The federal government released a toolkit April 22 with resources to help healthcare decision-makers address COVID-19 workforce challenges.
The toolkit — released by CMS and the assistant secretary of preparedness and response — provides information on topics such as federal regulatory and funding flexibilities, healthcare workforce training, licensure, liability protections and matching volunteer workforce needs.
As an example, CMS cited the collection of resources about waivers related to healthcare workers. The agency said state and local communities can access the toolkit to see how and where such waivers can be applied.
The toolkit also includes an assistance center, information exchange of case studies and additional peer-to-peer communications to help state and local communities as they fight against COVID-19.
While the toolkit has resources for states, CMS encouraged all decision-makers, including hospital administrators, to use it. Users are also encouraged to consider using the toolkit to share resources and solutions that have been developed locally.
The online toolkit can be found here, at the assistant secretary's Technical Resources Assistance Center, and Information Exchange, a healthcare emergency preparedness information gateway. CMS said more material will be added to the toolkit.