VDH has refined its approach to Point Prevalence Surveys (PPS) so now the Virginia National Guard (VANG) is reaching out directly to facilities—both nursing centers and assisted living facilities—to schedule COVID-19 testing for residents and staff in June and July. PPS testing is offered at no cost to facilities and is alignment with best practices for reopening facilities.

A PPS is when there is testing of all residents and staff on a given day. You should review the VDH Planning for Point Prevalence Surveys in Long-Term Care Facilities guidance prior to conducting a PPS and take the necessary steps to prepare your facility, residents, and staff for the testing and results. The guidance can help your facility to prepare and understand the interventions that you may need to implement based on the testing results. Scheduling will be done regionally to make the project more logistically feasible.

Once a PPS is scheduled, VDH will also provide an Excel template for you to provide a list of your residents and staff to make the testing day more efficient. You will need name, DOB, sex, phone, address (including state and zip), race, ethnicity, and indication of resident or staff for all residents and staff. It may help to start gathering this information now and to go through the VDH checklist in the guidance, to help ensure you are ready for your PPS.

We understand that undergoing a PPS raises concerns about PPE supply, staffing and that ongoing testing has significant costs. However, widespread testing, whether through a PPS or other means, will be required for the phased reopening of facilities. We would urge you to take advantage of the opportunity for PPS as we continue to battle this virus.

Additional Resources

DSS Memo on Point Prevalent Surveys (June 17, 2020)