Director of Nursing, Mary Kring received the Courage Award at the Madison Correctional Facility.

What is the Courage Award? 

The Courage Award recognizes staff members that show true leadership while making bold decisions and offering ground-breaking ideas and/or solutions.  Courage is contagious and fosters trust in your team.  Mary Kring exemplifies this definition.

Warden Jan Davis stated, “Mary has been proactive from the beginning; taking her own time to compile statistics and information from the CDC to implement necessary changes at the facility.  She is a true asset to our team at MCU.”

Starla Toomey, Health Service Administrator, stated, “Mary has spent countless hours educating and preparing our facility for the COVID-19 pandemic. She has taken the lead through all of this, and has dedicated herself to ensuring that all of our staff and offenders are safe in this difficult time. She shows an amazing ability to think outside of the box and ahead of the curve, and I consider us truly lucky to have her as part of our team.” 

Mary attended Galen College of Nursing, graduating with her LPN degree in 2009 and RN degree in 2012.  She received a BSN from the University of Louisville in 2015 with a concentration in Public Health and System Management.  She is currently working on her MSN from IUPUI for Nursing Education.  She is also currently facilitating nursing clinicals for IUPUC’s School of Nursing students and their new Community Health Advocate program.  Mary has been at Madison Correctional Facility for over eight years. 

Mary stated, “Warden Davis, Deputy Warden Phelps, HSA Toomey and everyone else working with us on this have been fantastic partners. I am so thankful for staff that trust us with their ideas and concerns.  They have been a great inspiration through all of this. Truly, I could not work with a better group or at a better facility.”  

Organizations reaffirm commitment to proactive communication, testing and transparency

As long term care facilities nationwide continue to feel the devastating impact of COVID-19, the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County (HHC) and American Senior Communities (ASC) have remained focused on the organizations’ top priority – the health and safety of residents and employees.

Given the unprecedented critical needs of residents, HHC and ASC are aggressively implementing best practices for clinical care and infection control, conducting comprehensive testing and providing daily, proactive communication to residents, their designated representatives and employees.

“During this horrific pandemic, we remain focused on the health, safety and well-being of our residents, their families and our staff,” said HHC President & CEO Matthew Gutwein. “We focus on the people most vulnerable to this terrible virus, our residents, many of whom are already susceptible to severe illness. We focus on our remarkable employees, who risk their lives and the lives of their loved ones to care for and protect our residents. We also focus on our residents’ families and understand this is an extraordinarily difficult time for them.”

Going beyond CDC and ISDH guidelines

From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, HHC and ASC have sought to be ahead of the curve, implementing safety and infection control procedures prior to guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH). HHC and ASC continue to go beyond CDC and ISDH recommendations for clinical care:

• Testing 100% of all residents in facilities where there is reason to believe a resident or staff member has contracted the virus.
• Testing 100% of residents in high-risk facilities where there are no known cases of the virus.
• Restricting visitors at all facilities.
• Retesting residents who were COVID-19 positive to ensure proper care.
• Screening each resident for illness daily.
• Screening and taking the temperature of all staff, clinical partners, vendors, and all others as they enter our communities.
• Requiring all staff to wear PPE at all times.
• Cancellation of large group activities.
• Exercising best practices for infection control.
• Quarantining and co horting residents and staff who are COVID-19 positive.
• Requiring all residents to wear masks if they are able to tolerate it while outside of their room, and in their room when a staff member or visitor is present.

“Residents in nursing and assisted living facilities are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus,” said ASC CEO Donna Kelsey. “Until a vaccine is developed, the only way a person can avoid contracting the coronavirus is through social distancing and sheltering in place. However, residents in nursing facilities cannot engage in social distancing or shelter in place. Every day, by necessity, staff and other partners must come into a nursing facility to provide care to residents and to operate the facility. Even with methodical screening prior to each shift or visit, there is an inherent risk of introducing the coronavirus because so many people continue to pass the virus asymptomatically.”     

Comprehensive testing

HHC and ASC are partnering with the community to address the heightened needs of residents, families and staff caused by the pandemic. Uniquely and early on, HHC and ASC created its own testing strike team, which includes nurses from ASC and Eskenazi Health. The organizations are collaborating with the IU Health Lab, which is providing test kits and rapidly reading the results. This strategy enhances HHC’s and ASC’s ability to quickly identify positive cases and implement isolation protocols. Early detection of the virus is imperative to reducing the exposure risk to other residents and to staff.

