Industry advocate LeadingAge is now offering free test kits to long-term care providers in all care settings and communities. The original program, a collaboration with federal agencies, was geared to Section 202 housing providers.
As of Jan. 5, providers can submit weekly requests to LeadingAge via a link on its website. These will in turn be submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services on a weekly basis, the organization told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News. This system of ongoing requests will help ensure that test recipients are not saddled with expired kits, according to a LeadingAge spokesperson.
A ‘good supply’
No end date to the program has yet been specified, and HHS and the White House have said there currently is a good supply of test kits. If supply does become an issue, HHS will contact the requester directly, LeadingAge said.
“Our national team strives to support members’ efforts to serve residents, and the growth of our partnership with HHS is a perfect example,” Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, said. “We are focused on what matters most and use our strong connections and relationships to fight for members and the people they serve.”
The expansion of the LeadingAge-HHS collaboration is part of the federal government’s current push to ensure that vulnerable populations, including long-term care residents, are protected from COVID-19.
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