Updated Control Order Issued for Williamson County Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care Facilities
The updated Orders stipulate that:
In the event of a positive COVID-19 case at a facility, the facility should restrict admission of any new patients into the facility or any returning patients to the facility until the facility has been cleared by Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) or the Texas Department of Health and Human Services (HHSC), and all residents and staff of the facility will be required to be tested for COVID-19 per the most current HHSC requirements and guidance. Additional testing may be required until COVID-19 transmission at the facility is controlled as determined by WCCHD or HHSC.
Facility administrators or their appropriate medical staff should establish contracts with laboratory services for acquiring and submitting specimens for COVID-19 testing and should train appropriate clinical staff to administer nasopharyngeal swabs for collecting specimens for testing. Additionally, they must ensure that they have adequate arrangements in place to cover staff shortages, including options to contract with outside staffing agencies, in the event of a COVID-19 cluster or other outbreak or emergency, per HHSC requirements.
A Strike Team of additional personnel and equipment may be deployed to supplement staffing at facilities until the outbreak is controlled as determined by WCCHD or HHSC.
To date, there have been 36 outbreaks at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities* with 254 staff and 252 residents infected, and 55 resident deaths related to COVID-19.**
“It is critical that those who have been entrusted to care for our most vulnerable populations follow the guidelines that have been put in place to protect them,” said Dr. Lori Palazzo, Williamson County Health Authority and Williamson County and Cities Health District Medical Director.
All employees and contractors who require contact with residents within 6 feet must utilize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommended Personal Protective Equipment for COVID-19.
Proactive efforts to protect vulnerable populations began on April 23, 2020 with the initial control order, which outlined proactive measures to avoid spread in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes. Actions mandated in this initial order are still included in the updated order:
• “Help Prevent Disease” signage must be displayed prominently in the facility
• Hand sanitizer must be available and supplied to employees, patients, visitors and volunteers
• The facility must symptom and temperature check all employees, patients, visitors and volunteers prior to entry to the facility
For more information and updates, visit www.wcchd.org/COVID-19.
* Facilities include assisted living facilities, hospice in nursing facilities, mixed assisted living and independent facilities, and nursing facilities.
**Numbers are provisional and subject to change as additional information is received. Some nursing
home staff work at multiple facilities and may be duplicated in the numbers
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