August 4, 2020 (Oklahoma City, Okla.)- The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) announced today a one-month extension for long-term care facilities and nursing homes to apply for a CARES Act grant from the State to mitigate the presence of COVID-19 in facilities.
Oklahoma’s long-term care and nursing home facilities can apply for grant funding from the State to cover the expense of infection disease support, PPE supplies, and mitigation expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The deadline for this grant program is now August 31, 2020, and applications are available online.
“Governor Stitt and OSDH prioritized these critical CARES Act funds to continue to help Oklahoma’s nursing homes and long-term care facilities operate safely while keeping residents connected with their loved ones during the pandemic,” said Interim Health Commissioner Lance Frye, MD. “The grant process is simple and straightforward, and we urge facilities to get their applications in before August 31 in order to be eligible.”
Roughly 66% of Oklahoma’s long-term care facilities and nursing homes have applied for a CARES Act grant since it was first announced on June 30 by Governor Kevin Stitt and Commissioner Frye.
To date, 49% of COVID-19 related deaths in Oklahoma have been associated with a resident in a long-term care facility or nursing home. The rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths in these facilities has plateaued since June 1 when the state entered the final phases of reopening and remains less than 10% of new cases.
State-By-State Breakdown: COVID-19 Testing Positivity Rates Among The General Population
On July 22, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that, “CMS will begin requiring, rather than recommending, that all nursing homes in states with a 5% positivity rate or greater test all nursing home staff each week.” If implemented today, 11,640 nursing homes would be required to conduct such weekly testing. Oklahoma currently has a total of 298 nursing homes.
