November 14, 2022
Columbia, MD – Five major medical societies have collaborated to create a toolkit for clinicians to help increase awareness of the critical importance, effectiveness, and accessibility of the COVID-19 bivalent booster and oral anti-viral therapeutics in post-acute and long-term care settings. The toolkit, which will launch tomorrow at 6:00 PM ET during a free, online Grand Rounds Webinar—Vax & Pax: How to Keep Your Patients Safe This Winter—hosted by AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, features key resources to help dispel misinformation and communicate growing evidence of the effectiveness of the bivalent vaccine and specific therapeutics. It also provides educational information sheets to share with facility staff, patients, and family members, as well as tools to help clinicians order therapeutics and safely administer them.
The development of the toolkit and webinar was prompted by a meeting with the White House COVID-19 Response Team on October 17, which gathered leaders from national medical organizations to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 Public Health Emergency—particularly how to protect people against the disease and treat them moving forward. AMDA Board President Suzanne Gillespie, MD, RD, CMD, was one of the participants. AMDA has partnered with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP), the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), and the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) to gather and create the resources.
“This fall we are facing the possibility of a so-called ‘tripledemic’ featuring COVID-19, RSV, and the flu. At the same time, we see new COVID variants increasing in prevalence and able to evade some of our key therapeutics. That means it’s more important than ever to make sure everyone is protected,” said Christopher E. Laxton, CAE, the Society’s executive director. “This toolkit will provide the necessary information to help make that possible.”
The toolkit is free and accessible here.
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AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine is the only medical specialty society representing the community of over 50,000 medical directors, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other practitioners working in the various post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) settings. Dedicated to defining and improving quality, we advance our mission through timely professional development, evidence-based clinical guidance, and tireless advocacy on behalf of members, patients, families, and staff. Visit www.paltc.org for more information.