Enhanced Infection Mitigation Testing Requirements-- What you need to know

 

To: Residential care facilities (nursing homes, assisted living facilities, group homes, and intermediate care facilities)   From: CDPHE Residential Care Strike Team and  Infection Prevention and Control Unit   On July 23, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) released an updated version of the residential care facility mitigation guidance. This guidance requires all residential care facilities to perform rapid surveillance testing of unvaccinated staff at the beginning of each shift. Facilities located in counties that previously qualified for enhanced infection prevention guidelines have already begun this testing process.   To begin this testing process, please review the key information below:   All staff who are not fully vaccinated must perform rapid self-testing at the beginning of each shift. The test does not need to be completed before entering the building or before the shift starts, but it should be done as soon as possible. Contact with other individuals, both residents and staff, should be minimized until test results have been received. Based on unvaccinated staff numbers reported into EMResource, facilities will be automatically shipped BinaxNOW rapid testing supplies over the next two weeks. Any facility that does not receive supplies by Friday, August 6 should reach out to Alexis Foor by email at alexis.foor@state.co.us. Facilities with no unvaccinated staff will not receive testing supplies at this time. All facilities are required to have a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) waiver to perform this testing. Facilities that do not currently have one should apply for a CLIA waiver as soon as possible. Please do not wait for your tests to apply for the waiver.   CDPHE will host six webinars over the next three weeks to provide more detailed information about CLIA applications, rapid testing instructions, and how to report results. Click here for the call information. The dates are below. Wednesday, July 28 • 2-3 p.m. Thursday, July 29 • 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, August 4 • 2-3 pm Friday, August 6 • 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, August 11 • 1-2 p.m. Thursday, August 12 • 10-11 a.m.   For more general testing information, please attend the LTCF call on Wednesday, July 28 from noon to 1 p.m.   Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/565057505?pwd=M0lUQURVb3RZSjV2U2hOcXRSSnBRUT09   Meeting ID: 565 057 505 Passcode: 116166 One tap mobile +13017158592,,565057505# US (Germantown) +13126266799,,565057505# US (Chicago)   Facilities are not required to be in compliance with the rapid testing requirement until the test supplies have been delivered. For immediate questions, please contact residentialcarestriketeam@state.co.us.   Links included in this message:   ●    Residential care facility mitigation guidance ●    CLIA waiver ●    Wednesday, July 28 LTCF Call