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C.A.R.E. Team

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• 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 Illinois’ policies on Cleaning and Disinfection are as follows:

• Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI)
  • Developed COVID-19 Resource page, updated daily with information regarding state and federal regulations, infection control, personal protective equipment (PPE), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information.
  • Prepares weekly member newsletters and email blasts on COVID-19 related resources and events throughout the state. (Relevant link: http://www.hccil.org/covid-19)

Notable Groups: Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI)

The status of Illinois’ policies on reporting, guidance, and mandated reporting are as follows:

• Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI)
  • Developed COVID-19 Resource page, updated daily with information regarding state and federal regulations, infection control, personal protective equipment (PPE), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information
  • Prepares weekly member newsletters and email blasts on COVID-19 related resources and events throughout the state. (Relevant link: http://www.hccil.org/covid-19)
• Illinois Department of Public Health
  • Issued COVID-19 safety guidance for nursing home residents and employees (e.g., screening and reporting symptoms), as well as visitation restrictions on March 20, 2020. (Relevant link: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-zlist/coronavirus/long-term-care-guidance)

Notable Groups: Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI), Illinois Department of Public Health

Illinois’ testing policies are described below:

• Chicago Department of Public Health
  • Created a dedicated website with specific long term care guidance to help implement appropriate infection prevention and control, rapidly identify potentially infected staff/visitors, monitor residents for signs and symptoms of infection, access testing for residents and facility staff, investigate clusters of COVID-19, and connect to needed resources, including personal protective equipment (PPE). (Relevant link: https://www.chicagohan.org/covid-19/LTCF)
• Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI)
  • Developed COVID-19 Resource page, updated daily with information regarding state and federal regulations, infection control, personal protective equipment (PPE), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information.
  • Prepares weekly member newsletters and email blasts on COVID-19 related resources and events throughout the state. (Relevant link: http://www.hccil.org/covid-19)
• Illinois Department of Public Health
  • The Illinois Department of Public Health posted a new testing resource to its website, “Long Term Care Facility COVID-19 Viral Testing Flow Chart: Interim Guidance.” The flow chart guides facilities through initial, immediate, and repeat testing plans for residents and staff following an outbreak. (Relevant link: https://www.dph.illinois.gov/sites/default/files/COVID19/LTC%20testing%20flowchart%208.11. 2020.pdf)
• LeadingAge Illinois
  • LeadingAge Illinois added new updates from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to their online COVID-19 resource page. New resources include the latest guidance from IDPH, including question and answer webinar recordings, phased reopening plans, and antigen testing guidelines. (Relevant link: https://leadingageil.org/coronavirus)
• Office of the Governor J.B. Pritzker
  • Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation in response to the ongoing COVID-19 situation to assist Illinois agencies in coordinating state and federal resources, including the Strategic National Stockpile of medicines and protective equipment, to support local governments in preparation for any actions that may be necessary related to the potential impact of COVID-19. (Relevant link: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/gov/Documents/APPROVED%20- %20Coronavirus%20Disaster%20Proc%20WORD.pdf)
  • The Governor provides a COVID-19 update briefing daily
  • Drive-through testing sites are available throughout the state; all health care workers and residents with symptoms are eligible for testing. (Relevant link: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/gov/COVID-19/Pages/default.aspx)

Notable Groups: Chicago Department of Public Health, Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI), Illinois Department of Public Health, LeadingAge Illinois, Office of the Governor J.B. Pritzker

The status of Illinois’ workforce and staffing are explained beneath:

• American Medical Association
  • Illinois is one of eight states to partner with the American Medical Association (AMA) on volunteer health care professionals.
  • The AMA Guide includes information for physicians and health care professionals to support communities severely impacted by COVID-19. It tells how and where to volunteer—and things to consider before registering. For state agencies and institutions, the guide includes information on third-party organizations that can identify and match volunteers accordingly, as well as resources for credentialing in an emergency. (Relevant link: https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/covid-19-volunteer-guide-health-careprofessionals)
• Illinois Health Care Association (IHCA)
  • Illinois Health Care Association (IHCA)is supporting members’ use of Temporary Nursing Assistant Training and working with the Illinois Department of Public Health to extend the training past the September 18, 2020 deadline. (Relevant link: https://www.ihca.com/tna)

