Idaho approves $10 million in funding to help assisted living and other long-term care operators with COVID-19-related costs

The state of Idaho is allocating another $10 million of its Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to long-term care facilities, including assisted living communities, to combat rising COVID-19 cases.

Gov. Brad Little’s Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee approved the additional funding for the state’s assisted living, skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities to keep residents and caregivers safe during the pandemic.

Of the $10 million, $7 million will cover increased costs related to caring for COVID-19-positive residents, $2 million will cover costs for COVID-19 units, and $1 million will cover costs associated with transporting residents to and from COVID-19-exclusive facilities.

Funding is retroactive to March 1, covering costs already incurred in the pandemic.

Twin Falls Manor, a former independent living community, is one of two facilities in the state with a COVID-19 unit. If a resident in another long-term care facility in the region tests positive for the virus, that person can be transferred to Twin Falls for care.