Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources and Special Communications

Last week, the American Hospital Association (AHA) last week urged the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to adopt a unified set of guidelines for equitably allocating COVID-19 vaccines when they become available.

A wedding ceremony at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio fulfills a couple’s wish and helps speed the groom’s recovery from COVID-19.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued new surveyor guidance for COVID-19 laboratory test result reporting for Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified laboratories.

AHA comments on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Discussion Draft of the Preliminary Framework for Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine.

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AHA has compiled several case examples demonstrating the struggles and successes of rural hospitals battling COVID-19 in their communities.

AHA urges the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to withdraw the condition of participation that hospitals report daily COVID-19 data.

In all things, planning prevents poor execution.

A high proportion of COVID-19 infections among U.S. health care personnel appear to go undetected. According to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 1 in 20 health care workers sampled in 12 states tested positive for antibodies for COVID-19, and 69% of those with antibodies had never been diagnosed with the disease.

More than half of Michigan patients hospitalized with suspected COVID-19 received antibiotics, even though fewer than 4% of those patients had bacterial infections. The findings, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, were based on data from a random sample of 1,705 patients receiving care at 38 Michigan hospitals from mid-March to mid-June.

Two Sept. 9 webinars, Road to Resilience and Psychological Safety and Building Strength in Teams, will address ways health care systems can address the needs of patients and staff in times of crisis.

Last week, California passed the nation's first law (AB-2537) requiring health care facilities to maintain a 45-day supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). The union-backed bill requires employers to provide health care workers with unexpired PPE upon request.

When it comes to providing accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines in development, respondents to an August Harris Poll ranked nurses and physicians above other information sources, with 88% saying they are “somewhat” or “very” trustworthy.

This week’s issue of Joint Commission Online included a summary of eight guidelines to assist organizations in preserving the presence of family members in health care settings despite the presence of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a letter to health care providers warning of quality issues with surgical gowns manufactured or sold by Laws of Motion PPE. The FDA recommends facilities discontinue use of the gowns while the agency pursues its investigation.

In this month’s Nursing Outlook, three nurse ethicists argue for substantive reform of institutional processes and systems to avert the physical, emotional and moral stresses nurses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acknowledging stress and finding ways to work through it is one method to address unwanted behaviors among people working in health care settings who may be experiencing vicarious trauma.

In this podcast, Rebecca Chickey, senior director of field engagement, behavioral health services of the AHA is speaking with Martha Whitecotton, senior vice president of Behavioral Health Services at Atrium Health in Charlotte North Carolina, about using telehealth visits to provide behavioral health care to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.