A nursing home in Idaho was visited by a state inspector who was unaware of having COVID-19. Nationwide

Health and welfare this week, in response to an inquiry from the Idaho Statesman, the state informed four nursing homes of potential exposure. The department did not identify the nursing homes visited by COVID-19’s Positive Inspectors.

According to spokeswoman Niki Forbing-Ol, the ministry has not been notified of the COVID-19 incident at a nursing home dating back to the inspector’s visit.

“As soon as the two nursing home investigators each received a positive test result, we demanded that they be self-isolated. I don’t know exactly if or when I was infected.” “Every surveyor wants to emphasize that the staff of the facility are undergoing inspections before they enter the facility.”

According to state records, several inspectors visited nursing homes around Idaho in mid-July.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records, three nursing homes tested in mid-July reported the first case of COVID-19 to staff one to two weeks after the test. (This timing also corresponds to the week of July and August, when new cases of coronavirus peaked throughout Idaho.

Due to the spread of the virus in Idaho, many nursing homes were reporting new cases at that time. The state did not notify the four nursing homes that infected inspectors visited “as soon as we wanted.” -I said. She said the state now has a policy and process in place to notify the facility within 24 hours of the inspector’s finding positive.

The nursing home itself is required by the federal government to notify residents and their families of COVID-19 cases within a day.

“If a researcher finds a positive test, the researcher immediately self-isolates and does not plan to participate in another study until at least 14 days have passed,” Forbing-Orr said. Told. “We are also working with public health professionals to develop testing strategies to get test results quickly.

“We will never deliberately send a surveyor with an active COVID-19 to the facility.” The Facility Standards Department of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare usually conducts regular inspections and inspectors to investigate complaints. Will be dispatched to a nursing home.

In March, the state and federal governments ceased regular inspections and went into a facility to investigate complaints claiming “immediate harm to the population,” Forbing-Orr said in April. I told the person concerned.

The decision was made to limit the risk of inspectors bringing the virus to the facility and to maintain a limited supply of personal protective equipment, Forbing-Orr said in April. “Investigators can move from facility to facility and carry viruses from one facility to another,” she said.

However, residents of nursing homes are at high risk of illness and death from COVID-19, so the federal government has requested special COVID-19 infection control investigations at these facilities. The test will take 2-3 days.

The state conducted 115 such tests in nursing homes this summer. Inspectors found 49 nursing homes that were not flawed in their practices and at least one flawed 66. The nine nursing homes were seriously flawed, putting the population in urgent danger. According to the Idaho Department of Health, inability to properly screen people entering the facility was one of the most common problems found by inspectors.

“The fact that 49 surveys are flawless surveys makes the Idaho nursing home very well because the flawless surveys are difficult to achieve due to the day-to-day challenges faced by the facility during this pandemic. I’m telling you.” Free from the department. “Nursing homes are enthusiastic about preventing the spread of COVID-19, and defective facilities usually address infection control gaps quickly. Findings show that IDHW staff can Connecting to federal training and resources and helping to support them also strengthens their infection control practices.” One of the state’s life-supporting inspectors also said COVID in July, according to Forbing-Orr. -19 tests tested positive, but he had not been on the premises for several weeks at that time.

People who need help in their daily lives but do not need 24-hour care in a nursing home may live in a care facility. They are state-regulated and therefore have not undergone federal COVID-19 testing.

“Since mid-July, the Life Support Team has been in contact with life support facilities through phone calls, desk reviews of records, and technology,” Forbing-Orr said. “Currently, we do not send a supported life surveyor to the facility until we have a test solution to process results quickly.”

(C) 2020 Idaho State Politicians (Boise, Idaho)

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