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State COVID-19 reporting for eldercare has gaps
The Record-Eagle - 11/29/2020
Nov. 29--LANSING -- A quarter of the state's adult foster care and homes for the aged are out of compliance with new COVID-19 testing requirements -- which can result in regulatory action -- yet some facility administrators say they're stuck in a bureaucratic waiting room.
"Facilities like ours have to start weekly testing of residents and staff, we're willing to test, we've been sent the supplies but are at the mercy of the National Guard to train us," said Brad Jewett, who with his wife, Trina, owns Culver Meadows in Traverse City. "What I'm hearing is, a lot of facilities are scrambling."
Effective Oct. 28, the state's Department of Health and Human Services announced AFCs and HFAs that care for 13 residents or more, would have similar data reporting requirements as nursing homes.
This means weekly reporting of COVID-19 deaths and positive cases among residents and staff, numbers of suspected cases, incidences of staff shortages as well as supply numbers for personal protection equipment.
The additional reporting is intended to help MDHHS get a handle on the spread of the disease among the elderly and vulnerable populations, and the people who care for them, officials say.
"This information is useful to understand the impact of COVID-19 on long-term care facilities, target resources and supports such as iPRAT and support planning," said Lynn Sutfin, MDHHS spokesperson.
The Infection Prevention Resource and Assessment Team is made up of communicable disease experts who can field questions about outbreaks, infection prevention and interpreting guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, information on the state's website shows.
The data is updated weekly on the state's Coronovirus dashboard and can be helpful to families of residents and community members in understanding the impact of COVID-19 within a specific facility or region, Sutfin said.
She was quick to add a COVID-19 positive test is not necessarily an indicator that a facility isn't following proper procedures or employing appropriate mitigation strategies.
On Wednesday DHHS staff hosted their third webinar to instruct administrators of adult foster care and homes for the aged on the new reporting rules and help them complete the initial registration.
Those who haven't complied -- whether because of a technology gap, a steep learning curve or an unavoidable logistical delay like the one Jewett referenced -- can expect a phone call from MDHHS, Sutfin said.
"The biggest reason for not reporting is not being aware of the requirement," Sutfin said. "As facilities learn about the requirement they comply. The biggest barrier is identifying the appropriate contact and method for electronic communication with facilities."
New data is expected to be updated Monday afternoon, though with more than 200 facilities yet to report, data likely will remain incomplete, officials say.
Statewide, Michigan nursing homes now have a 99 percent reporting compliance rate; homes for the aged a 79 percent compliance rate and adult foster care homes a 75 percent compliance rate, state data shows.
County-by-county rates can fluctuate widely, however.
In northern Michigan, facilities in Antrim County have a 50 percent compliance rate overall; Benzie and Kalkaska facilities a 67 percent; and Grand Traverse and 80 percent compliance rate.
Leelanau County is one of 22 counties in Michigan with a 100 percent compliance rate, data shows.
Kim Bauml, founder of Options for Senior Living, a free referral service helping connect seniors and their families with housing options, pointed out that only state licensed facilities are required to report such robust data.
Assisted living facilities, which Michigan does not license, are therefore not required to report data to the DHHS.
Administrators of assisted living facilities are required to notify their local health department of a positive case, Bauml said, though Sutfin confirmed the case would not be included on the state's Coronavirus dashboard.
"There are a lot of places that are not having to meet the requirements that the licensed facilities are," Bauml said.
AFCs that care for fewer than 13 residents are also not required to report, Sutfin said.
The gaps come in the wake of egregious reporting errors and missteps, acknowledged by MDHHS Director Robert Gordon, as previously reported by the Record-Eagle.
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