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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced an enforcement memorandum for a short-term increase in highly focused inspections directed at hospitals and skilled nursing care facilities that treat or handle COVID-19 patients.

The Pipeline Dual Training Grant officially opened for application this week. Applications will be accepted through April 12 for up to $150,000 in grants to help employers build dual-training programs.

This week, the House Human Services Committee took up HF 2283, a bill to allow Minnesota to fully implement the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), a nationally recognized and supported community-based model of care for frail older adults.

This May 16-18, thousands of senior living professionals, operators, owners, executives, and community leaders will gather in Minneapolis for the next edition of the Senior Living Executive Conference & Expo, the official meeting of Argentum.

Join the Minnesota Department of Health's Health Regulation Division starting March 8 to learn how your Assisted Living facility can prepare for emergencies. The first Lunch and Learn will provide an overview of emergency preparedness and why the requirements in the law are essential to protect Minnesotans residing in assisted living facilities.

Next Wednesday, March 9, at 11 a.m, CliftonLarsonAllen is offering a free webinar on Provider Relief Fund (PRF) reporting. The webinar will address the complexity associated with compliance audits of the use of PRF funds and general reporting issues, including allowable uses of the Nursing Home Infection Control Payments.

“One of the best investments we have made is sending people through Leadership Academy.” This was spoken by the CEO of a member organization at the recent Institute & Expo. “They are our succession plans – we need this now more than ever!”

Jill Gustafson, Director of Nursing at Lake Ridge Care Center in Buffalo, MN, was honored by LeadingAge Minnesota with the Outstanding Leadership Award at the LeadingAge Minnesota Institute & Expo.

We are pleased to announce that Erin Huppert has joined LeadingAge Minnesota as the Vice President of Advocacy. She will lead public policy and advocacy strategies on behalf of the organization and its members.

Pre-meal safety checks can help prevent harmful mistakes related to food allergies and modified food textures. A new LeadingAge Minnesota Safe Care resource, Preventing Dietary Safety Events, is available to address these two dietary safety issues that have emerged from analysis of OHFC substantiated event reports and Immediate Jeopardy citations:

With a goal of eliminating preventable harm in the course of caregiving, the LeadingAge Minnesota Safe Care initiative directly addresses the White House’s recent call for nursing homes to prevent resident harm and improve safety and quality.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) recently informed LeadingAge Minnesota that they are ending this current round of Assisted Living Resident Satisfaction surveys. The surveys are currently being conducted under contract by Vital Research.

As case counts are starting to decrease in Minnesota, questions about eye protection arise. The level of community transmission guides the use of universal eye protection. Those individuals in counties with high to substantial transmission rates are more likely to have contact with someone who is asymptomatic and positive for COVID-19.

On Jan. 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its Interim Guidance for Managing Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2. There were two small changes to the guidance.

The Minnesota Office of Management and Budget (MMB) released the February budget forecast earlier this week. This budget will guide lawmakers as they determine their spending priorities in the current legislative session. Since the last forecast in November, the budget surplus for the two years ended June 30, 2023, has grown by $1.5 billion to a historic $9.25 billion.

This week President Biden announced a wide-ranging nursing home reform initiative to be implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The announcement was timed to coincide with the State of the Union Address, but President Biden made only a very brief reference to one small part of his reform package in his speech Tuesday evening. After analyzing the proposal, we have more questions than answers, and the timeline for change is unclear.

The HUD/ACL Housing and Services Resource Center will host two sessions related to cross-sector partnerships that create housing stability in March.

Do you have rising stars and emerging leaders in your organization? Are you one of them? We encourage you to apply for the 2022 LeadingAge Minnesota Leadership Academy – a year-long program designed to develop and cultivate the next wave of transformational leaders in our field.

Tiffani Kortenbusch, Director of Nursing for CentraCare Melrose Care Center, received LeadingAge Minnesota's first-ever Rising Star Award at the annual Institute & Expo on Feb. 9.

Aging services communities looking to build a pipeline of foreign workers hired as trainees and specialists might be interested in hiring long-term care workers through the J-1 visa exchange visitor program.

Please note the corrected date range for the increased rate for Housing Support. 

On July 1, 2022, the Housing Support maximum monthly room and board rate will increase significantly to $1,041.

Two new reference tools for assisted living facilities are now available in the Minnesota Department of Health’s Food Code Requirements section of the Resources and FAQs page. These documents give an overview of the Minnesota Food Code and outline the requirements that assisted living facilities must meet to serve food safely and prevent foodborne illnesses.

Implementation of the CMS staff vaccination mandate continues in full swing, with the Phase 2 compliance deadline arriving on Monday, Feb. 28.

Providers licensed or regulated by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will transition back to fingerprint-based background studies beginning March 2 for new employees. In late January, following two previous delays, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) announced March 2 as the date for the resumption of fingerprinting. The transition is moving forward without further postponement.

One month into the legislative session, bills are moving through the committee process rapidly. This week, three bills with our Long-Term Care Imperative-supported proposals were heard in Senate and House committees.

Last week’s Institute was terrific – great sessions, speakers, and celebrations; a sold-out Expo, and the opportunity to be together in person. Our goal is to build upon that positive experience through the virtual portion of the event.

Applications are being accepted for LeadingAge Minnesota’s Leadership Academy – a year-long program designed to develop and cultivate the next wave of transformational leaders in our field. Entering its 13^th year, Leadership Academy provides experienced and emerging leaders an opportunity to explore and practice ideas, tools, principles, and theories that they leverage to strengthen their leadership and support their teams and organizations.

Rev. Dr. Gary Wilkerson, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Cassia in Edina, was recently named Board Trustee of the Year by LeadingAge Minnesota.

LeadingAge Minnesota is offering a new quick guide to help members understand state- and federal-level nursing home quality initiatives.

The Data Sub-Committee of the LeadingAge Minnesota Quality, Safety & Performance Excellence Committee developed Understanding the Quality Measures: A Quick Guide to Federal and State Care Center Quality Measures & Programs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued expanded guidance for the COVID-19 In-Person Visitation Aid Grants available to nursing homes.