After much thought and discussion, the Department of Health (DOH) has decided to end the weekly Long-Term Care (LTC) calls starting January 2023. DOH is finding that the webinars may no longer be as effective as they once were due to where we are in the pandemic. DOH will start by reducing the meeting frequency in November to monthly. 

DOH plan is:

• Thursday, October 27 will be the last weekly meeting and the changes will be announced during the call.
• In November and December, DOH will host Q&A webinars on November 10 and one on December 15.
• After December, the meeting series will end.
• DOH will continue to reevaluate the need for future calls as needs change in 2023.

Even though our weekly calls will be ending, DOH will remain a proactive and supportive resource for LTC Facilities (LTCFs) across the state:

• DOH Infection Preventionists (IPs) will be available for support, information and guidance including directly by email and via the COVID mailbox (see page 2 of this document for contact information).
• DOH will still offer updates on guidance changes on any IP topic relevant to LTCFs. If there are big guidance changes, DOH will schedule a webinar or webinar series to review the guidance and answer questions.
• DOH will provide links to resources and educational opportunities that are available.

DOH has other focused educational initiatives in the works that will provide infection prevention education and training for LTCFs.

Questions?

Contact:

Laura Hofmann, MSN, RN – Director of Clinical and Nursing Facility Regulatory Services
1102 Broadway, Suite 201 | Tacoma, Washington 98402
p: 253-964-8870 c: 425-231-4804