COVID-19 Information and Resources

Resumption of CNA Testing Notification
Scheduling Testing:

Approved nurse aide training programs with students who have completed training may contact the American Red Cross at (800) 962-4337 or MATesting@redcross.org to schedule a test. Students must have the following in order to test:

1. Proof of Eligibility (one):

• Certificate of Completion from approved nurse aide training program or an
• Approved Nurse Aide Training Waiver
• Expired license or official NAR listing of licensure

2. Photo ID (one):

• MA Driver’s License
• Current Passport,
• Military ID
• RMV issued photo ID
• Permanent Resident Card

3. MA Nurse Aide Testing and Registration Application
4. Admission confirmation provided by the ARC upon registration

The application and the MA Nurse Aide State Testing Guide can be downloaded from the ARC website https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cna-testing/massachusetts-nurse-aide-testing.

Read the DPH notification.

PPE Effectiveness While Fighting COVID-19

Rapid Refresher of Infection Control and Prevention: Essentials In The Age of COVID-19

PPE is the key defense against infection, but a study by JAMA found that even experienced caregivers sometimes did not take appropriate precautions against infectious agent transmission. This suggests that additional training on proper PPE usage is critical now that COVID-19 has struck the nation.

HealthcareSource is now offering a course by Amplifire that will quickly refresh frontline workers’ knowledge of PPE in ways that could help reduce risks of spreading the disease unknowingly – ultimately saving lives. It also provides guidance on how they can best protect themselves if your organization faces a PPE shortage.
Watch the webinar posted on HealthcareSource.

Conserving Supply of Personal Protective Equipment—A Call for Ideas

Howard Bauchner, MD1; Phil B. Fontanarosa, MD, MBA1; Edward H. Livingston, MD1

The editors of JAMA recognize the challenges, concerns, and frustration about the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) that is affecting the care of patients and safety of health care workers in the US and around the world. We seek creative immediate solutions for how to maximize the use of PPE, to conserve the supply of PPE, and to identify new sources of PPE. We are interested in suggestions, recommendations, and potential actions from individuals who have relevant experience, especially from physicians, other health care professionals, and administrators in hospitals and other clinical settings. JAMA is inviting immediate suggestions, which can be added as online comments to this article.

Recruitment for Long Term Care Facilities

The Commonwealth COVID19 Command Center streamlined recruitment and hiring practices for long term care facilities and created new incentives for professionals to accept em-ployment at a long-term care facility.  To coordinate and match the hiring needs between long-term care facilities and healthcare professionals, the Command Center created the Long-Term Care Portal. The Portal allows nursing facilities to REGISTER hiring needs. The Portal allows healthcare professionals to REGISTER their information and be matched to facility need. https://covid19ltc.umassmed.edu/