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On September 29, 2020, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued five additional executive orders:
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EO 2020-186 - Declaration of state of emergency and state of disaster related to the COVID-19 pandemic - Rescission of Executive Order 2020-177
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E0 2020-187 - Encouraging the use of electronic signatures and remote notarization, witnessing, and visitation during the COVID-19 pandemic - Rescission of Executive Order 2020-173
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EO 2020-188 - Temporary restrictions on entry into health care facilities, residential care facilities, congregate care facilities, and juvenile justice facilities - Rescission of Executive Order 2020-174
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EO 2020-189 - Temporary COVID-19 protocols for entry into Michigan Department of Corrections facilities and transfers to and from Department custody; temporary recommended COVID-19 protocols and enhanced early-release authorization for county jails, local lockups, and juvenile detention centers - Rescission of Executive Order 2020-170
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EO 2020-190 - Temporary safety measures for food-selling establishments and pharmacies and temporary relief from requirements applicable to the renewal of licenses for the food-service industry - Rescission of Executive Order 2020-178
On September 30, 2020, the Governor issued the following executive order:
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EO 2020-191 - Enhanced protections for residents and staff of long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic - Rescission of Executive Order 2020-179
The full text of these executive orders can be found on the Michigan Coronavirus Website.
The MDHHS Communicable Disease Division is in the process of building long-term care “strike teams” to provide onsite support for evaluating infection prevention policies, procedures, and practice using standard CDC assessment tools. This project will last multiple years, so while the initial focus will be COVID, these teams will also be able to assess facilities’ patient safety standards more broadly.
The idea is that these efforts will be coordinated through local health departments. While we do not expect to have enough manpower and resources to reach every single facility, we would like to have a data-driven and locally informed approach with which to prioritize facilities. These site visits are meant to be collaborative and consultative and are not designed to be regulatory or punitive, though we do hope to coordinate efforts with other on-site teams (i.e. LARA surveyors) in an effort to reduce redundancy and not overburden long term care facilities and staff.
MDHHS recognizes that there has been and will continue to be a lot of focus on these facilities and appreciates the engagement LHDs have already shown. This partnership is valued and MDHHS endeavors to maintain it. To help make this process as smooth and as effective as possible MDHHS is asking LHDs to complete a short two-question survey. The questions are:
- Identify the LHD point of contact(s) for the strike team should they visit a facility within your jurisdiction?
- What facilities (if any) do you think would benefit from strike team technical assistance and why?
The survey can be found at https://dhhshivstd.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_emsMhFUoLDhKNnv. The survey will be open from October 2 – 6.
MDHHS looks forward to working with LHDs to improve infection prevention policy and practice in long-term care settings across the State and protecting the health of some of our most vulnerable populations.
If you have questions or issues, contact the CHECC.
Some EPCs have asked how best to report activities that are both whole community inclusion (WCI) related and COVID-19 action plan related without duplicating effort. DEPR suggests EPCs could use one form to report both activities, but color code the entries so it is clear to the reader whether an activity is related to COIVD action plans, WCI, or both. Be sure to include a key for the color coding.
One color coding suggestion is the following:
- Yellow = COVID Action Plans
- Blue = WCI
- Green = Both
(Reprinted from The Guardian of Public Health, September 2020)
Five local health departments in Michigan have been re-recognized this year by the National Association of County & City Health Officials for continuing to demonstrate their department’s ability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies.
• Allegan County Health Department
• Barry-Eaton District Health Department
• Calhoun County Health Department
• Ionia County Health Department
• Kent County Health Department
These local health departments first demonstrated their preparedness and response capability in 2014 through Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) by meeting a comprehensive set of nationally recognized standards. Over the last five years they have continued to advance their programs through implementation of continuous quality improvement processes and were re-recognized in 2020.
PPHR standards focus on three main goals: all-hazards planning, workforce development, and demonstrating readiness through exercises and real events, and are aligned with federal guidelines and national initiatives. PPHR is a rigorous program that requires a tremendous amount of dedication, time, and collaborative partnership.
These five health departments are part of a cohort of more than 500 agencies across the country, and 12 local health departments in Michigan that have been distinguished for excellence in preparedness through PPHR since the program began in 2004. Each PPHR recipient must reapply every five years to maintain their recognition status. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of EMS, Trauma and Preparedness congratulates these five local health departments on their achievement and thanks them for their dedication to preparedness and in keeping Michigan residents healthy and safe.
The October PHEP Partners conference call will be held on October 8, 2020, from 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm on Microsoft Teams. Watch your inbox for an appointment. The agenda provides the URL and conference calling line.
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