Introducing Home Care Clinician Training for COVID-19 Testing

Under a grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, the Home Care Association of New York State (HCA), Iroquois Healthcare Alliance (IHA) and clinical faculty at the Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) are delivering web-based training for home health RNs and other personnel on COVID-19 testing procedures that can be conducted at home.

This complimentary training is open to all home care personnel in New York State whose scope of practice permits testing (i.e., nurses, physical therapists and respiratory therapists).

As the current medical emergency has shown, the risk of COVID-19 infection is greatest in the community, where home and community-based organizations serve the medical, social and assistive needs of nearly 900,000 patients throughout New York State. These include individuals with COVID-19 as well as New Yorkers at greatest risk: the elderly and persons with disabilities or suffering from a range of underlying, chronic health conditions.

To get tested for COVID-19, most individuals must leave their homes. For homebound patients and others in home care, this structure is not only inconducive but it’s also a potential danger to a patient’s health, especially if the only available testing option is to go to a congregate setting.

This initiative offers a path to testing-in-place for the safety of patients. It also promises more timely results for the protection of home care personnel taking every precaution against exposure through protocols specific to confirmed COVID-19 cases.

The course is hosted by the IHA Healthstream learning platform. This platform gives you the ability to:

  • Take the HCA COVID-19 Test training course.
  • Print a certificate of completion for the course.
  • Use any device to access the training (laptop, tablet, etc.) All you need is access to the internet.
  • Enroll in other COVID-19 courses available through Healthstream at no cost.

Get Started: Watch Our Introductory Webinar

Webinar: Introduction to HCA Home Care Clinician Training For COVID-19 Testing

Thursday, May 28, 2020, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Click here to register

BACKGROUND

Home care agencies and their skilled clinicians are in a pivotal position to advance state and federal goals for broad, community-based testing from the safety of a person’s home.

Learn more in this introductory presentation about how your home care or hospice agency can take part in a newly unveiled statewide training effort being led by the Home Care Association of New York State, Iroquois Healthcare Alliance, and Mohawk Valley Health System.

The on-demand online training for home health RNs and other qualified personnel will instruct on proper COVID-19 specimen collection procedures that can be conducted at home. The content of the course is inclusive of the NYSDOH Training for Sample Collection Procedure for SARS CoV 2 Diagnostic Testing approved on May 15, 2020.

This training initiative is funded by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

Got Questions?

If you have any questions or haven't heard reply (within one business day) from HCA in response to your form submission below, please contact us at covid19@hcanys.org.