Nursing home learning and action network program

 

To: Skilled nursing facilities I am writing to you from the Immediate Office of the Secretary of HHS.   In September the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began allocating $5.0B in relief funds to the nation’s nursing homes to help combat COVID-19, distributing $2.5B immediately and beginning distribution of an additional $2.5B in recent weeks. HHS also provided $250M to stand up a nursing home learning and action network, administered by HHS, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and the University of New Mexico’s Project ECHO.   The program matches nursing homes with local hospitals, QIOs and professional associations, who conduct weekly hour-long interactive learning and problem-solving sessions with the nursing homes over a four-month period. The mentor organizations also provide on-demand technical assistance to nursing homes in their cohort. Nursing homes receive a $6000 honorarium for participation in the program.   Additional information may be found at: AHRQ ECHO National Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network.   For questions, or a list of mentor sites, please email: ECHOnursinghomes@salud.unm.edu