Long-term Care Facilities Conduct Routine Testing

Roseau County Long-term Care Facilities Conduct Routine Testing

On August 26, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released new Covid-19 testing requirements for long term care facilities across the Nation.

Under the direction of the Department of Health and Human Services, CMS is committed to taking the steps necessary to ensure America’s healthcare facilities continue to respond effectively to Covid-19. The goals are to keep Covid-19 from entering long term care facilities, detect cases quickly and stop transmission as soon as practically possible.

Partnering together, Roseau County Long Term Care facilities, including Warroad Senior Living Center, LifeCare Roseau Manor and LifeCare Greenbush Manor, will join long-term care facilities throughout the nation in testing staff and residents determined by parameters set forth by the secretary of Health and Human Services.

Testing will be based on the extent of the virus in each County. Therefore, CMS will provide data sets twice per month to local long-term care facilities. Local positivity rates will determine the extent of testing, which could change in frequency as the data changes.

“As we comply with these new requirements, the goal of each of our health care facilities is to keep everyone in our community as healthy and safe as possible,” says Julie Pahlen, PHN, Director of LifeCare Public Health.