Long-Term Care Updates for Providers from Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
Save the date: Tour MultiCare PACE on June 11
PACE is the Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly. It serves low-income seniors (55+) whose care needs are making it challenging for them to age in place.
Come see PACE in action on Wednesday, June 11 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Outreach coordinator Kara Jovag will give tours of the facility at 6442 Yakima Ave, Tacoma.
RSVPs to [email protected] or 253-459-7270.
Norovirus
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes gastroenteritis, leading to symptoms like:
- Vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
- Nausea.
- Fever.
Know the usual rates of illnesses like vomiting and diarrhea in your facility so you can spot an outbreak.
If you suspect an outbreak, contact us for help at (253) 649-1412. Report outbreaks to the Health Department. Use our toolkit if you suspect an outbreak.
More resources:
Report Notifiable Conditions, TPCHD.
Keeping Norovirus at Bay TPCHD.
Controlling an outbreak, TPCHD.
Checklist for LTCFs, Washington Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence.
Infection Prevention Trainings
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) and the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) offer free resources and a free webinar series to help you implement enhanced barrier precautions, improve monitoring strategies, and strengthen infection control practices when responding to outbreaks.
Long-Term Care Infection Prevention Empower Hour
Join the LTC Infection Prevention Empower Hour, hosted by DOH and APIC Puget Sound on the first Wednesday of each month from 12:30–1:30 p.m. The next session is on June 4, 2025, focusing on Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions. Click here to register.
Emergency Preparedness
Emergencies like fires, power outage, or viral outbreaks can pose serious risks. Developing an effective emergency preparedness program is a key responsibility. A strong emergency preparedness program involves four phases:
- Mitigation: Help minimize the impact of emergencies by preparing before and after an emergency.
- Preparedness: Create emergency plans tailored to different events, practice disaster drills and conduct regular exercises to enhance LTC staff’s confidence and knowledge in procedures.
- Response: Take immediate actions during an emergency to ensure safety, such as evacuating and coordinating with emergency services.
- Recovery: After the danger, the goal is to restore normal operations, provide support to residents and staff, and review the response to identify areas for improvement in future plans.
The Northwest Healthcare Response Network (NWHRN) works to build relationships, create plans and provide tools to help everyone to effectively response to healthcare emergencies. Check out their resource on Guidelines for Writing an Emergency Preparedness Plan.
You can find other valuable resources from Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.