April 20, 2021

In this Issue:

1. CMS and CDC National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call Tomorrow
   
2. COVID-19 Recovery & Reentry TA Open Dialogue Webinars for Long-Term Care Ombudsmen
   
3. Proposals for Sessions at the Consumer Voice Virtual Conference Due May 1
   
4. It is National Volunteer Week
   

CMS and CDC National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call Tomorrow

Join the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call tomorrow Wednesday April 21, 2021 at 4:00pm ET.

The call will cover:

• Vaccine Updates & Recommendation to Pause Use of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine
• Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care (LTC) Program updates
• Long-term Care Emergency Regulatory Waivers Issued in Response to COVID-19
• Community Champions

Register Now

COVID-19 Recovery & Reentry TA Open Dialogue Webinars for Long-Term Care Ombudsmen

Long-term care ombudsmen are invited to join the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) for a series of COVID-19 Recovery & Reentry TA Open Dialogue webinars. Do you have questions as your program “gets back to normal” or are you interested in hearing about successful Ombudsman program practices during the pandemic? If so, this three-part webinar series will provide a brief overview of the COVID-19 Recovery and Reentry Resources, share successful program practices, and provide time for questions. Presenters will discuss examples of volunteer recruitment, communication with residents and families, and complaint investigation and resolution. Attendees are encouraged to share their experiences and ask questions regarding the topic.  

Each webinar will be held from 2:00 - 3:15 pm ET on Tuesdays starting April 27th. When you register for the first webinar, you are registered for the entire series.

Register Now

Proposals for Sessions at the Consumer Voice Virtual Conference Due May 1

Consumer Voice is now accepting proposals for sessions at the 2021 Consumer Voice Virtual Conference, November 3-5, 2021. This year's conference theme is Moving Forward Together.

Each year, the Consumer Voice hosts a conference to educate and empower consumers and consumer advocates.  The conference covers long-term care issues, including current trends, best practices, advocacy opportunities, and new research. Last year's virtual conference allowed more advocates than ever before to learn, network, and exchange ideas with others from all over the country.

We are looking for proposals that create an engaging, informative conference agenda that provides resources, tools, opportunities for discussion, and strategies our attendees can incorporate in their life and/or advocacy

Learn how to submit a proposal. Proposals are due May 1, 2021.

It is National Volunteer Week

This week is National Volunteer Week and a perfect time for Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs to reach out and say thank you to their volunteers.  In federal fiscal year 2019, 5,947 volunteers trained and designated to investigate and resolve complaints, contributed 514,016 hours of service to Ombudsman programs across in the country. The Independent Sector determined the estimated value of a volunteer hour in 2020 was $27.20. For the Ombudsman program, that is $13.9 million of assets due to volunteer service!

Due to the dedicated service of these volunteers, resident access to the Ombudsman program is enhanced significantly and thousands of residents receive information about their rights and have assistance and support in resolving their concerns.

Read the recent issue of NORC Notes for suggestions of how to celebrate National Volunteer Week this year. 

Thank your volunteers publicly by sending NORC brief messages of appreciation for their dedicated advocacy (e.g., examples of their advocacy, years of service, photos). NORC will post your message on their website and highlight the submissions on the home page. Email your submissions to ombudcenter@theconsumervoice.org.