Gov. Baker Announces Measures to Protect Health of Older Adults

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker late last week announced additional measures to shield the health and safety of residents in long-term care communities, reports CapeCod.com . The state administration has imposed temporary admissions moratoriums at certain nursing and rest communities to prevent and contain uncontrolled transmission of the coronavirus. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) also has updated visitation and group activities guidance to boost the minimum length of any visit from 30 minutes to 45 minutes; banned communities from developing policies for out-of-state visitors that are more restrictive than Baker's travel order; and brought definition of compassionate care visits into alignment with federal guidance, which covers not just end-of-life situations. The guidance also specifies criteria to guarantee safe indoor group activities, including spacing between residents and frequent cleaning, while permitting communities to use point of care rapid antigen testing for visitors. MassHealth also will start mandating that nursing communities report hours per patient day staffing levels every two weeks, along with information on contingency staffing plans, including the use of agency staff. The DPH has further issued updated guidance to set clear reporting deadlines that highlight the importance of vaccination early in the flu season while clarifying financial penalties for non-compliance.