Notable Groups: American Medical Association, Illinois Health Care Association (IHCA)

The status of Illinois’ nursing home (NH) communications during the Covid-19 pandemic:

• Chicago Department of Public Health
  • Created a dedicated website with specific long term care guidance to implement appropriate infection prevention and control, rapidly identify potentially infected staff/visitors, monitor residents for signs and symptoms of infection, access testing for residents and facility staff, investigate clusters of COVID-19, and connect to needed resources, including personal protective equipment (PPE). (Relevant link: https://www.chicagohan.org/covid-19/LTCF)
• Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI)
  • Developed COVID-19 Resource page, updated daily with information regarding state and federal regulations, infection control, personal protective equipment (PPE), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information.
  • Prepares weekly member newsletters and email blasts on COVID-19-related resources and events throughout the state. (Relevant link: http://www.hccil.org/covid-19)
• Illinois Department of Public Health
  • Created the Coronavirus Disease 2019 website, which includes long term care guidance, information on facility outbreaks, and a link to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s daily briefing. (Relevant link: https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19)
  • Alerts Illinois long term care providers daily through the COVID-19 communication plan and the State of Illinois Rapid Electronic Notification System (SIREN). (Relevant links: https://www.siren.illinois.gov and https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/daily-communications)

Notable Groups: Chicago Department of Public Health, Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI), Illinois Department of Public Health

Illinois’ ongoing actions to improve access to personal protective equipment (PPE):

• Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI)
  • Developed COVID-19 Resource page, updated daily with information regarding state and federal regulations, infection control, personal protective equipment (PPE), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information http://www.hccil.org/covid-19
• Office of the Governor J.B. Pritzker Task Force
  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation in response to the ongoing COVID-19 situation to assist Illinois agencies in coordinating state and federal resources, including the Strategic National Stockpile of medicines and protective equipment, to support local governments in preparation for any action that may be necessary related to the potential impact of COVID-19. (Relevant link: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/gov/Documents/APPROVED%20- %20Coronavirus%20Disaster%20Proc%20WORD.pdf)
  • The Governor provides a COVID-19 update briefing daily.
  • Drive-through testing sites are available throughout the state; all health care workers and residents with symptoms are eligible for testing. (Relevant link: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/gov/COVID-19/Pages/default.aspx)

Notable Groups: Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI), Office of the Governor J.B. Pritzker Task Force

The state of Illinois’ patient transfer routines below:

• Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN)
  • Provides swing beds for COVID-19-positive patients upon discharge from the hospital. (Relevant link: https://www.c-span.org/video/?471210-3/washington-journal-pat-schou-discusses-rural-healthcare-coronavirus-pandemic)
• Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA)
  • IHA collaborated with three nursing homes trade associations and the Illinois Department of Public Health on the development of transfer guidance from hospital settings to skilled and intermediate long- term care settings. (Relevant link: https://www.team-iha.org/files/non-gated/quality/guidance_regarding_hospital_4-7-20.aspx)
• Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
  • To better understand and respond to the needs of COVID-19 patients, Rush University is using robocalls to automate a portion of its post-discharge process. Rush explains the purpose of the calls prior to discharge to coach patients to answer them. So far, the robocalls have reduced readmissions by 6.2 percent. Four in five patients answer the calls and 57 percent of those are engaging with the automated questions. To get patients to respond, Rush explains the purpose of the calls prior to discharge and instructs patients to answer them. The program has helped Rush better understand and respond to the needs of COVID-19 patients. (Relevant link: https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/innovation/how-rush-uses-robocalls-reducereadmissions)

Notable Groups: Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN), Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago

