The Connected Foundation​​, comprising more than 50 students across Harvard, MIT, Wellesley, BU, and Northeastern, connects young students with seniors to form intergenerational connections and combat social isolation. The Foundation has been working with a set of nursing homes and assisted living communities in the Boston area.

Updates on CHIA HPPD reporting requirements change to monthly, DPH updates guidance on non-essential personnel in LTC facilities, EOHHS issues safe celebration information, MassHealth updates rates for COVID-19 vaccine administration, reminder: DPH has resumed annual surveys and county positivity rate for Barnstable County.

Memo discussing clarification on data collection for COVID-19 vaccination reporting; BinaxNOW test kit update; revised CDC burn rate calculator; Achieving a Full APU webinar is full – register to receive notification of recorded version, and the DPH weekly call.

An update on MassHealth Nursing Facility Bulletin 162 entitled Updated COVID-19 Ongoing Surveillance Testing Requirements for Nursing Facilities and the CDC safety monitoring system specifically for the COVID-19 vaccination program.

Updates provided on DPH guidance on the requirement to report COVID-19 vaccinations to the NHSN, vaccination of long-term care residents and staff following the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program, Massachusetts Legislature COVID-19 recovery bill, CHIA updates to surveillance testing data collection format and schedule, and US Senate bill delaying Medicare sequestration cuts.

Massachusetts is building a state electronic registry to allow clinicians timely and trusted access to the medical forms that document patients' preferences for care near the end of life. The registry will include forms called physician orders for life-sustaining treatment, or POLST. As part of the project, Massachusetts will transition from the MOLST form to the POLST form to align with national standards and will conduct extensive outreach and education about the new form and how to use the online registry.

As Massachusetts begins Phase 4, Part 1 on Monday, March 22, 2021, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services released a series of new guidance documents for health care and human services providers. This guidance supersedes previously issued guidance in Phases 1, 2 and 3. Read the Guidance Reopen Approach for Health Care Providers Phase 4: New Normal effective March 22, 2021, which replaces and supersedes all prior reopening guidance for acute care hospitals and other health care providers.

Meet Guylene (Gilly) Muzac, a nurse and Resident Care Manager at Sherrill House in Boston. Gilly is one of the 45,000 dedicated caregivers working on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic to protect and care for the Commonwealth’s nursing home residents. Currently, Gilly is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing at Curry College and is a recipient of the 2020/2021 Mass Senior Care Foundation scholarship. Gilly’s courage and dedication to her residents are just a few reasons why she is a frontline hero. Read her story today.

The CDC has a new Project Firstline Facilitator Toolkit. The toolkit includes infection control training resources that work for a variety of learning styles and fit into busy schedules. Resources online now include session plans and slide decks for 10, 20, and 60-minute presentations on foundational infection control topics.