News Roundup May 22nd, 2020
As of Monday, several states will have relaxed stay-at-home orders although some states continue to see a continual rise in daily cases and deaths. The growing demand for home healthcare workers has been drawing attention in the public as home healthcare serves an important role during the Coronavirus pandemic. It is difficult for home health workers to control who they come in contact with while at work and worries of catching the virus continue to exist among frontline workers.
More here: Fox 8 News
“We have family members, their siblings, you know we have to get really creative with social distancing in a household and what if this family member is still working, interfacing with the public.”
On a news conference in Lansing, Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announces relaxing coronavirus restrictions lifting a ban on nonessential medical and dental procedures beginning May 29th. The ban on nonessential procedures have been banned for two months which resulted in permanently or temporarily laying off employees.
Read more here: U.S. News
Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the Michigan State Medical Society, said physicians “would like to get back to taking care of our patients and catching up on a lot of work that has been put on hold. … We are ready to see you.”
In other news, personal protective equipment (PPE) continues to be in short supply amongst home healthcare workers. The Appalachian Regional Commission in Southeast Ohio announced on May 12 a grant in the amount of $119,554 to Buckeye Hills Regional Council (BHRC) to deliver PPE to front-line home healthcare workers. BHRC is partnering with Noble County EMA to arrange the airlift of the PPE. 39 home healthcare provider agencies throughout the eight-county region will be equipped with supplies.
Read more: Buckeye Hills Regional Council
“At the beginning of the pandemic, it quickly became clear to us that our region’s home healthcare providers were struggling to find and maintain access to the supplies necessary to keep their employees and the seniors they serve safe in the midst of this pandemic,” said Rick Hindman, BHRC Assistant Executive Director.
On a brighter note, South Louisiana Community College (SLCC), LHC Group, and the Myers Family Foundation are partnering on a five-year project called “A Legacy of Caring in the Home and Community.” The college received $2.5 million in funding to support the project to create a national best practice model for home health education.
Read more: Eunice Today
“This project is especially timely with the focus on health care through the existing COVID-19 pandemic. Knowledgeable, well-rounded healthcare graduates who can work in the home, clinics, and hospitals are needed now more than ever,” Dr. Natalie J. Harder, SLCC’s chancellor, said.
