Jan. 24, 2023: Updates for providers of long-term care facilities and homes

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department sent this bulletin at 01/24/2023 03:34 PM PST

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Updates for providers of long-term care facilities and homes

Learn about updates to help navigate infectious disease outbreaks and emergencies on our long-term care facilities (LTCF) toolkit page.

Vaccinations

It’s been 2 years since we started giving the COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. These vaccines have helped prevent millions of hospitalizations and saved millions of lives. Staying up to date on vaccines and encouraging others to do the same can help protect yourself, your staff, residents and your loved ones.

As of Jan. 2, 2023, 24% of Pierce County eligible residents have received the updated bivalent booster. Learn more about case rates, hospitalization rates, vaccinations administered and more on our Pierce County COVID-19 dashboard.

Getting boosted is still the most effective way to protect from severe illness, hospitalizations and even death from COVID-19. Learn about booster doses from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reference guide for all ages and for those who are immunocompromised.

In a Dear Provider Letter on Jan. 10, 2023, Residential Care Services (RCS) and DOH encouraged all residents and staff to stay up to date on their COVID-19, flu and pneumococcal vaccinations to limit severe illness.

If you want to partner with a pharmacy to get vaccines, email us or call (253) 649-1412.

Outbreaks in Healthcare Settings

COVID-19

As of Jan. 1, 2023, DOH implemented the updated 2022 Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists’ (CSTE) COVID-19 outbreak definition for healthcare settings.

The COVID-19 Threshold for reporting to Public Health is:

  • 1 or more probable or confirmed COVID-19 infection in a resident.
  • 3 or more cases of acute illness compatible with COVID-19 in residents within a 72-hour period.
  • 1 or more healthcare workers with probable or confirmed COVID-19 cases in HCP.

Influenza (flu)

Like COVID-19, LTCFs are required to report all suspected and confirmed flu cases to us and RCS. Call us at (253) 649-1412 or (253) 649-1413. Or call Washington State Department of Social and Health services at (800) 562-6078 or report online.

 Notify us when you see:

  • A case of a suspected novel influenza virus.
  • Outbreaks of flu-like illness or lab-confirmed flu in congregate settings.
  • Lab-confirmed flu deaths.

COVID-19 Infection Control

If you are wondering about isolation, quarantine, visitation, personal protection equipment (PPE) use, cohorting, etc., make sure to review and follow the DOH guidance in Interim Recommendations for SARS-CoV-2 Infection Prevention and Control in Healthcare Settings.

We are not actively distributing PPE. We may be able to distribute to facilities with COVID-19 outbreaks or that have a high need. 

If you need to request PPE, contact us with the following information:

  • Your facility name and a point-of-contact.
  • If your facility is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak:
    • The last date of outbreak status.
    • The number of residents affected.
    • The number of staff impacted.
  • Amount and type of PPE you need. Be as specific as possible. 

We will prioritize: 

  • Facilities with residents or staff in an active COVID-19 outbreak. 
  • High-risk facilities that cannot get PPE in any other way. 

We will review your request within 1-2 business days and let you know if we can help. We track community needs and your request helps us understand them.  

COVID-19 Testing

We continue to offer free COVID-19 test kits for LTCFs. Please email us at epitesting@tpchd.org or complete our request form for more. Learn more on our testing webpage.

Medical Test Site Waiver Application

We will continue to support Adult Family Homes (AFH), Group Homes (GH) or Assistive Living Facilities (ALF) that may need financial help with the Medical Test Site Waiver (MTSW) license application payment. If your AFH/GH/ALF is in Pierce County and you need financial help with paying the MTSW license application fee, complete our survey.

Remember, if you perform or assist with COVID-19 testing and for reporting purposes, you must have a Medical Test Site Certificate of Waiver.

Learn about the MTSW for LTCF on the DOH Laboratory Quality Assurance (LQA) webpage or email LQA@doh.wa.gov.

Conduct Respiratory Fit Testing

COVID-19 treatments are free for older adults or someone at high risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. Contact a healthcare provider immediately after a positive test to see if they qualify, even when symptoms are mild. Visit DOH’s COVID-19 Treatments page for more information about COVID-19 antivirals and the Test to Treat program that provides easy access to lifesaving treatments.

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