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State officials report testing results at long‑term care centers and outline CARES Act payouts
Summary
DHS and state health officials updated the Senate committee on long‑term care facility testing (Arkansas Health Center: 747 tested, no positives that round; some HDC sites reported active cases) and summarized CARES Act payouts to hospitals, long‑term care workers and pending reimbursements for emergency response costs.
Mark White (DHS), Jay Hill (director, aging adult and behavioral health services) and Melissa Stone (division director, developmental disability services) updated the committee on testing at state facilities and the use of CARES Act funds.
Hill said the Arkansas Health Center tested 747 people across two days (239 patients and 508 employees); all results from that round were negative. He described strict procedures for staff testing, new‑hire testing and isolation of new admissions until negative tests are confirmed.
Stone said five Home and Community-based (HDC) centers conducted nearly 3,000 tests across the state; Conway reported 63 active client cases and 16 staff positives at the time of the briefing with many clients having mild symptoms and being treated on-site. Jonesboro and other centers had staff positives but no client cases in those campuses.
Janet Mann, director of medical services, and Mark White summarized CARES Act program spending and reimbursements: approximately $51 million paid to hospital workers and about $3 million to indirect long‑term care workers; additional funds are allocated for hospital formula payments, cluster payments for nursing homes, EMS worker payments and an emergency response reimbursement pool (about $500,000 paid to date while audit work continues).
Officials said remaining emergency response reimbursements require receipt verification and audit work before payments release; committee members discussed backorders on PPE and the challenges of reconciling invoices for reimbursement.
Next steps: agencies will continue processing CARES Act claims, expand testing as needed and work on protocols for limited, safe visitation at centers where outbreaks are controlled.
