DBHDS: COVID-19 Surveillance and Testing at State Facilities (February 1, 2022)

Summary

A memorandum dated February 1, 2022 from Nelson Smith, Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services, to the chairs of the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee and the House Appropriations Committee and the Secretary of Finance. It concerns Item E of the 2021 Appropriations Act and COVID-19 surveillance and testing at state facilities, and states that the item provides $2,142,601 in FY 2022 and $4,282,202 in FY 2023. It reports that 14,823 COVID-19 tests were administered at DBHDS state facilities during the past quarter and that $189,218.17 was utilized from the 326.E Appropriations during the second quarter of FY 2022. It states that a memorandum of agreement with the Virginia Department of Health was signed in October.

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Full text

                           COMMONWEALTH of VIRGINIA
NELSON SMITH                                 DEPARTMENT OF                                           Telephone (804) 786-3921
COMMISSIONER                                                                                            Fax (804) 371-6638
                              BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES                            www.dbhds.virginia.gov
                                                  Post Office Box 1797
                                             Richmond, Virginia 23218-1797


                                                February 1, 2022

        To:    The Honorable Janet D. Howell, Chair, Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee
               The Honorable Barry D. Knight, Chair, House Appropriations Committee
               Secretary of Finance Stephen E. Cummings
        From: Nelson Smith, Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental
              Services
        RE:    Item 326 E of the 2021 Appropriations Act regarding COVID-19 surveillance and testing
               at state facilities


        Background
        Item 326 E of the 2021 Appropriations Act provides for $2,142,601 in FY 2022 and $4,282,202
        in FY 2023 for surveillance and testing costs for the patients and staff to manages COVID-19
        outbreaks at state facilities. The language states:

               Out of this appropriation, $2,142,601 the first year and $4,282,202 the second year from
               non-general funds is provided for the surveillance and testing costs of residents and staff
               in order to avoid and manage COVID-19 outbreaks at state facilities. The department
               shall coordinate with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and local health districts
               as appropriate to coordinate its testing and surveillance activities in order to access
               federal ELC Enhancing Detection Expansion grant funding provided to VDH through the
               Centers for Disease Control. The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental
               Services shall report quarterly to the Secretary of Finance and the Chairmen of the
               House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees on the
               expense of these funds, including the number of tests administered.
        COVID-19 testing has been conducted at all Department of Behavioral Health and
        Developmental Services (DBHDS) facilities based on plans coordinated with the Virginia
        Department of Health (VDH) since the onset of the pandemic in 2021. The testing protocols have
        varied depending on the rate of infections within each facility and the input of the local health
        departments serving the area where the facility is located. In facilities that have experienced

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outbreaks, this testing has occurred as frequently as twice per week for all individuals receiving
services as well as all staff who might come into contact with a potentially COVID-positive
individual.
During the past year, there have been periods of time during COVID-19 outbreaks at individual
facilities that led the local health departments to recommend halting admissions to DBHDS
facilities. Outbreaks lasted from fourteen to twenty eight days, depending on the type of
individuals that the particular facility serves. Where these plans have been enacted, admissions
have been restarted at facilities after the agreed-upon period of quarantine elapsed.
During these periods of quarantine, testing is conducted more frequently and has, at times, been
required of all patients as well as direct care staff. There were periodic limits on or closures to
state facility admissions in some of the state hospitals during the latter part of this last quarter
due to needing to activate and maintain quarantine and isolation units. Currently, there are no
state facilities that are closed to admissions due to COVID-19.
In accordance with The Governor’s Executive Directive #18, all employees of the DBHDS in
state facilities not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 were tested on a weekly basis during the
second quarter of FY 2022. This, along with outbreaks of the Omicron variant of COVID-19,
recently increased the number and amount of expenditures for testing. Currently, 18 percent of
the employees at the state facilities have not received full vaccination status and were, therefore,
required to obtain weekly testing.
The number of COVID-19 tests administered at DBHDS state facilities during the first quarter of
FY 22 was 8,131 although, as explained below, these were not funded from 326E. During the
past quarter, this increased to 14,823 tests administered. While there was still some availability
of ARPA funds for testing materials during the past quarter, there was $189,218.17 utilized from
the 326.E Appropriations during the second quarter of FY 2022.
Current Status of 326.E Appropriations
The federal ELC Enhancing Detection Expansion grant was awarded in August 2021 to the
Virginia Department of Health (VDH). To receive these federal funds from VDH, DBHDS needs
to be a sub-recipient. DBHDS has worked with VDH to establish a memorandum of agreement
(MOA) to create the required relationship and the structure to meet federal sub-recipient
guidelines required by the grant. This MOA was signed in October. Distribution of funds will
continue on a monthly basis to DBHDS, as the grant is disbursed through
reimbursement. Because the appropriation for FY2021 was allocated retroactively, exact
expenditures for this item are not available for FY2021.


cc:    The Honorable John Little, Secretary of Health and Human Resources




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