For clinical response questions, contact:
Jeanne Gerstenkorn, Vice President for Health and Wellness, PMMA, at jgerstenkorn@pmma.org or 316-685-1100 or 316-250-8197.
For operations response questions, contact:
Bill Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, at btaylor@pmma.org or 316-685-1100 or
785-643-5134.
For all other inquiries contact:
Karen Harriman, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President for Communications and Public Relations, at kharriman@pmma.org or 316-685-1100 or 314-605-6175.
Lisa Diehl, Corporate Communications Director, at ldiehl@pmma.org or 316-685-1100 or 316-619-0531.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 – President Joe Biden announces that all medical facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funds will be subject to a vaccine mandate or risk losing funding. Also, Biden asked the Department of Labor to require vaccination or weekly testing in all businesses with 100 or more employees.
SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 – PMMA launches formal “Why Vax?” campaign encouraging employees who have not yet gotten vaccinated to consider vaccination.
AUGUST 18, 2021 – President Joe Biden announces that “nursing homes” receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds will have to have 100-percent of their staff vaccinated to continue to receive those funds.
MARCH 11, 2021 – PMMA releases new guidance for all campuses for visitation based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance released on March 10, 2021. Guidance opened up visitation to residents in every level of living no matter what the county positivity rate is for COVID-19 testing. Outdoor visitation remains preferred for all residents.
MARCH 5, 2021 – PMMA releases new guidance for independent living resident visitation when residences are under the same roof as licensed care areas including skilled nursing, assisted living and memory care. Guidance allows independent living residents to have two guests at a time in their residences. Communities may determine whether visitors need to schedule in advance based on the ability to track campus visitors and provide screening services..
DECEMBER 28, 2020 – Manor of the Plains hosted its first COVID-19 vaccine clinic for residents and staff with 74 people participating. The campus is participating in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care with Walgreens.
september 17, 2020 – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new guidance on in-person indoor and outdoor visitation at skilled nursing facilities.
september 8, 2020 – PMMA’s communities began their first round of employee surveillance testing mandated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for all skilled nursing facilities. Surveillance testing requires all employees, agency employees, volunteers, hospice, lab and therapy providers at a campus to be tested on a frequency determined by that county’s COVID-19 testing positivity rate.
August 26, 2020 – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new rules requirement skilled nursing facilities to test employees regularly based upon county transmission rates. Communities in counties with less than 5% transmission rates are required to test monthly, communities in counties with transmission rates between 5 and 10% are required to test weekly, and communities in counties with transmission rates greater than 10% are required to test twice a week. The rule was effective immediately. PMMA began working on plans for implementation of the new rules at all 16 communities.
August 26, 2020 – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new rules requirement skilled nursing facilities to test employees regularly based upon county transmission rates. Communities in counties with less than 5% transmission rates are required to test monthly, communities in counties with transmission rates between 5 and 10% are required to test weekly, and communities in counties with transmission rates greater than 10% are required to test twice a week. The rule was effective immediately. PMMA began working on plans for implementation of the new rules at all 16 communities.
May 18, 2020 – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) releases guidance for states to begin reopening skilled nursing facilities to visitors. The authority to determine how skilled nursing facilities reopen was given to states. CMS also announced plans for focused infection control surveys.
March 23, 2020 – Parsons Presbyterian Manor notified a non-direct care staff member tested positive for COVID-19 in a neighboring county. The employee had not had a temperature and was not displaying other symptoms of COVID-19.
The community acted swiftly to ensure the safety of residents and other staff members. All residents placed in isolation for the next 14 days. During that time, residents to be checked for fever and other signs and symptoms of COVID-19 at each shift change. Residents were already being checked daily for fever and symptoms of COVID-19. Families and care partners were notified. All staff members are following CDC guidelines and best practices as these are continually updated.
Staff members who had direct contact with the affected staff member were placed on 14-day home quarantine and monitored for symptoms.
March 17, 2020 – Heart and Soul Hospice, a wholly owned service of PMMA, releases statement on protocols in use to ensure health of hospice patients on service and to assure referring agencies that both locations are still accepting new patients.