As additional testing became available, HHC and ASC began – and continue – to test 100% of residents in any facilities where there is reason to suspect a resident or staff member may be COVID-19 positive. HHC and ASC are testing 100% of residents in facilities located in high-risk regions, even those with no known COVID-19 contact. This includes Marion County, where 100% of our residents have been tested.

The devastating impact of COVID-19

Long term care communities conducting extensive testing may report higher numbers of COVID-19 positive cases than other communities that do not prioritize testing or have access to tests.

“The situation remains serious. We are deeply saddened whenever a resident or staff member becomes infected, and we grieve for each resident who has passed away,” said Kelsey. “As residents begin to recover, ASC remains steadfast in protecting and continuing to serve them. Right now, the majority of our communities are free of COVID-19, and we are deeply committed to doing our very best to keep this virus out of those facilities. We are also grateful for our dedicated employees. I am in awe of the deep commitment and compassion they bring every day. They are truly heroes.”

HHC and ASC partner to operate 78 skilled nursing facilities and five assisted living facilities across Indiana. The following data is current as of May 18, 2020:

• Long term care residents: 6,959
• Total COVID-19 tests completed: 6,060
• Residents currently COVID-19 positive: 621
• Residents recovered from COVID-19: 285
• Resident deaths from COVID-19: 246
• Facility employees: 10,287
• Facility employees currently COVID-19 positive: 134
• Facility employees recovered from COVID-19: 233
• Additional staff hired since the pandemic began: 745 

Engaging residents and their families in care

To ensure daily, real-time communication, HHC and ASC have assigned a staff person at each facility to serve as the primary contact for residents and their designated representatives. This staff person is available to residents or their designated representatives who want to discuss any questions or concerns. Each facility has a secondary phone number as well, which serves as a customer service hotline in case a family member is unable to reach the facility’s primary contact.

Each resident, designated resident representative and staff member is informed daily of the total number of COVID-19 cases at the facility and the number of new cases in the last 72 hours. If applicable, the facility’s staff will also communicate if there have been three or more new cases of respiratory illness at the facility within the last 72 hours. More information, including the number of deaths at a facility, is provided if the resident, their designated representative or staff would like to know. These communications adhere to ISDH guidance issued on May 4, 2020.

Additionally, ASC and HHC are now making this information available on their websites so that family members and care partners have another means to access this data. Each facility maintains a dashboard on its webpage with comprehensive data along with important information about COVID-19 and clinical measures implemented to protect residents. HHC is including aggregate data on its website, as well as links to all HHC-owned facilities. 

HHC and ASC also encourage residents, their designated representative and other family members to contact the local government-appointed Long Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman to ask questions, express concerns or share experiences. Anyone may contact their local LTC Ombudsman if they feel they are unsuccessful in reaching facility staff or are not being heard.

“This pandemic has brought grief, loss and tremendous sadness to thousands of families across the country,” said Gutwein. “Residents of long term care facilities have been the hardest hit, and we cannot express the level of devastation felt by each and every passing. We can, however, commit to doing everything in our power to protect as many people as possible, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Detectives with the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post are conducting an investigation into the death of an inmate being held on a murder charge at the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown, Indiana.

On May 10th, 2020, Tobias Au, age 30, was found unresponsive in a bathroom area of the Jackson County Jail. 

He was provided medical attention before being transported to Schneck Medical Center, Seymour, Indiana.  On Sunday, May 17th, Au passed away at the hospital.

Au was being held at the Jackson County Jail after he was arrested by officers with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department on May 6th  for allegedly shooting and killing a man at an apartment near Seymour, Indiana. 

The investigation into Au’s death is ongoing although no foul play is suspected at this time.

By Steve Davisson

The COVID-19 outbreak has taken a toll on our state’s economy, including here at home.

Indiana is taking steps to support businesses in rural areas. Recently, a total of $750,000 in coronavirus relief funding was awarded to aid local businesses in Lawrence County, Mitchell and Salem.

