Virginia Long-Term Care Task Force

In response to increasing cases of COVID-19 in Virginia's long-term care facilities, Governor Northam established the Virginia COVID-19 Long-Term Care Task Force on April 10 to:

Ensure long-term care facilities have the resources they need to combat the virus;
Strengthen staffing, testing and infection control measures at long-term care facilities; and
Keep stakeholders informed about the impact of COVID-19 on long-term care facilities.

Issue areas being reviewed by the Task Force include facility staffing and financing, infection control, personal protective equipment and supplies, COVID-19 testing, communications, and discharge planning.

Testing Guidance for LTCFs

(NEW) VDH Portal for Reporting Point-of-Care COVID-19 Lab Results (9/16/20)
- Instructions: This portal will assist testing sites in meeting the requirement of the CARES Act to report every diagnostic and screening test performed to detect SARS-CoV-2 or to diagnose a possible case of COVID-19. This portal allows the rapid entry of person-level test results for positive and negative point-of-care results, and provides the ability to enter aggregate negative results as necessary for high-volume testing sites. All COVID-19 test results should be reported to VDH within 24 hours. Testing sites that are not conducting POC tests, should report results per standard protocols.
(NEW) Nursing Home Notification Form to Health Department Regarding Inability to Perform Routine Staff Testing (9/16/20)
- Instructions: Nursing homes can use this form to notify the local health department that your facility is unable to perform routine staff testing according to CMS requirements (i.e., access to point-of-care testing or a private/commercial lab with a turnaround time < 48 hours).
CMS Nursing Home Testing Requirements(8/26/20)
VDH Guidance for Public Health Prioritization of COVID-19 Point Prevalence Surveys (8/19/20)
CDC Considerations for Interpreting Antigen Test Results in Nursing Homes (8/28/20)
CDC – Testing for Coronavirus in Nursing Homes

Guidance for all LTCFs

(NEW) Management of Hemodialysis Patients Residing in Long Term Care Facilities (10/1/20)
Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients Being Discharged to a Long-Term Care Facility During the COVID-19 Pandemic (8/25/20)
Department of Medical Assistance Services CARES Act Enrollment and Reimbursement
Virginia COVID-19 Long-Term Care Facility Task Force Playbook (7/10/20)
VDH Facility Employee Daily Screening Form
VDH Optimization Strategies for PPE
VDH Role of Public Health and LTCFs in Preparedness and Response Efforts (6/15/20)
VDH Guidelines for Cleaning and Disinfection
VDH Line List for COVID-19 Outbreaks
OSHA COVID-19 Guidance for Nursing Home and Long Term Care Facility Workers
- English
- Spanish

Nursing Homes/Skilled Nursing Facilities

(NEW) VDH COVID-19 Guidance for Nursing Homes (10/22/20)
CMS Visitation Guidance for Nursing Homes (9/18/20)
- Note: VDH Nursing Home Reopening Guidance is under review
Nursing Home Reopening Guidance FAQs (7/17/20)

Assisted Living Facilities

Limited Visitation in an Assisted Living Community

Limited visitation in an assisted living community is based on the facility's specific circumstances and available resources. Please refer to the Tips and Best Practices for Reopening to Visitors in Assisted Living Facilities provided by the Virginia Department of Social Services for additional guidance and considerations.

Resources

Below are some resources available to assist with coping with the stress of social isolation and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.