During this critical time, Home Health Care News remains committed to bringing you all the essential news related to home-based care operations. At the same time, we also recognize the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to our regular content, we’ll continue to highlight industry-related developments and mitigation strategies in this rolling bulletin.

What you need to know from Monday (April 6)

— 47% of home-based care providers believe COVID-19 will have a negative impact on the long-term health of their businesses, a new survey released by Axxess has found.

— PPE is in such short supply that thieves are starting to target valuable supplies. Over the weekend, roughly $250,000 of personal protective equipment was stolen from Wilson Care Group, a home health care provider and senior living operator in Hawaii. 

— On Monday, Encompass Health Corp. (NYSE: EHC) announced it will award frontline employees in its 134 hospitals, 245 home health locations and 83 hospice locations with additional paid time off in recognition of their work during the COVID-19 outbreak. With more than 21,000 employees across the country that will benefit from the additional paid time off, Encompass Health’s investment is estimated at $50 million.

— In a recent poll of 266 home-based care professionals, only one-quarter reported that they are actively offering virtual care services. The poll was conducted during a recent HHCN webinar sponsored by AlayaCare.

— The number of new deaths in New York appears to be leveling off, though the state is still the epicenter of coronavirus in the U.S. The Home Care Association of New York State (HCA-NYS) and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) will discuss the situation on the ground during an HHCN webinar on Friday.

— The government is starting to roll out new and faster tests, but there are still results delays and an overall lack of materials. In-home care providers have been mostly left out of the testing picture entirely.

For daily updates from the week of March 30, click here.

For daily updates from the week of March 23, click here.

For daily updates from the week of March 16, click here.

HHCN encourages you to reach out to us individually or at [email protected] for story ideas, tips or general feedback.