LIHU‘E — Six skilled nursing facilities on Kaua‘i are among 23 the receiving grants for improving virtual communication abilities the Hawai‘i Department of Health announced Monday.
HDOH is dispersing a total of $30,000 statewide to enable virtual visits for kupuna and their families and friends.
Since mid-March 2020, skilled nursing facilities have prohibited visitors and nonessential personnel from visiting their facilities to adhere to strict physical distancing guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to protect vulnerable seniors in these facilities.
“With restrictions on face-to-face, in-person visits still in place, the grants will provide the tools skilled nursing facilities need to provide emotional support for their residents,” said Keith Ridley, chief of the Department of Health’s Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA), which oversees and regulates skilled nursing facilities.
The following Kaua‘i facilities received grants:
• Garden Isle, located in Wilcox Health Center: $1,200
• Hale Kupuna: $900
• Kauai Care Center: $672
• Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital: $1,988
• Samuel Mahelona; $1,988
Ridley said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) gave states authority to approve applications from skilled nursing facilities for COVID-19 communication technologies to expedite the approval process.
The funds are provided as grants from the CMS Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) Reinvestment Program, are limited to $3,000 for each facility, and are earmarked for communication technologies such as tablets or other devices and accessories.
OHCA is limited to disbursements of $30,000 per fiscal year, according to state statute.
The skilled nursing facilities will receive their grants by June 30, 2020, the end of the fiscal year. Additional grants will be awarded after the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2020 and, pending CMS approval, grants may be used for other services to improve the quality of life for the residents.
Source: The Garden Island
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