AHRQ Establishes National Nursing Home COVID Action Network

In partnership with the University of New Mexico’s ECHO Institute and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), AHRQ has established a National Nursing Home COVID Action Network to prevent infections among nursing home residents and staff. Nursing home residents are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 due to their age, their underlying frailty, and their communal living conditions. And nursing home staff are among the most needed and most at-risk essential workers. The new network is being created under an AHRQ contract worth up to $237 million that is part of the nearly $5 billion Provider Relief Fund authorized earlier this year under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Over 15,000 nursing homes that are certified to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs will be able to participate in a 16-week training program using a standardized curriculum developed by the IHI. The training program will include best practices for using personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing, clinical management of asymptomatic and mild cases, and other topics. Nursing home teams seeking to participate may sign up on the Project ECHO website. Learn more by accessing the press release and by registering for an informational webinar from 1:30 to 3 ET on Oct. 1.