February 2023 – AHCA/NCAL Gero Nurse Prep

2023 NSNCW Planning Guide and Products Now Available

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is excited to announce that the 2023 National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW) Planning Guide and products are now available at www.nsncw.org.

NSNCW will begin on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14th through Saturday, May 20th, 2023.

Skilled nursing care staff, residents, families, and members of the local community are encouraged to participate in activities that cultivate and spread kindness in honor of the annual observance.

The 2023 Planning Guide offers ideas that can be incorporated into new or planned activities. Download for activity and media tips and to explore an exclusive selection of NSNCW gifts and products.

To find out more and to download the planning guide, please go to https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/2023-NSNCW-Planning-Guide-and-Products-Now-Available.aspx

Free HealthCap® Webinar Will Examine Emerging Infection Control Risks

HealthCap® is hosting a free webinar titled OIG Recommendations: More Than Just Smoke? on Tuesday, March 7 at 2 p.m. EST. This program will assist providers in identifying areas of risk related to the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) recent focus on infection control issues.

A recent OIG study found that nursing homes were not prepared for the sweeping health emergency that COVID-19 created. The OIG said that “significant changes are needed to protect the health and safety of residents and better prepare nursing homes for current and future health emergencies.”

Learn more at https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/Free-HealthCap%C2%AE-Webinar-Will-Examine-Emerging-Infection-Control-Risks.aspx

Creating a Wound Care Culture

A recent study by researchers at the University of Chicago found that the reporting of wounds, especially pressure wounds, by long term care facilities is significantly underreported. Although the Centers for Disease Control states that approximately 11 percent of residents have pressure wounds, the Chicago study estimates that that number could be quite a bit higher.

Read the entire article at https://www.providermagazine.com/Articles/Pages/Creating-a-Wound-Care-Culture.aspx

Public Health Emergency Ending May 11 – What You Need to Know

Yesterday, the Biden Administration announced its plans to end the Public Health Emergency (PHE). This administration guidance meets the Administration’s promise of 60 days’ notice of the end of the PHE. Based on the guidance, the PHE will end on May 11, 2023.