These funds will help ensure resources are available for our economic recovery.

The money comes in the form of community development block grants through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. These dollars typically help rural communities with a variety of infrastructure projects, such as sewer and water systems, along with community centers or health and safety programs. Through Gov. Eric Holcomb’s executive order, these funds were redirected to assist local municipalities with COVID-19.

Lawrence County received $250,000 to provide working capital to businesses, assist with operational costs and develop remote work capabilities. Mitchell was also awarded $250,000, which will provide businesses with 25 or fewer employees funding for rental or mortgage payments, supplies to resume business and salary dollars. Salem will use its $250,000 grant to help fund a local small business grant program to retain jobs. Businesses can apply for $5,000 grants to cover expenses such as rent, working capital and utilities.

For the past two months, our rural communities experienced unprecedented hardships due to COVID-19, and they need support to help them get back on track. Local officials and business and economic development leaders said this assistance helps to address rising costs to keep workers and the public healthy, and to save jobs and businesses in our communities.

So far, more than $10.7 million has been distributed to rural communities through the state’s response program. This is a rolling award process, and more projects will be announced as OCRA evaluates and reviews more applications. Communities can apply for a grant worth up to $250,000.

Rural communities, like our own, are essential to Indiana’s success, and this financial support is key to our economic recovery as businesses look to reopen. To learn more and apply, visit in.gov/ocra.

Overdose Lifeline, Inc. will distribute 25,000 doses of naloxone in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic

Governor Eric J. Holcomb and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration today announced the state will fund a nearly $1 million distribution of the opioid reversal agent naloxone to ensure the medication reaches Hoosiers who are at-risk of overdose.

“In the face of COVID-19, it’s even more imperative that we provide resources and support for people with substance use disorders,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Making potentially lifesaving treatments more readily available is one of the top ways we can address this crisis.”

Funds were made available by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s state opioid response grant.

Naloxone, or Narcan, is a medication approved to prevent overdose by opioids. Naloxone is given when a person is showing signs of an opioid overdose. It blocks the toxic effects of the overdose and is often the difference between a patient living and dying.

Overdose Lifeline, Inc., an Indiana nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals, families and communities affected by substance use disorder through advocacy, education, harm reduction, prevention, resources and support, will distribute 25,000 doses of naloxone to first responders, families, friends and others who are likely to be the first on the scene if someone overdoses. The organization has been on the front lines of the opioid epidemic since 2014.

Naloxone is a critical tool for individuals, families, first responders and communities to help reduce opioid overdose deaths. Access to naloxone, however, continues to be limited in some communities.

Local health departments registered with the Indiana State Department of Health as entities to dispense naloxone may be experiencing limited access to resources due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s partnership with Overdose Lifeline, Inc. allows local health departments to devote their resources to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“The beauty of Overdose Lifeline, Inc. is our ability to get naloxone into the hands of people across the state without any barriers,” said Justin Phillips, founder of Overdose Lifeline, Inc. “We understand this overdose reversal drug can be costly for people. This distribution of naloxone will lift that burden off Hoosiers across the state.”

First responders, families, caregivers and other individuals who would like to receive a supply of naloxone can register online at www.overdoselifeline.org/2020-indiana-naloxone-request.

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and Indiana Department of Homeland Security also announced today that Indiana’s emergency medical responders will be reimbursed in full through the state’s Medicaid program when they administer naloxone. The change in payment policy will be effective July 1, and was made in consultation the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Indiana will become one of the first states to pay EMS providers for both the administration of the drug and the medication itself. 

Previously, EMS personnel were able to administer naloxone under an expiring federal grant. Including naloxone as a covered Medicaid benefit will help ensure funding is available for EMS first responders to continue to administer naloxone.

Effective July 1, Indiana Health Coverage Programs, which includes the Healthy Indiana Plan, Hoosier Healthwise, Hoosier Care Connect and Traditional Medicaid, will reimburse specialty providers who bill the state after a naloxone administration. This was initially communicated to IHCP providers through this bulletin (when) and further guidance will be published soon. Indiana Health Coverage Programs and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security are also planning training sessions to provide guidance and to answer any questions.

A list of resources around naloxone may be found at the ISDH website at optin.in.gov.