HCA Meets with NYC DOHMH on PPE for Fall

Situation Report | August 24, 2020

On August 12, HCA, other provider associations and 1199 met with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) to discuss distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) to New York City home care providers in the fall.

As members know, HCA worked with the New York State Association of Health Care Providers (HCP) this past spring and summer to utilize members who acted as staging sites to distribute PPE, on an emergency basis, to home care agencies. The volunteer sites – Americare, Selfhelp Community Services, People Care, Elara Caring, and Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation – devoted much staff time and other resources to handle multiple tasks that included: receiving, sorting, counting, allocating, storing and distributing PPE supplies to agencies.

HCA and the other associations are in discussions with NYC DOHMH about utilizing a different system to distribute PPE to home care providers this fall. Such a PPE Service System would allow agencies to receive emergency PPE directly from a vendor that contracts with the city. Agencies would still be expected to utilize their normal channels for obtaining PPE but could request PPE from NYC if attempts through those other channels are exhausted.

HCA will provide more information when it is available and LHCSAs should be looking to receive an enrollment form to create an account for the PPE Service System sometime this week.