Resources for Facilities and Providers

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CRISIS STANDARDS OF CARE​

Alaska Emergency Standards of Care 

On Sep. 22, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) enabled Crisis Standards of Care through an addendum to the existing Public Health Emergency Order. This provides guidance to Alaska’s hospitals, health care providers and local health authorities in support of crisis standards of care should they be needed for a facility or community.  This is an enabling document that articulates the limited liability for providers acting in good faith in a time of limited resources. The addendum describes the process for providers to follow to act on behalf of the state and be covered by the civil liability clause passed by the Legislature in HB76.

• Updated Crisis Care Committee Recommendations for COVID-19 Therapeutics - DHSS Webpage (updated Jan 12, 2022)

• Hospital Support and Crisis Standards of Care (DHSS) 

• Activation of State Patient Care Strategies for Scarce Resource Situations (10/4/21)

• Addendum to the Public Health Emergency Order (9/21/21)

• Info Sheet to the Addendum (9/22/21)

• Crisis Standards of Care & State of Alaska Support to Alaska’s Health Care System and Providers FAQ (9/23/21)

• Patient Care Strategies for Scarce Resource Situations (Aug 2021)

• NIH Guidance for Prioritization of Monoclonal Antibodies

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CLINICAL HOTLINE

• AK COVID-19 clinical hotline for physicians, staffed 24/7: 833-751-4212
  8pm-8am is for urgent questions only

 

SUPPLIES

Alaska Emergency Supply Requests:

• Submitting the (IMATS) and (ICS 213 RR) forms is required to access state surplus and helps DHSS track critical supply shortages at facilities: 
  Distribution Inventory Management and Tracking System (IMATS) – facility demographic and receiving form
  AK State EOC Resource Request for tactical and non-tactical (ICS 213 RR) – facility request for all supplies (PPE, lab, testing)

• Alaska Requests for supplies can be sent directly to:
   2020_covid-19@ak-prepared.com
  The warehouse phone is (907) 754-3559​​

 

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

• At Home COVID-19 Testing information (updated 12/29/21)

• Guidance for COVID-Testing in Alaska, Alaska Section of Epidemiology, updated 1/12/22
   

STAFFING

• CDC Interim Guidance for Managing Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (Dec 23, 2021)

• Strategies to Mitigate Healthcare Personnel Staffing Shortages (Dec. 23, 2021)

Background check Attestation Form- only for use by AHHA members, LTC and Hospitals

The State has provided an updated Background Check Attestation form that extends the end date to April 30, 2022.​

• Attestation Non Title 8 

• Attestation Title 8

• Attestation-Staffing Agency

The attestation process will not be extended after April 30, 2022.  Please ensure that background check applications are timely submitted for all individuals pursuant to the process outlined on the BCU webpage.  Important notes:

• Background check applications MUST be submitted via NABCS; paper applications are no longer accepted

• Use of NABCS requires whitelisting

• A static IP address is required for NABCS whitelisting

• Applicant Initiated applications are no longer accepted; background check applications must be submitted by the individual’s prospective employer

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Alaska State Nursing Board Emergency Licenses

The State Nursing Board has an Emergency Courtesy License (ECL) for nurses and CNAs. The application process is available for urgent needs due to the COVID pandemic. They are making ECL reviews a priority and are typically able to process ECL applications within 2-3 days. Nurses must hold a current license in another state or Canadian province to be eligible for an ECL in Alaska. This license must be current and active at the time the board issues the license.

Here's what facilities need to do to get them quickly licensed:

1. Complete an ECL license application for each person:
   Nurse Emergency Courtesy License, Online Application

2. Once an application is submitted, email Tessa Walker Linderman - to let her know so that she can expedite processing.

 

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

• Adolescents:
  Contact Irina Cline and Judith Helgeson with the Division of Behavioral Health, Medicaid Provider Assistance for help identifying resources for adolescent inpatient beds.
  For adolescent holds, contact Jim Lynch at North Star Behavioral Health at:
  907-258-7575 In Anchorage
  800-478-7575 Toll Free (in Alaska)

• T47 patients needing placement:
  Contact Ashley Christopherson at (907) 269-5444.
   

MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES

• Outpatient COVID-19 Treatments: Resources for Healthcare Providers - Overview of outpatient therapeutics, availability and prioritization guidance and distribution of therapeutics (updated Jan 21, 2022)

• COVID-19 Outpatient Therapeutics Decision Guide (new resource published Jan 5, 2022)

• If you are interested in providing monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 in your office or clinic, please refer to this guide from the U.S. DHSS, and then send an email to Coleman Cutchins (coleman.cutchins@alaska.gov) and CJ Kim (cj.kim@alaska.gov) for local assistance.

 

PATIENT TREATMENT OPTIONS ​

• COVID-19 treatments for hospitalized patients - DHSS webpage 

• A template to assist in developing an antiviral medication prescription order set within your E.H.R

• Side-by-Side Overview of Outpatient Therapies Authorized for Treatment of Mild-Moderate COVID-19 -(patient fact sheets in Spanish for each medication are included at the bottom on the page). 

