Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured

This is the first set of public health recommendations for fully vaccinated people. This guidance will be updated and expanded based on the level of community spread of SARS-CoV-2, the proportion of the population that is fully vaccinated, and the rapidly evolving science on COVID-19 vaccines. For the purposes of this guidance, people are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 ≥2 …

Hospitals – New Wave of Hackers!

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured

Hackers are increasing their attempts to break into health-care companies, putting additional pressure on an industry already struggling with managing the coronavirus pandemic. In a recent article published in the Wall Street Journal, “The logs and graphs show, oh, man, these have ramped up, it’s hard to deny that,” said Christopher Stroud, technology manager at Great Plains Health, a hospital …

Eyes on You!

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured, News

In an article published on February 11, 2021, in Health Affairs, the authors stated that prior to the pandemic, persistent problems with nursing home care had been documented for years, often because of too few and inadequately trained frontline staff. The harm to frail older adults can be quite severe; abuse and sexual assault, infections, overuse of psychotropic medications, pressure …

Nursing Home Vaccination Status Data

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, Featured

New data from Omnicare, a CVS Health company, regarding nursing home vaccination status: Of the nearly 7,822 skilled nursing facilities that have partnered with CVS Pharmacy, all have received their first round of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 81% of second doses already completed. In addition, of the 37,58 assisted living and other long-term care facilities partnered with CVS Pharmacy, 77% …

White House Covid-19 Task Force Press Briefing

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured, News

On March 1, 2021, the White House Covid-19 Response Team, along with federal public health officials, held a press briefing discussing the status of the federal government’s Covid-19 pandemic response. In the approximately half-hour long briefing, officials discussed: The science behind vaccines The role of the U.S. government in the development and testing of new vaccines (notably, the Johnson & …

President Biden’s Mask

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured, Health

President Biden has asked all Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his term, and he has signed several executive actions that mandate wearing face coverings on federal property and aboard public transit. Since April, public health experts have encouraged elected leaders to promote mask-wearing. President Biden has consistently worn a mask, sometimes even doubling up on …

GAO Report – COVID-19

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured, Studies

Since November 2020, the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has rapidly increased, further straining health care systems across the country. Between December 31, 2020 and January 13, 2021, new reported COVID-19 cases averaged about 225,000 per day, over 7 and 3 times higher than the surges the nation experienced during the spring and summer of 2020, respectively. The …

Disaster Preparedness and Response

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, Featured

Strengthening the supply chain and letting companies communicate more freely are two of the ideas in a report from the HealthCare Leadership Council and other organizations about how to respond to future pandemics and other public health disasters. The reports’ recommendations include: Launching a standing disaster preparedness group, appointed by and working with the White House, which includes private sector …

CDC Updates

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, Featured

The CDC has updated the Guidance on Testing Healthcare Personnel for SARS CoV-2: Criteria for Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 (Interim Guidance) – February 14, 2021 CDC Science Agenda for COVID-19 – February 15, 2021 Interim Guidance on Testing Healthcare Personnel for SARS-CoV-2 – February 14, 2021 U.S. COVID-19 Cases Caused by Variants – …

Illustration of medical staff in front of nursing home

Spotlight on HealthCap Heroes:

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured

Gladwin Pines Nursing & Rehabilitation Center Cheyenne Herron completely embodies the spirit that inspires our spotlight on HealthCap Heroes. Her fellow staff and residents both have been blessed by her loving dedication, and we are sharing her story to honor her for the amazing acts of kindness that she is doing on a daily basis: Have you ever met that …