Dear Benchmarks' Members, 

We are sharing with you the latest information from today related to guidance, information and resources for your consideration.

Take care of each other and stay safe and healthy!

The Benchmarks' Team
DHHS COVID-19 Update
Consumers, Family Members and Community Stakeholders
Today:  Monday, March 30, 2020
4:00 p.m.
 
Participant Access Information:
Toll-Free:  877-336-4436
Access Code:  8978853
 
To Join the Call:
Dial the Conference number and enter the access code.
An AT&T Specialist will greet you.
(Participants may start dialing in 30 minutes before the conference start time).  
 
As new information emerges and guidance is created to respond quickly and proactively to COVID-19, please continue to get up-to-date information here.

Additional resources for submitting questions and requests for information:   Send an email with your question or comment to:   BHIDD.COVID.Qs@dhhs.nc.gov  or  click on this link to submit BH and IDD questions via an online portal.

Benchmarks' Child Welfare Providers

Benchmarks will holding weekly webinars/conference calls for our child welfare service providers, beginning next Thursday, April 2, 2020, at 8:00 am.  

We will be joined by DSS staff, Linda Waite and Lisa Cauley, to share issues and concerns and work together to craft solutions.  

Benchmarks' Child Welfare Call
Thursday, April 2, 2020
8:00 am thru 9:00 am
One Tap Mobile: +16465588656,,944285382# US (New York)
Dial in:   +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) Meeting Id: 944 285 382

We hope you will join us!

BENCHMARKS' HAS ZOOM!!!

Please update the information in your calendar for
Benchmarks' Friday Morning Call with Members 
with the following information!



Topic: Benchmarks' Weekly Membership Webinar
Time: Apr 3, 2020 08:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Every week on Fri, until May 15, 2020, 7 occurrence(s)
Apr 3, 2020 08:30 AM
Apr 10, 2020 08:30 AM
Apr 17, 2020 08:30 AM
Apr 24, 2020 08:30 AM
May 1, 2020 08:30 AM
May 8, 2020 08:30 AM
May 15, 2020 08:30 AM
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Weekly:
https://us04web.zoom.us/meeting/u5Yrf-itrTwjiKJ47yZU4tCyQ4nR03zZHg/ics?icsToken=98tyKu-qqDMrH9eSuVyCa7QvW4X5bM_2iHhlgPcKhSXQVzRwezKiONASYahFON-B

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 626 815 379
Password: 081879

One tap mobile
+19292056099,,626815379# US (New York)

Letters from Kody Kinsley:

Letter #1:  Effective Monday, March 30, 2020, NC DHHS is temporarily modifying enhanced behavioral health policies and telemedicine and telepsychiatry policies to better enable the delivery of remote care to Medicaid and state-funded beneficiaries during the COVID-19 outbreak. This will include dates of service on or after March 10, 2020 and will remain in effect until the State of Emergency is declared over or when this policy is rescinded.
Details on the temporary modifications are included in the following Special Bulletins:
It is the Department's goal to support the continuation of quality, medically necessary services for beneficiaries and reduce the number of disruptions in care which could lead to increased anxiety and exacerbation of symptoms. 
Thank you for continued dedication to serve North Carolina beneficiaries.

Letter #2: 
Members of State and Local CFACs, BHIDD Provider Partners, Brain Injury Advisory Council, the Commission on MH/DD/SAS, and LME/MCO CEOs,
 
