IDHW to publish information about COVID-19 at long-term care facilities

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is announcing that information regarding long-term care facilities with COVID-19 cases and deaths will now be published weekly at https://coronavirus.idaho.gov/ltc/, starting Friday.

The data includes information about long-term care facilities in Lewiston.

The data will be provided in aggregated numbers of cases and deaths associated with long-term care facilities and will be updated weekly; this process will provide timely updates while serving to protect personal health information.

"We have re-examined the data, which unfortunately includes an increasing number of cases now, and have developed a process to release the numbers for specific facilities without revealing a diagnosis of COVID-19 or the cause of death for any individual resident," said Elke Shaw-Tulloch, administrator for the Division of Public Health. "It's a delicate balance to protect the privacy of Idahoans while also being as transparent as possible."

Similar data is provided at https://data.cms.gov/stories/s/bkwz-xpvg.

If a long-term care facility's size and census are small or low, then that information may be provided in a date or age range or in another format yet to be determined to protect personal health information.

Idaho has about 400 long-term care facilities, which include skilled nursing homes, assisted living/memory care, and intermediate care facilities.

More information about COVID-19 and long-term care facilities, including guidance, can be found at https://coronavirus.idaho.gov/ltc/.