Situation Report | February 22, 202
HCA continued to work with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) to advocate vaccine access for home care workers in New York City.
As we reported in a member alert last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced new COVID-19 vaccination efforts to reach homebound New Yorkers and home health aides, including a site at Teachers Prep High School in Brownsville devoted specifically to home health aides.
In the latest update, NYC DOHMH reported to HCA and partner associations on Friday that it will be setting up a total of three new sites in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.
In anticipation of vaccine availability for home care workers at these three sites, agencies are asked to compile waiting lists for staff who have not been vaccinated. The information to be collected for the waiting lists include: name of individual; date of birth; phone number; e-mail; preferred language; additional languages spoken; race; ethnicity; and gender.
The city is still working on a means of collecting this information and HCA will keep members updated of next steps in the process.
Capital Region Vaccinations
The Capital Region Vaccine Network is inviting health care workers — including home care and hospice — to contact the network and join a list if you would like to be vaccinated but have been unable to do so.
Vaccine providers will use the list to get in touch with you as vaccine becomes available. Please provide the following information to CapitalRegionVax@amc.edu: name, type of health care worker, phone number, and e-mail.
The Capital Region Network includes: Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington counties.
CDC Vaccine Guidance
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has posted new guidance that covers training of staff to deliver the vaccine, vaccine administration, safe storage of the vaccine, and pre-vaccination planning for the vaccination of homebound patients.
OIG
The federal Office of Inspector General (OIG) has updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The questions cover the application of OIG’s administrative enforcement authorities, including the federal anti-kickback statute and civil monetary penalty (CMP) provisions prohibiting inducements to beneficiaries.
If you have a question regarding how OIG would view an arrangement that is directly connected to the public health emergency and involves these authorities, you can submit your question to OIGComplianceSuggestions@oig.hhs.gov.