- Health Information on Youtube - January 17, 2022
- Nevada: Nursing Home Tool Kit - November 3, 2020
- New Jersey: Nursing Home Tool Kit - November 1, 2020
The status of Arkansas’s policies on reporting, guidance, and mandated reporting are as follows:
- Arkansas has begun a collaboration campaign with the Director of OLTC, Cecelia Vinson, on appropriately utilizing the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) for COVID-19 reporting and enrollment assistance of any afflicted patients.
- The CDC has created a customized system to document infections in healthcare facilities, including long term care facilities. Arkansas has been sent the enrollment instructions link for this system; including the PDF referencing proper care routines for the afflicted.
- Arkansas’s OLTC has adjusted their policies and will begin referring long term care facilities to the Quality Improvement Organizations (QIO). The QIO has taken a forefront stand against the pandemic and provide invaluable resources for combatting it’s spread. (Link to CDC informational index: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/ltc/covid19/index.html) Notable segments of the QIO include:
- Resident Impact and Facility Capacity
- Staff and Personnel Impact
- Supplies and Personal Protective Equipment
- Ventilator Capacity and Supplies
Notable Groups: Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Long Term Care (OLTC), Quality Improvement Organizations (OLTC)
Arkansas’s testing policies are described below:
- Arkansas’s AHCA met with the ADH’s infectious disease physicians earlier this year to convene on the state’s current testing practices as of June 1, 2020. Some notable events during the meeting included an extensive Q&A session with nursing home medical directors, physicians, and mid-level healthcare providers.
- Healthcare-associated Infections (HAI) staff are working together to plan extensive statewide testing after the meeting with the ADH. The AHCA spread their plans to local nursing homes using scheduled webinars to teach practical application.
Notable Groups: Arkansas Health Care Association (AHCA), Arkansas Department of Health (ADH)
The status of Arkansas’s nursing home (NH) communications during the Covid-19 pandemic:
- In reference to the previous section; pandemic experts from the AHA shared their findings via webinars to provide needed updates to for nonattending healthcare professionals practicing long-term care in Arkansas. Notable topics during the webinars discussed reopening plans, and cooperation with the Arkansas Department of Health and Arkansas Department of Human Services, pandemic information, and new protocols for a safe reopening.
- One of Arkansas’s local LTC facilities were underperforming during the pandemic earlier this year. Thus, the said facility was promptly referred to the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) by the OLTC for advising on their current practices.
Notable Groups: Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Healthcare Association (AHA), and Arkansas Department of Human Services Office of Long Term Care (OLTC)
Arkansas’s ongoing actions to improve access to personal protective equipment (PPE):
- A notable grant of $5 million was donated by the Walmart Foundation to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund on March 21, 2020; a show of goodwill and support. This program was created by the WHO to send supplies (Personal protective equipment, sanitation, etc) to healthcare professionals in the field.
Notable Groups: Walmart Foundation, World Health Organization (WHO)
Arkansas’s current actions to improving the utilization of personal protective equipment (PPE):
- An infections preventionist, and a infectious disease physician under the ADH’s banner presented helpful and informative presentations on their discoveries from COVID-19 visits. After, they held a Q&A open to the community of healthcare professionals curious about the topic.
- Alongside top healthcare professionals, the virtual event was also available to any long term care and assisted living facility personnel.
- The Arkansas Department of Human Services Office of Long Term Care was also present for the presentations and documented information found within for future reference.
Notable Groups: Arkansas Health Care Association (AHCA), Arkansas Department of Health (ADH)
Arkansas’s ongoing actions to better check visitors for potential Covid-19 and other methods of screening said visitors for family meetings:
- A notable event amidst the pandemic showed the ingenuity of LTC professionals in Arkansas. The facility of Greenhurst Nursing Center was recently interviewed by the media for its “visiting station”; which was innovative and creative, to promote greater, riskless access to at-risk residents without exposing them to potential infection. (Provided link to the document: https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/greenhurt-living-center-madevisiting-stations-for-residents/527-5ca4dd04-da93-4701-9af3-4fb594cdef06)
