ARGENTUM ADVOCATES
National Health Emergency Fades, but What Lies Ahead?
By Dan Samson T
he national COVID-19 public health emergency came to a close in May, but the effects of the pan-
demic remain far from over for senior liv- ing, as does the need to plan for the next emergency. A key part of preparing for the next pan-
demic is to share our story on the lessons learned specific to senior living. From the very onset of the pandemic,
senior living communities took decisive action to protect residents and staff, from sourcing PPE and testing supplies, to en- hanced infection prevention and control measures, visitation policies, and reimaging ways to maintain the “community” aspect of congregate living. But these actions came with little to no
support from the federal or state govern- ments. Inexplicably, the very fund created to help frontline health care providers meet the financial challenges of the pandemic, was not made immediately available for senior living. Argentum’s advocacy efforts eventually helped secure more than $1 billion in relief, but it remains dispropor- tionate and inadequate compared to other providers. The same was true for sourcing PPE,
test kits, and eventually booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines, despite the over- whelming success of a federal partnership program in delivering the primary series of the vaccine that protected millions of seniors and caregivers. Further, federal and state policymakers
not only consistently overlooked our com- munities for vital resources, regulators also often issued guidance that was contradictory across federal, state, and local jurisdictions, or intended not for residential care settings but for hospitals or nursing homes.
Perhaps one of the most enduring lessons
of the pandemic is the vital need for social engagement and community. The early days of the pandemic and “stay at home” orders helped many to understand the severe impact that social isolation can have on one’s mental, emotional, and even physical wellbeing. As we all know, “community” and social engage- ment are at the very heart of senior living. And the challenges are not over. Staffing
shortages persist, with more than 100,000 fewer workers than before the pandemic; occupancy has been slow to catch up; guid- ance and regulations remains a patchwork; and senior living continues to need to better differentiate from other long-term care set- tings to receive the support it needs. To overcome the challenges of the past
three years and better prepare for the next time a deadly virus strikes, Argentum is sharing our story with policymakers as they consider legislation and regulations to meet the post-pandemic world. In May, Argentum testified before the Na-
tional Advisory Committee on Seniors and Disasters, part of the Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Pre- paredness and Response. That committee is charged with making recommendations on preparedness, response, and recovery needs of older adults. Their recommendations include better
communication on response, recovery, and mitigation information; expanding trained community disaster partners; establishing and sustaining Disaster Care Centers of Excellence for Older Adults; and capitalizing on the opportunity to expand the existing Long-Term Care Ombudsman to advocate for disaster preparedness, response, and re- covery planning across the long-term care continuum.
As part of our testimony, we called atten- tion to five key areas of improvement: • Ensuring that all stakeholders, including senior living communities that may be most affected by the emergency, are in- cluded in all planning considerations for resources and support.
• Ensuring that senior living communities have priority and direct access to per- sonal protective equipment, testing sup- plies, infection prevention and control supplies, and other resources.
• Ensuring that senior living communities have immediate access to federal and state financial relief programs to help offset the expenses and losses incurred as a result of the emergency.
• Ensuring that senior living communities have priority access and administration of vaccines, including boosters, for both residents and staff, through federal part- nership programs.
• Ensuring that all guidance or other regulations for providers is appropriate for the setting, such that senior living communities are not treated the same as institutional healthcare. In addition to the National Advisory Committee on Seniors and Disasters, Ar- gentum is sharing our story with policymak- ers across all levels of government, as law- makers at both the federal and state levels hold hearings and establish commissions on lessons learned from the pandemic and how to better prepare for future emergencies. We do not know when or how the next pandemic will hit. But we are better pre- pared now than in early 2020, and we know that policies at all levels of government can and must do better to support seniors and their caregivers. That is why we tell our story.
JULY/AUGUST 2023
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