Section 103-B - Duties of the department.The department shall do the following to implement the regional response health collaborative program:
(1) Divide the Commonwealth into six geographic regions, as follows:(2) Solicit proposals from and enter into a grant agreement with at least one eligible health collaborative applicant from each region under paragraph (1) to provide operations, management and administration to protect residents in facilities from COVID-19.(3) Establish guidelines for each health collaborative to:(i) Promote health and stabilize the economy of the region by directly supporting COVID-19 readiness and response in facilities.(ii) Improve the quality of care related to infection prevention and other priority health care conditions common to facilities.(iii) Expand COVID-19 testing to include asymptomatic staff and residents in facilities to expand public health surveillance.(iv) Implement best practices in infection control, including, but not limited to: (A) Enhanced testing capability;(B) Infection control consultation and implementation, including contact tracing; and(C) Advanced clinical care, including onsite and telemedicine-supported clinical care, remote monitoring and physician consultation.Added by P.L. TBD 2020 No. 24, § 1, eff. 5/29/2020.