SEATTLE — The Washington state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) announced Thursday it will send teams of registered nurses and other health care workers to long-term care facilities across the state with staffing shortages caused by the pandemic.
Under the state department plan, six “rapid response” teams will work at assisted-living facilities, nursing homes and other long-term care providers where employees tested positive for the virus or were quarantined. The teams will be comprised of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants.
The department will use $1.3 million in CARES Act funding to contract with temporary nursing agencies. It has been authorized for one month, but may be extended if needed.
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DSHS made the announcement after a surge of confirmed cases in long-term care facilities. Health officials have reported 431 long-term facilities with at least one COVID-19 infection each as of Thursday. There are about 4,100 facilities statewide.
The six teams will be located in counties with the highest need based on virus reporting, but can be deployed statewide. Currently, King, Pierce, Snohomish, Clark, Yakima and Spokane counties have the greatest need, according to DSHS.
A recent report from the Washington State Department of Health found long-term care facilities are associated with 53% of total COVID-19 deaths in Washington, but just 6% of overall cases. Nearly 15% of people who contracted the virus in a long-term care facility died.