• What Clinicians Need to Know About the New Oral Antiviral Medications for COVID-19 (CDC Slides from 1/12/22)

• Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) 

  • Post-COVID-19 Syndrome

  • Evaluating and Caring for Patients with Post-COVID conditions

TRANSFERRING PATIENTS

• Alaska Hospital Status Dashboard – Contact Dr. David Scordino if you have ideas for improvement or want to be included on the dashboard.

 

INTUBATION 

• Video Laryngoscopy Training Non-Attached Monitor (Glidescope) 4/20/20

• Intubation in the Time of COVID - webinar recording (password AD7@=+*&) and slides with Kelly Mitchell, DNP, MS, CRNA (10/13/21)

• A Primer on Managing Critically ill COVID-19 Patients in Rural Hospitals - webinar recording with Dr. Anuj Mehta  pulmonary and critical care physician at Denver Health.

 

VACCINE RESOURCES​

• Updated Guidance for Clinicians on COVID-19 vaccinations, Feb 24, 2022

• Vaccine Booster Information - a side by side comparison and guide to booster options, AHA (Oct. 29, 2021)

• DHSS Vaccine Homepage – ordering, storage, handling, guidance, product info

• COVID vaccine appointments - covidvax.alaska.gov - all Alaskans and people who work or live in Alaska who are aged 12 years and older are eligible.

• Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Frontline Workers Before and During B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant Predominance, MMWR Article August 24

• Mountain Pacific videos has shared a series of videos that they produced for their vaccine campaign to promote flu, pneumonia, and COVID vaccinations:

1. Flu IQ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox8W_rhSqpw

2. Flu IQ2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWK1IVBQW3I

3. Pneumonia and You (Pneumonia Vaccine Education): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC2hOOp3g1Y

4. COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdTgYkQR3M8

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ALASKA RESOURCES

Weekly DHSS Clinical Newsletters

• Weekly Vaccine Provider Newsletter – subscribe to the newsletter

• Weekly Clinical Newsletter - subscribe to the newsletter

Alaska Links​

• *NEW* DHSS is introducing Community Case Rates as a tool to complement the CDC’s COVID-19 community levels. While no methodology is going to be a perfect fit for each community, this combination of regional hospitalization rates and case rates provides a strategy to concurrently assess transmission, disease burden and healthcare infrastructure capacity. The new tool that will be added to the DHSS dashboard Wednesday, April 6, and will then be updated on a weekly basis going forward.

• Epi Bulletin - Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose Against COVID-19 During the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Wave — Alaska, December 2021–January 2022

• COVID-19 Update - Hospitalizations, Deaths, and Vaccine Breakthrough Infections through November 21, Dep. of Epi, Division of Public Health

• Epi Bulletin COVID-19 related deaths among Alaska residents from January 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021

• Alaska ECHOs – registration and schedule for Alaska’s virtual learning with health care experts. Vaccine Provider ECHO Tuesdays 2-3pm, email covid19vaccine@alaska.gov to get invited to the meeting.

• DHSS COVID-19 Homepage

• Alaska COVID-19 Information HUB

• COVID-19 Communication Materials  - order form for materials
   

NATIONAL RESOURCES​

• NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines - This page provides updated information on treatment recommendations and links to summaries of the evidence for or against different COVID-19 treatments under investigation updated Jan 5, 2022.

• NIH has updated their recommendations for scarce COVUD-19 treatment resources Dec 23, 2021.

• IDSA Guidelines on the Treatment and Management of Patient with COVID-19 - The most up-to-date, evidence based COVID-19 treatment guidelines.

• CDC Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

• CDC Shortened Isolation and Quarantine for the General Population updated Jan 5, 2022.

• CDC Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Spread in Nursing Homes updated Feb 2, 2022

• CDC Clinical Questions about COVID-19: Questions and Answers, updated Oct 15, 2021.

• CDC provides this summary of evidence for high risk conditions Oct 14, 2021. 

• CDC’s page for Healthcare Professionals - This high-yield resource includes current guidance and recommendations for professionals, with sections focused on testing strategies, clinical care, infection control, and more.
  The CDC Clinician On-Call Center is a 24-hour hotline with trained CDC clinicians standing by to answer COVID-19 questions. Call 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) and ask for the Clinician On-Call Center.

• Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Approved or Authorized in the United States

• New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Coronavirus (COVID-19) page. The NEJM is providing all COVID-19 related content for free. On this page, you will find articles and other resources, including management guidelines, clinical reports, and commentary.

 

PROVIDER SUPPORT

• AK Responders Relief Line - 1-844-985-8275 - Recognizing the unique stressors that providers face, the Division of Behavioral Health has established a 24/7 support line for healthcare and behavioral professionals impacted by COVID personally and professionally. Staff supporting the call line recognize callers are often first responders and will allow callers to openly express their experiences and feelings serving Alaskans impacted by COVID. 

• Integrative Medicine and Health has a collection of well-being resources for yourself and others. This PTSD Coach Online provides specific tools for specific problems you may want help with. If you are experiencing grief, you may find resources to cope here.

• The National Academy of Medicine has curated a large bank of resources to support the health and well-being of clinicians during the COVID-19 outbreak. This article shares important information on how nurses can protect themselves from the effects of secondary trauma and compassion fatigue as they work to save others.

• Our Workforce Wellness page contains additional resources to support health care professionals and facilities with tools for finding and providing support, and strategies for creating work environments that prioritize the well-being of healthcare workers.