Visitation Guidelines Alerts Archives - CANHR COVID-19 News & Resources

Guidance for Limiting the Transmission of COVID-19 in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs)

Monday, February 7th, 2022Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022 CANHR STAFF

AFL 22-07 From the California Department of Public Health February 7, 2022 TO: Skilled Nursing Facilities SUBJECT: Guidance for Limiting the Transmission of COVID-19 in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs)(This AFL supersedes AFL 20-22.9) All Facilities Letter (AFL) Summary This AFL notifies SNFs of updated CDPH, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for improving their infection control and prevention practices to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, including guidance for visitation.This AFL provides CDPH guidance for group activities and communal dining based upon vaccination status of residents.This AFL requires SNFs to develop and implement processes for verifying the vaccination status of all visitors, and for obtaining and tracking documentation of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test of all visitors.This AFL updates restrictions on visitation and also removes outdated exemptions to visitation restrictions.

Visitation Shut-Down – What to Do

Friday, January 7th, 2022Monday, January 10th, 2022 CANHR STAFF

A state public health order went into effect today that essentially shut down visitation in long term care facilities in California. The order requires all visitors to have a negative COVID test in the past 2 days (PCR tests) or 1 day (antigen tests) in order to visit. Given the substantial challenges to test access, this is tantamount to a visitation lockout.

Guidance for Limiting the Transmission of COVID-19 in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs)

Thursday, August 12th, 2021Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022 CANHR STAFF

AFL 20-22.9 From the California Department of Public Health August 12, 2021 TO: Skilled Nursing Facilities SUBJECT: Guidance for Limiting the Transmission of COVID-19 in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs)(This AFL supersedes AFL 20-22.8) All Facilities Letter (AFL) Summary This AFL notifies SNFs of updated CDPH, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for improving their infection control and prevention practices to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, including guidance for visitation.This AFL authorizes SNFs to temporarily modify their facility’s visitation policies in accordance with CMS and CDC COVID-19 guidance when necessary to protect the health and safety of residents, staff, and the public.This AFL provides CDPH guidance for group activities and communal dining based upon vaccination status of residents.This revision requires SNFs to develop and implement processes for verifying the vaccination status of all visitors, and for obtaining and tracking documentation of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test of all visitors who are unvaccinated and incompletely vaccinated to have an indoor visit.

Visitor Limitations Guidance

Wednesday, June 16th, 2021Wednesday, June 16th, 2021 CANHR STAFF

AFL 20-38.7 From the California Department of Public Health June 16, 2021 TO: All FacilitiesSUBJECT: Visitor Limitations Guidance(This AFL supersedes AFL 20-38.6) All Facilities Letter (AFL) Summary This AFL revision updates and consolidates California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH’s) visitation guidance into single set of recommendations for all facilities in all counties, considering California is moving Beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy framework effective June 15, 2021.This AFL also provides updated visitation guidance based upon CDC’s updated healthcare infection prevention and control recommendations in response to COVID-19 vaccination for non-long-term care facilities (e.g., General Acute Care Hospitals, Acute Psychiatric Hospitals).Long-term care (LTC) facilities should continue to refer to AFL 20-22.8 for updated LTC visitation guidance.

New Visitation Guidelines for RCFE Residents

Monday, April 19th, 2021Monday, April 19th, 2021 CANHR STAFF

After a year of stringent restrictions imposed because of COVID-19, the California Department of Social Services (DSS) released new guidance on March 19, 2021 significantly relaxing restrictions on visitors to Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE). The guidance also relaxes restrictions on communal dining and group activities, and on residents returning from outings. Set forth in PIN 21-17-ASC, the guidance is effective immediately.

Updated Visitation Fact Sheet Released

Monday, April 19th, 2021Monday, April 19th, 2021 CANHR STAFF

CANHR has reviewed the various federal and California guidance regarding visitation in long term care facilities and synthesized the rules into a new fact sheet to guide residents and their families. The fact sheet highlights the types of visitation nursing homes and residential care facilities for the elderly must provide and under what conditions as well as the infection control protocols facilities may impose during visits. Download the Fact Sheet HERE (PDF)

New Visitation Guidelines Affecting Long Term Care Residents

Friday, March 12th, 2021 CANHR STAFF

State and federal authorities have issued a raft of new guidance on visitation. While many of these new rules significantly relax restrictions on visitors, some questions remain regarding areas of inconsistency between the two sets of rules. On March 10 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new guidance for nursing homes intended to relieve some of the harm experienced by long term care residents as a result of COVID-19-related restrictions on visitation.

CMS Updates Nursing Home Guidance with Revised Visitation Recommendations

Wednesday, March 10th, 2021Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 CANHR STAFF

Nursing homes have been severely impacted by COVID-19, with outbreaks causing high rates of infection, morbidity, and mortality.[1]The vulnerable nature of the nursing home population, combined with the inherent risks of congregate living in a healthcare setting, have required aggressive efforts to limit COVID-19 exposure and to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within these facilities. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recognized that physical separation from family and other loved ones has taken a physical and emotional toll on residents and their families.

Federal Memo Restores Nursing Home Visits!

Friday, September 18th, 2020Friday, September 18th, 2020 CANHR STAFF

On September 17th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a memo to the states, restoring visitation in nursing homes. CMS is requiring facilities to permit visitation whenever a facility has had no new COVID outbreaks for 14 days and the community positivity rate is less than 10%. Facilities required to permit visitation are encouraged to have outdoor visitation, weather permitting, but are also required to accommodate indoor visitation, including in resident rooms, when outdoor visits are unavailable.

California Department of Public Health Issues New Visitation Guidance

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020Thursday, September 3rd, 2020 CANHR STAFF

On August 25, the California Department of Public Health (DPH) issued All Facilities Letter 20-22.4 outlining some significant changes to the State’s ever-evolving guidance relating to visiting nursing homes and other health facilities during the COVID pandemic. The AFL makes clear that visitation restrictions cannot be absolute. Facilities may not bar any of the following: Visits by Ombudsmen: Facilities must permit ombudsmen in the facility.