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Tags Posts tagged with "Infection Control"

Infection Control

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared a downloadable PDF of the questions within the Infection Control and Vaccination Status Survey that was sent out earlier this week. Since the online survey does not permit you to save and return, reviewing the questions ahead of time may make it easier to have all your necessary data when you complete the survey. If you have not already done so, please enter your responses online.

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Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Message from Kevin Dressler, Bureau Director, DHS, Office of Developmental Programs:

Infection Control and Vaccination Status Survey
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has put together a short survey (23 questions) to gain an idea of the vaccination status of the people living in ICFs for COVID, Flu, and RSV, as well as to identify difficulties you may have or are currently experiencing with obtaining the vaccines. There is also a section within the survey discussing infection control and prevention. Please take the time to fill out the survey, as ODP will use the information to continue to look for ways to improve access and availability of vaccines and other health-related resources.

Several responded that the survey was not accessible. Participant restrictions have been removed this morning, so you should now be able to complete the survey here.

ICF Task Force Meeting
The next ICF Task Force meeting will be conducted in-person on April 18, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. We are planning to hold the meeting at the PaTTAN (Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network) building in Harrisburg. We plan to share ICF citation data from January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2023, as well as two trainings. The trainings will be “Plan of Correction Writing and Follow-up,” and training on “Active Treatment.” We will also have the DOH Long Term Care – RISE group provide a presentation on the services and supports they have to offer to ICFs. Lastly, we will have our typical updates from our finance staff, DOH, and ODP Medical Director. Please plan on attending. Updates will be provided as we get closer to the date of the meeting.

ICF Taskforce Meeting: Location
The ICF Taskforce Meeting on Thursday, April 18, 2024, will be held at the following address:

PaTTAN – Central
6340 Flank Drive
Harrisburg, PA 17112

Directions and nearby hotel accommodations can be found here.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) shares ODPANN 23-046: Infection Control Procedures and Mitigating the Spread of Infectious Diseases with an NICC Team Consulting Flyer and Mission Statement. This announcement has two purposes:

  • First, to draw attention to the revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) describing how to determine if a facility should be considered a healthcare or a non-healthcare congregate setting.
  • The second purpose is to provide updated guidance to providers of the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) home and community-based services (HCBS) and Private Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with an Intellectual Disability (ICF/IDs) for development of policies related to infection control procedures.

Please review the announcement and attachments for further information and detail.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) recently released an announcement to personal care homes (PCH) regarding an opportunity to pursue additional support with infection prevention and control, COVID-19 response readiness, and other infectious disease preparedness at no cost.

DOH, in partnership with APIC Consulting Services, has developed a specially-tailored Infection Control and Response (ICAR) tool to assist a limited number of Personal Care Homes through an on-site assessment and consultation, development of improvement action plans, and numerous options for follow-up support.

Please see the announcement for details about pursuing this opportunity. Funding for the program is limited, and access to these services will be on a first come, first served basis. This program is not available to Assisted Living Residences or Personal Care Homes in Philadelphia County.

Questions can be sent electronically.

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Photo by Tai's Captures on Unsplash

ODP Announcement 21-077 provides updated guidance to providers of ICF/ID services related to infection control procedures and mitigation of the spread of COVID-19. This guidance replaces the DHS COVID-19 Provider Guidance on COVID-19 for Personal Care Homes, Assisted Living Residences, and Private Intermediate Care Facilities with the following guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as well as any future replacements of the referenced guidance from the PA DOH and CMS.

This announcement and the guidance contained within is intended to supplement—not replace—any federal, state, or local public health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which providers of services in ICF/IDs must comply. Providers should take an individualized approach to determining appropriate risk mitigation strategies when working with individuals, including consideration of the Level of Community Transmission as identified in the CDC COVID Data Tracker.

Other news for ICF/ID Providers:

ICF Task Force Meetings

November 2 had been proposed earlier this year as a tentative date for another ICF Task Force meeting. That meeting is being rescheduled for a later date. Please let the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) know if you have any specific topic suggestions that you would like to have covered. You may submit suggestions here.

PA Health Alert Network (HANs)

This is a reminder to stay tuned in to the PA Department of Health’s updates impacting Long-Term Care facilities. Recent HANs contain updated information regarding the SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant and recommendations regarding COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose. A list of the 2021 Health Alerts, Advisories and Updates can be found here.

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