The Secretary of State, Oregon Audits Division, (Secretary) found that the Oregon Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority failure to adequately prepare for the pandemic likely contributed to some senior care home COVID-19 deaths early in the pandemic. More than 90 people died in outbreaks while the state was building a new bureaucracy to respond to outbreaks.
The Secretary further claims that the two state agencies responsible for responding to the pandemic wasted valuable time in the first few months after Oregon’s first case as they tried to figure out how to work together. In addition, the auditors expressed that the two state authorities did not plan basic elements for responding together, and that these elements were developed after the response began, delaying action that may have prevented illness and death among long-term care residents and staff.
The auditors report made special note of a specific nursing home which had the deadliest long term care outbreak in Oregon. After building their new bureaucracy, the team then waited three weeks to take strict action against the identified facility, even after learning of life-threatening problems there.
The facility is connected to 36 COVID-19 deaths, most or all of them believed to be residents. By the time all of the residents were eventually evacuated from the facility, it accounted for one in four COVID-19 deaths in Oregon. As of March 14, 2021 there have been 14,210 deaths in senior care settings in the state of Oregon.
In their response to the auditor’s findings, the directors of the two state agencies provided an extensive list of steps that they have taken to reduce the pandemic’s toll on long term care over the past year and going forward. Those include opening seven COVID-19 recovery units, enacting a statewide mandate that senior care staff get tested at least monthly, and preemptive inspections to check that facilities were following infection-control practices. Access the full report here.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Each facility’s Emergency Preparedness Plan is vital in an emergency situation. The Emergency Preparedness Plan should be detailed and include steps that will be taken to communicate critical information to residents, staff, and families during an emergency. In many states, the Emergency Preparedness Plan must be approved by the state on an annual basis. In preparation for review of the Emergency Preparedness Plan, risk assessments of your facility should be conducted on a routine basis, and the plan should be updated as needed.
Discussion Points
- Review your facility’s Emergency Preparedness Plan. Conduct risk assessments for all identified potential emergencies, and update your Emergency Preparedness Plan as needed.
- Train all staff on your Emergency Preparedness Plan and their roles during all types of emergencies, including pandemics. Document that the training occurred and file the signed documents in each employee’s education file.
- Periodically audit staff to ensure that they are aware of their roles during the various categories of emergency situations.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC view: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST and EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS REQUIREMENTS FOR NURSING HOMES.
