News

The State requires that residential facilities have agreements with other area facilities to provide physical accommodations for their residents in the case of emergency evacuation. TORCH stands ready to assist. We invite you to join the TORCH Emergency Housing Network.

FDA advises consumers not to use hand sanitizer products manufactured by Eskbiochem
To read the entire article go to:
 https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-advises-consumers-not-use-hand-sanitizer-products-manufactured-eskbiochem

HHSC has released an updated version (3.1) of the COVID-19 Response Plan for ALFs.

Call for $5 billion in funding, coronavirus testing for assisted living facilities

Join us

TORCH Conference Call on Thursday Night (8/6)

Topics of interest for this week's conference call?

We have a new process in Region 6 (Houston area) set up for ALFs and NFs to submit their request for Omnicare testing.

Facilities can now submit their testing request via a Survey Monkey link. Click the news article title to get the links...

Michelle Zadrozny, LCSW-S and The Central Texas Home Care Coalition are providing FREE weekly support sessions for paid caregivers every Saturday at 1:00 PM Central Time.

Michelle is a licensed clinical social worker and she developed a Peer support and training curriculum for Caregivers last year with a grant from NDWA. It is more informal support - each group starts off with a check in and introductions, and then the group provides support (Peer and facilitated) to Caregivers on anything that comes up. The session usually ends with a brief grounding meditation. Themes are around coping with the uncertainty and anxiety around COVID-19, and working amidst increased risk for essential workers.

Due to health concerns related to COVID-19 for residents, facility staff, and ombudsmen, the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program has not conducted visits to facilities since March 2020. Effective immediately, certified ombudsmen will resume conducting visits at facilities.

Governor Abbott Directs TDEM, DSHS, HHSC To Test All Nursing Home Residents, Staff In Texas -- Directive does not apply to ALFs

The Texas Organization of Residential Care Homes (TORCH) represents the 60% of Assisted Living facilities in Texas that are licensed as “Small” – that is less than 16 beds. According to our research, only one “Small” facility here in Texas has experienced a COVID outbreak!

Just released! Update your Policy & Procedure Manual with the new COVID-19 Emergency Response Rules Policy

Effective immediately, a provider must report every presumptive and confirmed case of COVID-19 in staff and individuals receiving services from the provider as a self-reported incident. A presumptive or confirmed case is considered a critical incident.

A new website provides guides for volunteers supporting medical professionals with care mask covers.

TORCH has published a searchable copy of the 2020 HHSC Regulations, and it is available on the TORCH Store.

On Monday, July 27, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) began electronically posting to its website COVID-19 case counts and deaths by facility name for state supported living centers, state hospitals, and state-licensed nursing and assisted living facilities.

As an owner or manager of a residential assisted living facility, you "wear a lot of hats", particularly in a small facility. Your time is valuable, and you need to ensure that you maximize the results of your efforts in every area of your business. But with all of your responsibilities, you don't have the time to go out and market your facility like a full-time marketing person would. Maybe you don't even know where to start looking for leads, or what to say to them once you find them.
And with the current health crisis caused by COVID-19 and the sensationalism of stories regarding infections in the senior living industry, it is so much harder to help families understand that their loved ones are safe in assisted living. If only you had a way to have the business brought to you...
What if I told you that you can?

TORCH continues to host Manager's Courses online monthly.