Coronavirus COVID-19
There are 35,096 confirmed cases of Coronavirus COVID-19 in Ohio. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) along with other public health agencies such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are closely monitoring the spread of this infection.
Ohio Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline:
1-833-4ASKODH (1-833-427-5634)
Support Advocacy Efforts
OALA supports our national affiliate, Argentum, in bringing attention to the urgent need to prioritize Senior Living in the COVID-19 response.
Argentum launched a grassroots campaign, Standing With Seniors, and the goal is to get 500,000 letters to Congress by urging your residents, residents’ family members, and community staff to submit messages through their platform. Thanks in advance for your support in this important effort.
Information for Assisted Living Providers
- Encourage frequent hand washing and use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers
- Cover coughs and sneezes - face masks are recommended
- Stay home when you are sick and encourage staff and visitors to do the same
- Review your current infection control guidelines, policies and procedures to ensure they follow current recommendations to prevent the spread of illnesses
- Visit trusted sources and share information that is current and fact-based. Sign up for automatic email updates from public health agencies to stay informed.
- Provide training and education on topics such as hand hygiene and proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Prevent spreading infection to other healthcare facilities by informing providers prior to transferring residents with suspected or confirmed respiratory illness
OALA Resources
OALA is committed to providing resources to all assisted living providers through this unprecedented time.
PARRT Program
Testing Program Expands to Counties Contiguous to Franklin Leading Age Ohio, in collaboration with National Church Residences, Ohio Living, and other area providers and in cooperation with Central Ohio Geriatrics and the Ohio Department of Health, Franklin County Health Department and Columbus Health Departments, has created a program to provide in facility COVID-19 testing for all Franklin County and now counties contiguous to Franklin, nursing homes and assisted living community residents who require testing. This program called, PARRT (Post-Acute Rapid Result Testing.) A separate Alert to our members in those counties has gone out. The process essentially is for the community to call a central call number with requested information for the resident and their facility identifier, their ODH ID (license number) in the case of AL You will need a Dr.’s order for the test for the resident. Hopefully, this program in some form will take shape across all of Ohio. Our deepest thanks to all those involved in making this happen!
ODH Information Disseminated March 26, 2020 - Click Links Below:
Additional Resources from ODH:
Coronavirus Preparation & Response Toolkit
This toolkit from Argentum contains resources, links, and suggested best practices for a thoughtful approach to coronavirus preparation and response in senior living communities.