COVID Isolation Units and “Flu”

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Studies

In a recent article published in Skilled Nursing News, they discussed how the COVID-19 isolation units were used to combat the virus in skilled nursing facilities and how they may now be helpful in preventing the spread of influenza.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took steps in March to make it easier to transfer residents within facilities or to other locations, releasing several waivers designed to accelerate the process. How this process ended up playing out varied across the country, depending on regulations and the spread of COVID-19 in any given locale. Some of the units remain active while others eventually converted back to their former modes of operation.

For each facility, the experience provided insights on managing COVID-19 from personal protective equipment (PPE) use to staffing as well as laying out potential road maps for how to handle major infectious diseases in the future. The current crisis may on some level be abating in certain parts of the country but the coming influenza season could be a crisis unto itself, coming as it is on top of the COVID-19 pandemic which has proven capable of roaring back in a community with surprising force.

Read the full article to see what other providers have successfully done to prevent the spread of infection whether it be COVID-19 or Influenza. Stay well, stay safe, and stay tuned!