The Department of Health and Human Services would have to develop strike teams that would help nursing homes test residents for COVID-19 and assist with infection control practices under the GOP’s newly unveiled $1 trillion coronavirus relief package.
The strike teams, which are resource teams designed to help workers manage and respond to an outbreak, would be created, as necessary, by HHS. The agency also would have to develop online staff training courses on infection control and provide states with a list of nursing facilities that saw an increase of coronavirus cases on a weekly basis, Inside Health Policy reported.
Quarantine, isolation and disinfection procedures are key infection control practices that strike teams would assist providers with, along with COVID-19 testing. The teams also would help with medical examinations.
States would have to request a strike team’s assistance from the federal government; the teams would supplement current state efforts, according to the report.
Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that a first round of Task Force Strike Teams were sent to facilities seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases in multiple states. The teams include clinicians and public health service professionals from CMS, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.
The $1 trillion relief package, entitled the HEAL Act, also includes $25 billion for the HHS Provider Relief Fund and five-year lawsuit protections for healthcare providers.
