Facilities urged to conserve dwindling medical supplies as pandemic persists
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 19, 2020
One in five eldercare facilities will run out of masks, gowns and other PPE if current supplies aren’t carefully conserved, says AHCA / NCAL.
New FDA guidance targets respirator reuse
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 08, 2020
The agency has revised its guidance on respirators, labeling previously authorized equipment as inappropriate for decontamination and reuse during the pandemic.
Opt-in COVID vaccine program kicks off; Feds partner with CVS, Walgreens
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 19, 2020
Long-term care facilities nationwide can voluntarily opt in to a free pharmacy partnership program that will provide and administer future COVID-19 vaccines on site, federal officials announced Friday.
Social distancing reduces infections; N95 masks work best, new study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 02, 2020
The results are the “best available evidence” that coronavirus infection risk depends on distancing and PPE, say investigators.
Feds struggle to provide COVID-19 tally for nursing homes: report
By
Alicia Lasek
May 09, 2020
Weeks after CMS announced it would begin tracking outbreaks and deaths in the nation’s eldercare facilities, there are no solid numbers available, say investigators.
Federal stockpile of masks, gloves and gowns nearly gone
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 09, 2020
The Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed that about 90% of federally held PPE has been distributed to state and local governments.
PPE, staff shortages unchanged: CMS data show 1 in 5 facilities ‘severely’ affected
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 24, 2020
There were notable clusters of equipment shortfalls in certain states. A quarter of U.S. counties had at least 44% of nursing homes reporting low staffing levels.
Silver lining? Surgical and N95 masks ease spring allergies in nurse study
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 12, 2021
Nurses who recorded allergic rhinitis symptoms during a two-week period in the pandemic reported significantly decreased symptoms while wearing an N95 or surgical face mask vs. wearing no mask.
Industry advocates: Test all facility residents for COVID-19; late PPE promises ‘disgraceful’
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 29, 2020
All nursing home residents should be tested for COVID-19, says AHCA’s Mark Parkinson, while LeadingAge’s Katie Smith Sloan has some choice words about the timing of FEMA’s new PPE delivery...
Providers with adequate equipment and training stay COVID-19 free: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 08, 2020
None of the 420 doctors and nurses participating in the study developed COVID-19-related symptoms or tested positive for antibodies after working in a high-risk environment.