Infection Control Policies and Practices in Residential Care Communities by Selected Organizational and Geographic...

Objectives-Emergency operations plans that are specific to or include response to pandemics, approaches to implement the plans, and related infection control policies and practices vary among residential care communities (RCCs). This report presents nationally representative percentages of RCCs with infection control programs by selected characteristics. Methods-Data are from the RCC component of the 2020 National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study, conducted biennially by the National Center for Health Statistics. The study asked four binary questions, including whether the RCC had a written Emergency Operations Plan that was specific to or included pandemic response, had a designated staff member or consultant responsible for coordinating the infection control program, offered annual influenza vaccination to residents, and offered annual influenza vaccination to all employees or contract staff. RCC characteristics presented in this report are bed size, chain affiliation, ownership status, and provision of dementia-specific care (RCCs that only served residents with dementia or had a dementia wing). Metropolitan statistical area (MSA) was used to characterize geographic location. Results-Most RCCs reported having a written Emergency Operations Plan that was specific to or included pandemic response. A higher percentage of RCCs with more than 26 beds and those with a designated space for dementia care reported having a written Emergency Operations Plan and a designated staff to coordinate an infection control program. The largest differences were observed in the provision of annual influenza vaccination to residents and to all employees or contract staff by MSA status, bed size, and presence of a designated space for dementia care. A higher percentage of RCCs in non-MSAs (83.4%), RCCs with a designated space for dementia care (95.0%), those with more than 50 beds (93.9%), those with 26-50 beds (93.3%), and those with nonprofit ownership (85.8%) offered annual influenza vaccination to all employees or contract staff.