March 17, 2020 – A COVID-19 information page is added to the Heart & Soul Hospice website based on recommendations by the CDC and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. The website is shared by the two locations. Previously, prevention information had been shared on the hospices’ Facebook pages.
March 16, 2020 – PMMA released a new LIMITED ACCESS poster updating the in-person visitor exception to end-of-life situations only per March 13 CMS guidance. Visitor questionnaire updated to include questions about domestic travel.
March 16, 2020 – PMMA released communications to staff about increased access to telehealth through company health plan, whether a participating employee or not, and lifted restrictions on prescription refills for maintenance medications. Separate memo addresses travel and PTO. Employees who travel domestically to places with active COVID-19 cases, on cruise ships or internationally will not be allowed to return to work and will be expected to observe a 14-day quarantine upon return.
March 14, 2020 – PMMA communities discontinue all communal dining and group activities, per CMS guidance on March 13, 2020. Residents educated on principles of social distance (6-feet between individuals at all times), and encouraged to practice the principles in conducting activities of daily life. PMMA communities begin screening all employees and checking for fever before starting a shift.
March 13, 2020 – PMMA moves all communities to LIMITED ACCESS in response to CMS guidance. Community websites are updated to explain LIMITED ACCESS.
March 13, 2020 – PMMA institutes weekly COVID-19 update calls with corporate staff and PMMA community leaders.
March 13, 2020 – PMMA’s corporate marketing team meets with community marketers to discuss marketing strategies and tactics for LIMITED ACCESS communities.
March 13, 2020 – First case of COVID-19 is announced in Sedgwick County. Three additional communities in Sedgwick and surrounding counties are added to the LIMITED ACCESS list. Information released later reveals the case is a Butler County man who was tested at a Wichita hospital.
March 12, 2020 – PMMA posts a blog explaining the difference between LIMITED ACCESS and Visitation Discouraged on all PMMA community site blogs and the PMMA blog.
March 10, 2020 – PMMA adopts CMS guidelines released March 9 creating two levels of visitation for senior health care centers. Three communities are placed on LIMITED ACCESS due to confirmed COVID-19 cases in their county or a surrounding county. Under the March 9 recommendations, access was limited except in the cases of end-of-life situations and where the visitor was necessary for the care and wellbeing of the resident. All other PMMA communities are placed on discouraged visitation, meaning visitation was discouraged unless absolutely necessary.
March 9, 2020 – PMMA launches social media communications regarding COVID-19 on all community Facebook pages as well as the PMMA and hospice Facebook pages. Updates continue there throughout the crisis.
March 7, 2020 – COVID-19 information pages are added to all 16 community websites and the corporate website. The same information is provided to charter members at Aberdeen Ridge through a members-only area of the Aberdeen Ridge site the week of March 9.
March 6, 2020 – PMMA distributes a family letter regarding COVID-19 to all of its 16 communities for residents, families, volunteers and guests. Posters warning against visiting campuses if displaying of signs of COVID-19 or having recent international travel are distributed to PMMA communities and hung at entrances prior to weekend visits beginning. Additional COVID-19 resources are sent to communities as well to help teams in efforts to prevent COVID-19 from entering the buildings.
March 6, 2020 – PMMA distributes letter to employees and resources for dealing with illness via PMMA Employee newsletter. The employee letter and resources from CDC also are provided for all PRN and agency staff.
March 3, 2020 – PMMA has first interdisciplinary novel Coronavirus 2019 call with all of its communities and corporate staff. Work begins on letters to residents, families and employees and posters for entry doors to all communities.
Mid-January 2020 – PMMA began having dialogue with our teams and communities about the COVID 19 virus. We looked at our infection control practices and policies, reviewed hand hygiene education with staff and residents, and began the process of preparation for this pandemic.
For more information, contact Karen Harriman, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President for Public Relations and Communications, at 316-685-1100 or kharriman@pmma.org, or Lisa Diehl, Corporate Communications Director at 316-685-1100 or ldiehl@pmma.org.
