Massachusetts health officials are allowing long-term care facilities to resume visitations with residents under strict guidelines. It’s among the first states to resume visitations in facilities.
Starting today, nursing homes are allowed to offer in-person visitation in designated outdoor spaces if they meet social distancing standards, according to a memo sent to providers on Monday from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
In March, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services directed nursing homes to restrict all visitor access from facilities in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Providers across the country have instead utilized technology that allows for virtual visits with residents. Others have set up visitation stations using glass barriers.
State officials in Ohio last week announced that outdoor visits will be allowed at assisted living facilities starting Sunday.
Visits with a resident in a designated outdoor space must be scheduled in advance and are dependent on several conditions: permissible weather conditions, availability of outdoor space, and sufficient staffing at the facility to meet resident care needs, and the health and well-being of the resident.
Providers also may limit the length of visits, days when visits will be permitted, hours for visits and the number of times a day or week a resident can be visited.
“As much as possible, long-term care facilities should continue to use alternative electronic methods for communication between residents and visitors, such as Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp or Google Duo,” the memo states.
Residents who have recovered from COVID-19 are allowed visitors, while those suspected or confirmed to have the disease cannot be visited. Anyone visiting the facility also must be screened for a fever or respiratory systems prior to transferring a resident to the designated outdoor visitation space.
The state is also requiring staff members trained in patient safety and infection control measures to stay with the resident at all times during the visit.
Visits are limited to no more than two people, and they must remain at least six feet from the resident and attending staff member at all times. Residents and staff members are also required to wear a surgical mask, and visitors must wear a face covering during the entire visit.
Visits for compassion care situations can take place in private rooms. Communal dining is still suspended under the plan.
If a person who visits a long-term facility develops symptoms of COVID-19 within two days, they are required to immediately notify the provider. Facilities must then immediately screen the resident and staff members who had contact with the visitor.
In mid May, CMS released federal guidance on reopening nursing homes. It said that nursing homes should be among the last to reopen within a community and called for residents and staff members to receive baseline COVID-19 tests results before relaxing any restrictions.
