The Latest From DOH - Late June 2025
The Situation Report | June 30, 2025
On June 26, 2025, HCANYS and other associations representing the long-term care continuum met with the state Department of Health (DOH) Office of Aging and Long Term Care (OALTC). The DOH holds meetings with the associations to provide updates and give the participants the opportunity to raise any issues.
Some of the items discussed at this meeting included:
Emergency Preparedness
Valerie Deetz, deputy director of OALTC, said the OALTC sent guidance to providers on guidance for extreme hot weather. It is also available on the Health Commerce System. Providers should note the contacts on guidance documents as it is not always the same.
Deetz said that there were questions about the guidance applying to home care and hospice; the OALTC confirmed that it did and they will make it more clear going forward.
Heidi Hayes, director of the Center for Residential Surveillance, said that providers were mostly well prepared, but they did receive a few complaints about poor air conditioning in some nursing homes and adult care facilities. Temperature logs should be maintained as a best practice.
OALTC expects one member from each provider to log into the Health Commerce System daily. Providers are strongly urged to ensure complete profiles on the Health Commerce System, particularly up-to-date names of staff, cell phone numbers, and email addresses. It is imperative for the DOH to be able to reach a provider at any given time.
HCANYS likewise asks every HCANYS organizational member that enrolls in the HCS to please verify and, as necessary, update the information on your organization and your key contacts on the HCS site, especially the person or persons mandated for 24x7 contact availability. As HCANYS serves as a collaborative and contracted partner to the state and to NYC for health emergency preparedness, it is essential to role of the home and community-based services sector to maintain updated and fully functional HCS participation information.
If you are experiencing any issues with your HCS account or have been closed out, please contact
For further information on DOH’s most recent HCS changes, please email the HCS Account Management Unit (CAMU) at
Surveys
Valerie Deetz, deputy director of OALTC, announced that the revised weekly Health Electronic Response Data System (HERDS) surveys for Licensed Home Care Services Agencies (LHCSAs) launched on June 17 and are now in the second week. OALTC is making some internal edits currently. Eighty five percent of LHCSAS have responded thus far, which is an improvement over past reporting cycles.
LHCSA providers will have three days to complete and submit the survey to comply with the existing reporting requirement. The reporting cycle for all LHCSA providers will begin on Tuesdays at 8:00 a.m. and will close on Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. In addition, a new two-part question has been added to collect the provider’s patient census by county. These new changes will remain in effect until further notice from DOH. HCANYS has long advocated for the 13 COVID-related questions to be removed from the survey and will continue to do so.
DOH Lunch & Learn Education Series
Millie Ferriter, director of the Division of Home & Community Based Services, announced that topics have been determined for the rest of the year for its Lunch and Learn Series.
July: The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care
August: Nursing Home Transition and Diversion / Traumatic Brain Injury (NHTD/TBI)
September: Alzheimer's Disease Program
October: Money Follows the Person Program
November: TBD: A comparison of Home Health Aide and Personal Care Aide Duties, or a guest speaker on Criminal History Records Checks
December: No webinar- break for the holidays
Dates will be distributed soon as an alert.
DOH continues to seek ideas for webinar topics especially from CHHAs and hospices. Send your suggestions for DOH Lunch and Learn webinars to
Archived webinars are now available here. HCANYS encourages you to take advantage of this complimentary webinars.
Hospice
Kara Travis, director of the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, said the Center has been meeting with a number of physicians for collaboration.
Another trip to New York City hospice providers is planned for July, as well as future visits to providers in Rochester and Buffalo.
Master Plan on Aging
Andrew Lebwohl, director of the Center for the Master Plan for Aging, said the Master Plan is “truly on verge on being released." It was officially released on June 30.