Long-Term Care Facilities

Guidance for Long-Term Care Providers and Facilities

Managers and staff of long-term care settings, including skilled nursing facilities, adult care homes, family care homes, mental health group homes, and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, should review the resources and guidance to ensure they have the latest information in how to prepare and respond to a possible COVID-19 outbreak.  

Review Guidance

Ongoing Testing of Nursing Home Staff

NCDHHS took additional steps to protect nursing home residents and staff by issuing a Secretarial Order requiring biweekly staff testing and announcing continued state funding for staff testing through November. The order mandates the existing recommendation for biweekly testing.

Watch the Presentation with Secretary Cohen

Read the Presentation Slides

Visiting Long-Term Care Facilities

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, nursing homes and combination nursing homes/independent and assisted living facilities continue to restrict visitors, unless it is a compassionate care situation.

Adult care homes, behavioral health/IDD, intermediate care facilities, and psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTF) with 7 or more beds should follow the guidance for outdoor visitation activities. These facilities should continue to restrict indoor visitation, communal dining and group activities.

Facilities with 6 or fewer beds should refer to “Guidance for Smaller Residential Settings Regarding Visitation, Communal Dining, Group and Outside Activities."

For additional information, read Executive Order 147 and the FAQs. On July 24, Governor Cooper issued an Executive Order returning regulatory authority for skilled nursing facilities to the Secretary of DHHS.

Keeping Long-Term Care Facilities Safe

North Carolina took early and aggressive actions to protect residents of long-terms care facilities. Read this fact sheet to learn more about how NCDHHS is supporting our long-term care facilities.

Additionally, public health and safety requirements for nursing homes include:

• Canceling communal activities, including group meals;
• Taking the temperature of employees and essential personnel when they enter the facility;
• Requiring specific personal protective equipment in the facility; and
• Requiring close monitoring of residents for COVID-19 health indicators like body temperature.

All workers in long term care (LTC) facilities, including skilled nursing facilities, adult care homes, family care homes, mental health group homes, and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, must wear surgical masks while in the facility, as long as surgical mask supplies are available.