COVID-19 continues to put the health of long-term care residents and staff at risk. We know you are doing everything to protect your facilities and homes.

Learn about updates to help you navigate infectious disease outbreaks and emergencies.

Testing residents for COVID-19.

Test kits and mobile testing services.

We offer free rapid antigen and PCR test kits for facilities.

We also offer mobile testing. A mobile testing team will perform COVID-19 testing with your staff and residents at your facility. You need to make a request 24 hours in advance.

You can order test kits online. Call (253) 649-1247 or email epitesting@tpchd.org for free test kits and a mobile testing team assistance. Check out our COVID-19 testing page to learn more.

Medical test site waiver.

If you help residents with medical testing (e.g. COVID-19 tests, blood sugar tests, urine sampling) you must have a Medical Test Site Waiver (MTSW).

We can provide assistance to cover the application cost!

Facilities are eligible for MTSW financial assistance if they:

• Are Adult Family Homes, Group Homes, or Assistive Living Facilities unaffiliated with a larger parent organization.
• Face financial hardship to complete the MTSW application.
• Do not have an active MTSW/CLIA waiver.

To learn more about the Medical Test Site Waiver, use these videos and slides to help you navigate the application. Contact us at (253) 649-1247 or email epitesting@tpchd.org for help. You can find more resources from Department of Health and Human Services.

Complete this survey to help us learn more about your needs!

Stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines.

Workers in a healthcare must be fully vaccinated. People are protected best from severe illness when they stay up to date with their vaccine.

Check out the COVID-19 vaccination schedule.    

Prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

COVID-19 treatment options effectively prevent severe illness and hospitalization. People at risk of severe illness should start these treatments within the first 5 to 7 days of symptoms.

Help residents contact their healthcare provider after a positive test to see if they qualify for treatment, even if they have mild symptoms.

Find more info on our COVID-19 treatment webpage and view resources from Department of Health and Human Services.

Infection control.

COVID-19 guidance update

Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released a new COVID-19 guidance document called Interim Recommendations for SARS-CoV-2 Infection Prevention and Control in Healthcare Settings. The new updates include:

• Healthcare workers should wear eye protection for all patient encounters when in areas with substantial to high community transmission.
• Nursing home residents who are not up to date with COVID-19 vaccines should quarantine if they go out of the nursing home for more than 24 hours. DOH does not recommend quarantining residents in non-nursing home long-term care facilities and homes.

Fit testing

DOH offers training to help long-term care providers conduct N95 mask fit testing for staff. Before fit test training can start, providers must complete pre-training education tasks. Visit the DOH Fit Test Training page for details.

Emergency preparedness.

On May 27, 2022, Aging and Long Term Support Administration issued a provider letter on the use of Emergency Medical Services by long-term care providers. It requires providers to have sufficient and trained staff at all times to respond to resident needs, including medical emergencies.

New support for you.

Remember! Check our webpage for resources, state, and local guidance for long-term care facilities and homes. Email us with questions at longtermcare@tpchd.org.

Sign-up for provider notifications.

To sign up for more notifications, email longtermcare@tpchd.org.