As Ohio approaches the reopening of senior centers and adult day cares, Gov. Mike DeWine provides an update on testing for the vulnerable population.
Most nursing homes and assisted living centers now have the capability to collect COVID-19 tests on their own and send them to labs. In nursing homes, everyone is tested if there is one positive case found and staff are tested based on the spread in their community. Assisted living centers have resumed testing after pausing for a few weeks. When adult day cares and senior centers open, all staff will be tested routinely and depending on the facility, determines how seniors will be tested.
"One of our strategies was to build self-sufficiency so that the strategy could be sustainable," said Ursel McElroy, Director of Ohio Department on Aging. "And so, in many cases, the facilities have the capability to do their own specimen collection. And we assist with helping, in some cases, with packaging and definitely the transport to the lab."
Day care centers and senior centers reopen Sept. 21. It was also hinted that an announcement for indoor visitation in nursing homes could be coming soon.
Press Release from the Office of Governor Mike DeWine:Â
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today gave the following updates on Ohio's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. TESTING IN NURSING HOMES AND ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES
The Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame was established by Governor George Voinovich in 1992. Governor Voinovich established the Hall of Fame to recognize Ohio veterans’ military service, as well as their service to Ohio and their communities after leaving the military. A total of 895 of Ohio’s Veterans have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. The virtual ceremony can be viewed on November 5th at OhioVets.gov.  |
OHIO TO WORK Governor DeWine, along with JP Nauseef, president and CEO of JobsOhio, announced that JobsOhio and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation and the Ohio Development Services Agency will launch a pilot initiative called Ohio To Work. The Initiative will help connect Ohioans looking for a job to a new job opportunity. Ohio To Work brings together employers, nonprofits, educators, and training providers to help Ohioans reskill and restart their careers. Individuals participating in Ohio To Work will be provided a career coach, be invited to virtual career fairs, and be connected to employers ready to hire. The first Ohio To Work initiative will be launched in Cleveland- Cuyahoga County. Ohioans can learn more at OhioToWork.com. CURRENT COVID-19 DATA There are 139,485 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 4,506 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 14,481 people have been hospitalized, including 3,111 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov. Rankings of Ohio's 88 counties by highest occurrence can be found below.  Video of today's full update, including versions with foreign language translation, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel's YouTube page. For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH. |
