Illinois Department of Public Health
Files Emergency Rules Mandating COVID-19 Testing in Long-Term Care
Facilities
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[August 13, 2020]
The Illinois Department of
Public Health (IDPH) filed emergency rules mandating long-term care
facilities comply with infection control practices, including
testing all residents and staff for COVID-19. Each facility will be
required to develop and implement a testing plan to better protect
vulnerable residents and ensure no facility is shirking its
responsibilities for those in their care.
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“Nursing home residents are at higher risk for
infection, serious illness, and death from COVID-19,” said IDPH
Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Testing residents and health care staff
is important to help keep COVID-19 out of facilities if the virus is
not there, detect cases quickly – especially among individuals who
are asymptomatic, and stop transmission. While many facilities are
working with IDPH and their local health departments to help keep
residents safe, we cannot rely on voluntary compliance alone, and
this additional regulatory authority will help ensure swift action.”
IDPH is requiring every long-term care facility in Illinois to test
all residents and staff for COVID-19 as recommended by the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Each facility will collect specimens and
arrange with a laboratory to have them tested. IDPH will provide
training and assistance with testing if needed and will help
identify laboratory services if requested. Each facility will be
required to report to public health officials the number of
residents and staff tested, and the number of positive, negative,
and indeterminate test results.
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The facility must also make sure a copy of the
facility’s infection control policies and procedures is provided to
residents, and to the resident’s family or representative, along
with IDPH or local health departments, upon request.
To date, IDPH laboratories have provided 45,000 testing kits to 170
long term care facilities. IDPH has an agreement with Quest
Laboratories, which has so far provided 8,500 testing kits to 33
long term care facilities. IDPH will provide additional testing kits
to long-term care facilities that choose to work with IDPH to
implement their testing plan.
IDPH will continue to work with local health departments to provide
guidance and support for infection control practices at long-term
care facilities, perform targeted infection control surveys, provide
consulting services to facilities, and coordinate with partners to
provide additional assistance.
This emergency rule is effective immediately and can be found at
https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/
governor-pritzkers-executive-orders
-and-rules.
[Illinois Office of Communication and
Information] |