COVID-19 Resources for Healthcare & Long-Term Care Facilities

  • Printer-friendly version

Last updated April 22, 2020 at 11:48 am

Updates: 

 

Resources for Healthcare Professionals & Facilities

 

Resources for Long-Term Care Facilities & Assisted Living Facilities

 

———

 

Resources for Healthcare Professionals & Facilities:​

Updates:

  • April 22: New website enables health care providers to request COVID-19 lab testing supplies.
    • ​​The website URL is https://covid19supplies.wi.gov/Testing
    • The State of Wisconsin is making supplies available to facilitate laboratory COVID-19 testing at no charge for qualifying Wisconsin clinicians, local and tribal health centers, clinical laboratories and others collecting specimens in response to COVID-19. The supplies provided through the site are intended to help Wisconsin achieve the goal of providing testing for all who have influenza like illness symptoms.
  • April 17 Updates to CDC Information for Pediatric Healthcare Providers, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/pediatric-hcp.html
  • April 17: WI Department of Health Services COVID-19 Health Alert #5
    • Health care providers are encouraged to obtain COVID-19 testing for all who are symptomatic, even patients with mild symptoms. This serves an important public health purpose in the next phase of Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response, which will require aggressive efforts for finding and isolating cases in the community.
    • Clinicians must play a crucial role in the COVID-19 response if we hope to prevent future waves of infection. Widespread testing, coupled with high-intensity contact tracing, isolation and quarantine will require close partnership between clinicians and local public health agencies.
    • Although overall laboratory capacity has increased significantly, not all health systems have equal access to reference laboratories with acceptable turnaround time. Some resources necessary for widespread testing remain limited in different regions of the state. DHS is actively working to help remedy these inequities.​
    • To read the full Health Alert, click here. 
  • April 2: CDC Guidance on Optimizing PPE: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/index.html
  • March 30: WI DHS released additional guidance on Extended Use and Limited Reuse of N95 Respirators in Health Care Settings: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/ppe.htm
  • CDC Criteria for Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 (Interim Guidance): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/healthcare-facilities/hcp-return-work.html
  • March 20: DHS Distributed Information for Dental Healthcare Professionals:  https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/dph/memos/communicable-diseases/2020-14.pdf
  • March 20: DHS Distributed Information for Recipients of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). Click here to read the full memo.

Other Links & Resources: 

———

Resources for Long-Term Care Facilities and Assisted Living Facilities

News & Updates:

  • April 14: State of WI Board on Aging and Long Term Care retracted the memo dated 4/13/20, and has released an updated Memo on COVID-19, Visitation and Long-Term Care Communities. To read the full 4/14/20 memo, click here.
    • From the State of Wisconsin Board on Aging and Long Term Care: "The State of Wisconsin Board on Aging and Long Term Care is retracting the Memo dated April 13, 2020. Please see the revised Memo dated April 14, 2020. Our Memo providing recommendations regarding “window visits” in Long Term Care communities was an attempt to respond to numerous accounts we have received of individuals visiting long-term care residents outside of the windows, yet having contact such as kissing through a screen, hugging through an open window and not maintaining social distancing. This was also in attempt to respond to concerns for residents with dementia who are confused when visitors they do not know may be looking inside their windows or visiting at nighttime. We did not intend to recommend prohibiting allowed essential activities such as waiving to a resident through a closed window or providing care essential to someone’s health and safety. We apologize for any confusion."
  • March 24: Pursuant to §§ 252.042, 252.03, 250.06 Wis. Stats., Order of the Sauk County Health Officer: Immediate Lockdown of all Long-Term Care and Nursing Home Facilities. Click here to read the full order. 
  • March 20: DHS Revised Guidance for Infection Prevention and Control of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Long-Term Care Facilities and Assisted Living Facilities (click here for the full memo.)

Other Links & Resources: