Updates from Latest DOH Nursing Home Association Quarterly Meeting

The Department of Health (DOH) held its most recent Nursing Home Association Quarterly Meeting on Jan. 11, 2023. During the meeting, George Shaw from DOH provided an update on the status of temporary nurse aides (TNAs)/certified nurse aides (CNAs) who have been tested and those who are still awaiting testing. As of Jan. 6, 2023:

3,221 TNAs have gone through the program;
2,055 have passed both portions of the test;
333 candidates need to re-test;
635 candidates need to be tested, including re-tests;
327 are scheduled for testing;
316 have applied and are not scheduled.
- 180 are in a queue with errors (e.g., missing information, payment not provided, contact information incomplete). DOH is reaching out to these candidates.
- Regional test sites have increased by 100 percent since October. There are currently 24 regional test sites statewide. Prometric is working on opening new ones.
- DOH asked the associations to encourage facilities to be regional or in-facility test sites.

Also part of the meeting was a presentation from the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) on expanding access to medication for addiction treatment in nursing homes. The most important takeaway from the presentation was that OASAS would like to ensure that nursing homes have the information and resources they need to care for residents with addictions, and that a Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) from DOH and OASAS will be coming soon.

Contact: Amy Nelson, anelson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383 ext. 146