Health Services who works at Northampton Convalescent and Rehab Center in Hampton, Va., couldn’t agree more. She originally planned to only work in long term care for a year, but because of one resident, she stayed for close to 20 years.</p><p>“You become that family for them,” says Randolph. “You have your own family that you take care of at home, but then when you leave home in the morning, you have another family that you have to take care of. And just like you leave your family at home, you leave them for the night, and you come back in the morning to take care of them.” </p><p><img class="ms-rtePosition-2" alt="Kim Rudolph" src="/Articles/PublishingImages/KimRudolph.jpg" style="margin:5px;" />There’s usually one or more people in a family that everyone counts on to give a helping hand or nudge in the right direction. In long term care, the story is no different. </p><p>“We provide them with, you know, that little love and that passion, you know, that little laugh,” says Randolph. “And, even sometimes those that are here just for rehab. We also provide that push for them. ‘Hey, you can do this. You can.’ And sometimes they need to hear that.”</p><p>Kincaid’s and Randolph’s stories are front and center of an advertising campaign from the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), the nation’s largest association of long term and post-acute care providers.</p><p>The ads, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=gfJyTT4Xcgc&feature=youtu.be">Family</a>” and “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=7uZwXoTStIE&feature=youtu.be">Oath</a>,” feature caregivers from multiple Virginia Health Services (VHS) facilities talking about how long term care staff have cared for nursing home and assisted living residents in the face of what may be their most challenging circumstance yet—COVID. Their roles have become even more critical to helping those residents continue to thrive despite the obstacles, including visitor restrictions. </p><p>“We become that person for them,” says Randolph. “We become mom, we become brother. We become sister, aunt. We become all of those for them.</p><p>“It’s been rough during COVID. You know, you have the patient who cries because they can’t see their loved one. So, and then you go, and although with nursing we’re busy, but you have to stop and just pull up a chair and sit, hold a hand, and just talk. It may be about nothing, but just talking.”</p><p>The ads are currently running through the end of 2020 on select cable networks and digital platforms and are supplemented by local buys from AHCA/NCAL state affiliates.</p><p>But, no matter the season, the day-to-day dynamics and the focus remain the same. </p><p>“All shift, every day, their safety, their health, and their happiness are three things that we’re working on 24/7, every day of the year,” says Kincaid. “Holidays, whatever, every day is the same there. We know that’s our mission, and we’re focusing on that.”<br></p> | The bond between caregivers and long term care residents has only deepened admidst the constraints of the pandemic. | 2020-12-26T05:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Articles/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/senior_woman_cane.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Caregiving |
| AHCA, NCAL Launch Campaign to Encourage LTC Residents to Get Vaccinated for COVID | https://www.providermagazine.com/Articles/Pages/AHCA,-NCAL-Launch-Campaign-to-Encourage-LTC-Residents-to-Get-Vaccinated-for-COVID.aspx | AHCA, NCAL Launch Campaign to Encourage LTC Residents to Get Vaccinated for COVID | <p>The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) has unveiled a new campaign to encourage long term care residents and staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19.</p><p>The association said it will deploy branded materials, including posters, buttons, and window placards, as well as digital and media engagement, to achieve the campaign’s goal to ensure people in long term care facilities are aware the COVID-19 vaccine is available and that they get vaccinated as soon as possible.</p><p>“Vaccination is the best tool we have had in the ongoing fight against this historic threat,” said Mark Parkinson, the president and chief executive officer of AHCA/NCAL. </p><p>“The faster we get people vaccinated, the more lives we can save. We believe this educational effort will help our residents and staff make informed decisions that will safeguard not only their own health, but also the communities where they live and work.”</p><p>Branded collateral and informational materials have been shared with AHCA/NCAL members across the country. Using the hashtag #GetVaccinated, the association said the campaign also seeks to raise awareness online, especially among family members of residents. By encouraging their loved ones to get vaccinated, family members can play an important role in the effort to eradicate the virus from long term care settings, the association said.