Strike Team and Infrastructure Support for Nursing Homes and Other Long-term Care Facilities
HAI/AR, COVID-19, and Long-Term Care Populations
The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the importance of healthcare infection prevention and control (IPC) in keeping people—especially vulnerable populations in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities—safe and healthy. With support from CDC’s Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program, health departments provide direct COVID-19 outbreak and prevention assistance geared specifically to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
Health Department Activities
Providing technical assistance and support to long-term care
Health department HAI/AR Programs have a long history of leveraging CDC funding to support nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HAI/AR programs worked with a variety of partners to help long-term care facilities prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks. Through the American Rescue Plan Act, CDC, in partnership with CMS, awarded recipient health departments with additional “strike team” funding to improve surge capacity, staff resiliency, and outbreak response. Many HAI/AR Programs are leading or supporting “strike team” activities, which include, but are not limited to:
- COVID-19 prevention and outbreak response support through education, onsite assessments, and implementation assistance
- Clinical staffing and services support, such as surge staff, to help with personnel shortages or provide additional medical care
- Workforce recruitment and retention to expand and support long-term care staff
- Providing supplies and infrastructure support such as testing, personal protective equipment (PPE), and fit-testing resources
Conduct an infection prevention and control assessment for nursing homes to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Explore how health departments can support HAI/AR prevention in long-term care facilities.