Testing in Nursing Homes
Nursing homes residents are among the most vulnerable populations for COVID-19 and comprise a high percentage of COVID-19 deaths in Ohio. To protect these residents and the staff who take care of them, the presence of COVID-19 in nursing home facilities must be identified so that measures can be put into place to isolate the virus and contain its spread.
To that end, Ohio’s Congregate Care Unified Response Team (CCURT) has developed an approach for testing these residents and staff guided by the following principles:
- Protect Ohioans in communities and congregate facilities, including prioritization for nursing home facilities.
- Use the best available clinical information and most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, including testing prioritization within minority communities.
- Empower local communities with resources to mitigate and control outbreaks.
- Leverage the private sector for resources and partnerships.
Each nursing home licensed by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) or certified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), or the Ohio Department of Medicaid shall cooperate with the COVID-19 testing for staff and residents as required by ODH. This includes, but is not limited to, strategic testing of residents to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within a facility and a community. Each nursing home facility in Ohio must also require all employees to be tested.
Staff Retesting Resources
- Clinical Checklist for Specimen Collection of COVID-19 Test
- Checklist for COVID-19 Test Specimen Storage & Transport
Resources
- Updated Guidelines for the Testing of the Residents and Staff of all Nursing Homes (Effective Dec, 21 2020)
- Additional Department of Aging Resources
- UPDATED Testing in Nursing Homes FAQ
- COVID-19 Pre-Surge and Longer-Term Planning Toolkit
- Zone and Region Map
- CCURT Bridge Team Guidance and Information
- Nursing Facility Transfer Protocol
Webinars
July 28, 2020 Update on Testing in Ohio Nursing Homes
