Long-term and residential care facilities

Public health order

Public health and executive orders page for Public Health order 20-20 and others.
 
This order requires all Colorado licensed or certified skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, and assisted living residences to take a number of steps to help prevent and control outbreaks. Please read the public health order carefully. It requires:

• A severe limit on visitors.
• An at-the-door symptom check for all employees, vendors, and visitors before entering the facility. 
• All facilities to submit a COVID-19 Prevention and Response Plan to CDPHE by May 1, 2020. 
• People who have COVID-19 symptoms or positive tests to be isolated.
• Ensuring all residents have access to necessary medical care.
• Facility residents and employees to wear a mask or other face-covering when in public. Employees must wear an appropriate mask at all times when in the facility.

Guidance for Residential Care Facilities

CDC Guidance

• CDC COVID-19 Guidance for Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care Facilities
• CDC Considerations for Preventing Spread of COVID-19 in Assisted Living Facilities
• CDC Core Infection Control Practices that Should Remain in Place Even as Nursing Homes Resume Normal Practices.  
• CDC Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. 

CMS Guidance 

• Interim Final Rule (IFC), CMS-3401-IFC, Long-Term Care (LTC) Facility Testing Requirements and Revised COVID-19 Focused Survey Tool. 

CDPHE Guidance and Resources:

Setting Specific Guidance

• COVID-19 strategies for working with memory care residents
• Strategies to consider when working with Assisted Living Residences (ALR)

Personal Protective Equipment

• CDPHE FAQs for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Cohorting Recommendations

• Preparing a COVID-19-positive “neighborhood”
• CDPHE Long-Term Care Cohorting Recommendations-Residents with Respiratory Illness & COVID-19 Infections.

COVID-19 Testing in Residential Care Settings:

Upon notification of a single positive COVID-19 case among residents or staff, the facility must initiate outbreak testing of all residents and staff, regardless of the presence or absence of COVID-19 related symptoms.

• CDPHE COVID-19 Testing in Facilities
• CDPHE Testing Requirement Guidance

Testing Resources

• CMS Nursing Home COVID-19 Testing FAQs
• CDC Testing Guidelines
• CDC COVID-19 Point of Care Testing Guidance
• CDC Interim Guidelines for Collecting, Handling, and Testing Clinical Specimens for COVID-19.
• Curative System Support and Questions - support@curative.com, 888-702-9042

COVID-19 Vaccination

• CDPHE FAQ for Phase 1 employers and Long Term Care Facilities (LTCF)

CDPHE Forms and Checklists

Prevention Checklists

• LTC Checklist_COVID-19 Preparation and Response
• Small Facility Checklist_COVID-19 Preparation and Response

COVID-19 SCREENING FORMS

• Employee health screening form | Español (PDF)
• Visitor health screening tool  | Español (PDF)

OUTBREAK FORMS

• COVID-19 outbreak report form (PDF)
• COVID-19 line list template | Español (Excel)

Residential Care Strike Team

CDPHE Visitation Guidance

• Indoor Visitation Guidance
• Outdoor Visitation Guidance

Need assistance?

• CDPHE hosts a bi-weekly virtual technical support meeting.  If you would like to sign up to receive occasional infection prevention updates and information to join the technical support meeting please sign up to receive those notifications here: http://eepurl.com/dKuwjQ
• CDPHE call center is available to answer calls from facilities from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Call 303-692-2700 or email cdphe_covid_outbreak@state.co.us After hours, call 303-370-9395.
• Find your local public health agency

Webinars

• Sparkling Surfaces
• Clean Hands
• Closely Monitor Residents
• Keep COVID-19 Out!
• PPE Lessons