</p><p>“While delivery of a vaccine is an important milestone, it will only work if people take it,” Parkinson said. “By working with our members to provide staff, residents, and family members with the facts and information they need, we can hopefully begin to put this threat behind us. In the meantime, we must remain vigilant and continue to rally around our heroic caregivers and vulnerable residents.”</p><p>Find examples of the campaign’s branded materials at <a href="http://www.ahcancal.org/getvaccinated">www.ahcancal.org/getvaccinated</a>.</p> | Vaccination is the best tool facilities have had in the ongoing fight against this pandemic threat, association chief says. | 2020-12-18T05:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Articles/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/0220_News1.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | COVID-19 |
| New COVID Strain Tied to U.S. Nursing Home Highlights Need for Vaccine, Aid | https://www.providermagazine.com/Articles/Pages/New-COVID-Strain-Tied-to-U.S.-Nursing-Home-Highlights-Need-for-Vaccine,-Aid-.aspx | New COVID Strain Tied to U.S. Nursing Home Highlights Need for Vaccine, Aid | <p>The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) said the confirmation that the new strain of COVID-19 discovered in the United Kingdom has been found in an individual who was assisting a Colorado nursing home highlights the need to prioritize long term care residents and staff for vaccines and other critical supplies.</p><p>Mark Parkinson, president and chief executive officer of AHCA/NCAL, said the news that the new strain of COVID-19 has been confirmed and connected with a Colorado nursing home indicates the fight by long term care providers against the virus is far from over.</p><p>“This development comes at a time when long term care facilities are facing the worst outbreak since the spring,” he said. </p><p>“Soaring community spread has resulted in a record-breaking number of cases and deaths in nursing homes—nearly 25,000 cases and 4,000 deaths per week. This is why long term care residents and staff must be prioritized for critical resources, especially distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines.”</p><p>Parkinson said given the asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic spread of the virus, coupled with the vulnerability of long term care populations, the vaccines will literally be a lifesaver for tens of thousands of residents. </p><p>“In addition, providers need ongoing support with personal protective equipment (PPE), testing, and staffing. We will continue to do everything in our power to protect our residents and staff, but we need the full support of federal and state governments to win this war," he said.<br></p> | Confirmation underlines need to prioritize LTC residents and staff for vaccines and other critical supplies. | 2020-12-30T05:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Articles/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/0120_News1.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | COVID-19 |
| Provider Launches First Ever Digital Issue | https://www.providermagazine.com/Articles/Pages/Provider-Launches-First-Ever-Digital-Issue-.aspx | Provider Launches First Ever Digital Issue | <p><em>Provider </em>today launched its first digital issue. Three timely articles center on the rise of technology innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Readers can click, tap, or swipe through and read the interactive issue right on their computer, tablet, or mobile device.</p><p>The first article, “The Telehealth Phenomenon,” follows providers’ abrupt initiation into virtual physician visits for their residents and patients and how they worked with vendor partners to establish routines that are now going smoothly.</p><p>In the next article, “Cyber Security Alert!” an expert shares all the ways criminals can worm their way into sensitive company data via phony emails. Tips are also offered for how employees can spot them.</p><p>The final article, “EMRs Assume Enhanced Role During Pandemic,” highlights a new boom in interest from providers for electronic medical records and the part they can play in safely monitoring patient care, tracking infections, and providing results quickly.</p><p>The article is the first in four digital issues planned for the year, with the remaining digital issues in February, March, and August. <br>Stay tuned throughout the month of January for more new features on Provider’s website.</p><p>Check out the new digital issue now at <a href="https://pagepro.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=63330&i=687740&p=1">https://bit.ly/3q2t6iP.</a><br></p> | In a brand-new format, readers can access reports on technologies aiding providers during the pandemic. | 2021-01-08T05:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Issues/2021/January/PublishingImages/0121_cover.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Technology |