Illinois’ current resources during the Covid-19 pandemic:

• Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI)
  • Developed COVID-19 Resource page, updated daily with information regarding state and federal regulations, infection control, personal protective equipment (PPE), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information.
  • Prepares weekly member newsletters and email blasts on COVID-19 related resources and events throughout the state http://www.hccil.org/covid-19
• Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)
  • IDPH monitors several indicators that measure the health burden of COVID-19 in each Illinois county and capture a county’s ability to respond. These metrics are intended to be used for local- level awareness of each county’s progress during Phase 4 and will help local leaders, businesses, local health departments, and the public make informed decisions and promote healthy behaviors. (Relevant link: https://dph.illinois.gov/countymetrics?county=Adams)
  • IDPH had long term care facilities complete a COVID-19 infection control assessment.
  • Telligen has partnered with IDPH to conduct outreach to nursing homes that do not have any cases of COVID-19, in order to proactively support infection prevention practices.
  • The IDPH COVID-19 website includes long term care guidance, information on facility outbreaks, and links to the governor’s daily briefings, as well as key indicators to identify early but significant increases of COVID-19 transmission, which can signify a resurgence for 11 newly described regions. (Relevant link: https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19 https://dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics?regionID=1)
• Illinois Health Care Association (IHCA)
  • Conduct weekly COVID-19 interactive updates on Facebook live member alerts. (Relevant link: https://www.ihca.com/Files/COMM-COVID-19/Facebook%20LiveCOVID%20Working%20Document-4-17-2020.pdf)
  • Offers resource on steps to prevent COVID-19 from entering facility. (Relevant link: https://www.ihca.com/Files/Comm_Article Info&Updates/Preventing COVID-19 From Entering Facilities.pdf)
• LeadingAge Illinois
  • LeadingAge Illinois posted “Isolation and Precautions Quick Sheet,” a resource with updated guidance from the CDC on the following:
    • Duration of isolation and precautions for adults with COVID-19.
    • Discontinuation of transmission-based precautions and disposition of COVID-19 patients in health care settings.
    • Return-to-work criteria for health care personnel with SARS-CoV-2 infection. (Relevant link: https://leadingageil.org/resources/2020/coronavirus/assets/Isolation_and_Precaution_ Quick_Sheet.pdf)
• Office of the Governor J.B. Pritzker
  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation in response to the ongoing COVID-19 situation to assist Illinois agencies in coordinating state and federal resources, including the Strategic National Stockpile of medicines and protective equipment, to support local governments in preparation for any action that may be necessary related to the potential impact of COVID-19 in the state of Illinois. (Relevant link: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/gov/Documents/APPROVED%20- %20Coronavirus%20Disaster%20Proc%20WORD.pdf)
  • The Governor provides a coronavirus update briefing daily
  • Drive through testing sites are available throughout the state; all health care workers and residents with symptoms are eligible for testing. (Relevant link: https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid-19-testing-sites)
  • The State of Illinois updated their COVID-19 plan and website. The Restore Illinois Plan now has been divided up into 11 regions (there were four previously). This will provide a more focused approach to each area’s COVID-19 response as the pandemic continues. (Relevant link: https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/news)
• Rush University Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP)
  • Collaborating and supporting other Rush facilities and Illinois trade associations by providing free COVID-19 and infection prevention-related learning collaboratives and learning sessions to all provider types. (Relevant link: http://catch-on.org)

Notable Groups: Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Illinois Health Care Association (IHCA), LeadingAge Illinois, Office of the Governor J.B. Pritzker, Rush University Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP)

Illinois’ ongoing actions to better check visitors for potential Covid-19 and other methods of screening said visitors for family meetings:

• Illinois Department of Public Health
  • Issued COVID-19 safety guidance for nursing home patients and employees (e.g., screening and reporting symptoms), as well as visitation restrictions on March 20, 2020. (Relevant link: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-zlist/coronavirus/long-term-care-guidance)

Notable Groups: Illinois Department of Public Health