Today, the Trump Administration, through the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is announcing it has now
distributed almost $2.5 billion of a planned $5 billion distribution to
nursing homes to support increased testing, staffing, and personal
protective equipment (PPE) needs. This funding allocation was made through
the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a targeted
distribution from the $175 billion Provider Relief program funded through
the bipartisan CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health
Care Enhancement Act.
“The Trump Administration has focused
resources throughout our pandemic response on protecting the most
vulnerable, including older Americans in nursing homes,” said HHS Secretary
Alex Azar. “By distributing these funds and providing training resources,
we are improving the quality of care in nursing homes and helping them save
lives.”
Given their congregate nature and resident
population of older adults – often with underlying chronic medical
conditions – nursing homes are high risk environments that have been
disproportionately affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Vulnerable older Americans relying on nursing home care, as well as their
loved ones, need assurance that the federal government is doing all it can
to ensure safety and the preservation of life during this pandemic. Today’s
announcement is a critical reminder of the Trump administration’s commitment
to protecting older Americans.
This distribution of almost $2.5 billion in
additional funding to over 15,000 nursing homes nationwide supplements
the $4.9 billion that was previously
distributed to skilled nursing facilities. HHS plans on distributing
another $2 billion to nursing homes later this fall based on certain
performance indicators that will be shared in the future.
Training
and Mentoring for Nursing Homes
To further support nursing homes, the Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) will be partnering with
America’s nursing homes to create the National Nursing Home COVID Action
Network. Through the Network, AHRQ will offer training, and mentorship to
the approximately 15,400 nursing homes across the country to supplement
efforts aimed at protecting residents and staff.
The goals of the training and mentorship are
to help nursing home professionals prevent COVID-19 from entering nursing
homes via staff, visitors, and patients and prevent greater spread among
patients, staff, and visitors if the virus is already present. This program
will also guide nursing homes through best-practice care and treatment for
patients who test positive for COVID-19; and protect staff from infection
through evidence-based safety measures that will build their confidence in
their ability to work and feel safe in the nursing homes.
“AHRQ is proud to support HHS in this
critical initiative,” said AHRQ Director Gopal Khanna. “AHRQ has a proven
track-record in helping move evidence into practice to address critical
needs like responding to COVID-19 and to achieve 21st century
care for all Americans.”
This program will provide interactive
small-group, problem-based training and customized mentorship through an
existing network of academic medical centers, health centers, and community
organizations. The training and mentorship program is designed to evolve
as the needs of nursing homes continue to emerge though the fall.
AHRQ has already established a pilot test of small-group training and
mentoring through a partnership with the University of New Mexico’s ECHO
Institute.
Participation in training and mentoring will
be voluntary and nursing homes that participate will receive compensation
to cover the costs of staff training time. Nursing homes will be able
to begin signing up to participate in the Network in the coming weeks and
training is expected to begin in September.
Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) Additional Nursing Home Training Efforts
Since April 2020, the CMS Quality
Improvement Organizations (QIOs) have provided focused, one-on-one
individualized technical assistance to over 1,400 nursing homes with
identified needs based on inspection findings and data reported to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This week, CMS also
announced a voluntary online national training program developed in
coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for
Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes with modules focused on basic
infection control practices, cohorting strategies, vaccine distribution,
and a variety of other topics.
“Under the decisive leadership of President
Trump, the administration is pulling every lever at its disposal to keep
nursing home residents safe,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “Just
this week, CMS deployed an unprecedented national training program for
nursing home staff and management to deliver all the practical knowledge
that nursing homes need to keep the virus out, and stop its spread.”
Additionally, CMS and CDC have issued a
number of guidance documents based on the latest
science regarding the virus’ spread and strategies to combat it, all
designed to help nursing homes keep their residents safe in the face of the
pandemic. Given the plethora of resources being made available, this
administration will continue to hold nursing homes accountable for failing to employ all
precautions that safeguard older Americans from contracting COVID-19.
A state-by-state breakdown on the $2.5
billion that was distributed can be found here - PDF.
More information on additional HHS nursing
home announcements this week can be found here.
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