Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus, but a new program aims to reduce the risk to staff and residents with special training.
CalOptima, which provides health insurance to Orange County’s low-income residents, announced on Friday, May 8, it is working with UC Irvine and the county Health Care Agency to provide intensive training on infection control to staff at 12 nursing homes. Also, 67 facilities will get a toolkit and a more basic training program.
Skilled nursing facilities can be a breeding ground for the coronavirus, because employees may be in close contact with residents, they’re around each other for long periods, and many of the residents have other health issues or are more susceptible to illness because of their age.
“Nursing home residents need our urgent coalition of support due to their high risk for infection from COVID-19,” CalOptima Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Emily Fonda said in a news release.
“This program will teach the changes in care techniques that are needed in the presence of a highly contagious virus, so Orange County nursing home staff can protect their vulnerable residents.”
Dr. Susan Huang, who teaches about infectious diseases at UC Irvine, is working with researchers and clinicians to develop the tools and training, and will measure their effectiveness with diagnostic and antibody testing.
Among the skills nursing home staff will learn is how to most effectively wear protective equipment such as masks, how to screen visitors and better techniques for cleaning the facility.
CalOptima made a grant of about $629,000 for the program, and the county also has pledged financial support, according to the news release.
