CHA News

CDPH Updates Recommendations for Care in SNFs During COVID-19

For CNOs, case managers, skilled-nursing facility leaders, infection preventionists

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The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued an updated All Facilities Letter (AFL) 20-74.1 on COVID-19 recommendations for personal protective equipment, resident placement/movement, and staffing in skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs).  

Specifically, the AFL updates recommendations to clarify when eye protection must be used and to align with Cal/OSHA requirements no longer allowing extended use and re-use of respirators.   

The update of AFL 20-74 is being issued in the context of increased COVID-19 hospitalizations and some reports of SNFs unable to admit COVID-19-positive patients. Hospitals that encounter difficulty in securing SNF placement for COVID-19-positive individuals at discharge should consult AFL 20-87 and contact their local health department and the CDPH district office.