JHF Presents Long-Term Care Webinar with PA Department of Human Services

On January 19, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) partnered with the Pennsylvania Office of Long Term Living (OLTL) to provide a webinar on COVID-19 testing requirements, vaccines, and boosters to hundreds of long-term care facilities statewide. This webinar was held in response to the increased need for COVID-19 testing, which many personal care and assisted living communities are seeking to provide to residents on-site, requiring them to obtain a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Waiver to meet Pennsylvania regulations. Debra Tyler, BS, MT(ASCP), MPH, division director at the Pennsylvania Bureau of Laboratories, presented information on how long-term care facilities can obtain a CLIA Waiver. The webinar highlighted a best practice case study for obtaining a CLIA Waiver presented by Charity Stackhouse, managing partner at Halcyon Senior Living.

The second portion of the webinar stressed the effectiveness of vaccines and boosters for long-term care residents and workers. Megan Barbour, MPH, senior advisor to the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, shared resources designed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health tailored for use in the long-term care setting. Additional featured speakers included Lawrence Appel, MD, SFHM, medical director of the OLTL, Cara Bicking Kinsey, PhD, MPH, RNC, epidemiologist at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and Jeanne Parisi, director of the Bureau of Human Services of Licensing at the OLTL. Nancy Zionts, MBA, JHF COO and chief program officer moderated.

This webinar builds on months of collaboration between JHF and the OLTL to provide updated guidance and resources to long-term care facilities as part of JHF's prior involvement in the Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams (RCAT) program.