Much happened this past week as we continue our response to COVID-19. Below are highlights of some activities. Additional information is available on our website, ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus, and I encourage you to check it frequently.  
  • Governor Cooper Issues Stay at Home Order
  • NC DHHS Updates Guidance for Providers
  • COVID-19 Dashboard Includes More Data
  • Texting Tool Available to Access Food for Children
  • New Patient Fact Sheet Available - What to do if you feel sick 
Governor Cooper Issues Stay at Home Order
On March 27th Governor Cooper ordered people in the state of North Carolina to stay at home for thirty days, until April 29, 2020, in another step to slow the spread of COVID-19. Governor Cooper's Executive Order No. 121 takes effect on Monday, March 30 at 5:00 PM and reduces the size of gatherings to 10 people. The Order provides for essential businesses to continue to operate while prioritizing social distancing measures. The Order has the force of law and will be enforced in all 100 counties statewide. You can help reinforce this message with our Stay Home, Save Lives social media tools.
NC DHHS Updates Guidance for Providers
The Department updated its guidance forNorth Carolina clinicians and laboratory staff. The new version includes updated criteria to submit specimens to the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health and no longer asks providers to complete a person under investigation form for patients tested for COVID 19.
COVID-19 Dashboard Includes More Data
We have updated the COVID-19 dashboard, and it now includes the following information for North Carolina:
  • Number of Cases Statewide and by County
  • Number of Deaths Statewide and by County
  • Number of Tests Completed
  • Number of People Currently Hospitalized
  • Percent of Cases by Age Range
  • Percent of Deaths by Age Range
  • Percent of Cases by Gender
  • Percent of Deaths by Gender
  • Number of Intensive Care Unit Beds - Total and Empty
  • Number of Inpatient Hospital Beds - Total and Empty
NC DHHS will continue to add new data as it validates reporting methods.
 
Texting Tool Available to Access Food for Children
Parents who need food assistance for their children can text FOODNC to 877-877 to locate nearby free meal sites. The texting service is also available in Spanish by texting COMIDA to 877-877.
 
Additionally, No Kid Hungry NC has created a map of local school sites, community organizations and food assistance programs across North Carolina where families can access food. The interactive map can be viewed at   nokidhungrync.org/covid19/ and is updated daily.
New Patient Fact Sheet Available - What to do if you feel sick
For people who think they might have COVID-19 and have mild symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now  recommends  they stay home and call their doctor if you need medical advice. Most people who get COVID-19 will have mild illness and recover at home. NCDHHS has developed a  fact sheet Open PDF  to help North Carolinians know what to do if they are sick. 

Template for Staff:  Essential Travel
Some of our members have asked for a template of a letter for staff to have with them as they travel to work in case they are stopped under the current "shelter in place" executive order. Children's Hope Alliance (CHA) has graciously shared their version as a potential template.

PLEASE NOTE - that some counties have gone as far to put a curfew in place and/or stop all vehicles traveling into a particular county. Depending on how strict the interpretation of the shelter in place is for a county OR if a more restrictive Governor's Order is sent out, it would be very helpful for you to be registered in your county as an essential service. Reach out to the county manager and/or Emergency Preparedness Department in the counties where your staff will need to travel to inquire what the process will be to have your organization designated as an essential service agency.


Big thanks to Gary Bass, Pride in NC, for sharing this resource with us!


In light of the Public Health Emergency concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is providing this bulletin to ensure that entities covered by civil rights authorities keep in mind their obligations under laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, and exercise of conscience and religion in HHS-funded programs.

In this time of emergency, the laudable goal of providing care quickly and efficiently must be guided by the fundamental principles of fairness, equality, and compassion that animate our civil rights laws. This is particularly true with respect to the treatment of persons with disabilities during medical emergencies as they possess the same dignity and worth as everyone else.

The Office for Civil Rights enforces Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in HHS funded health programs or activities. These laws, like other civil rights statutes OCR enforces, remain in effect. As such, persons with disabilities should not be denied medical care on the basis of stereotypes, assessments of quality of life, or judgments about a person's relative "worth" based on the presence or absence of disabilities. Decisions by covered entities concerning whether an individual is a candidate for treatment should be based on an individualized assessment of the patient based on the best available objective medical evidence.


U.S. Labor Department Clarifies 'Health Care Provider' Exception Under Families First Coronavirus Response Act

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) generally requires employers of fewer than 500 employees to provide certain new paid leave benefits to their employees. However, the FFCRA also provides that "[a]n employer of an employee who is a health care provider or an emergency responder may elect to exclude such employee" from these paid leave benefits. 

In the days since the FFCRA was signed into law, this exception has created considerable confusion because the law does not define "health care provider" and the existing definition under the Family and Medical Leave Act fails to include many professions that are commonly understood to be health care providers. On March 28, the U.S. Labor Department issued guidance in the form of a regularly updated question-and-answer document, which provides some clarity regarding who qualifies as a "health care provider" and how employers can assert this exception. 

The Labor Department clarified that for purposes of which employees may be exempted from emergency paid sick leave or expanded FMLA leave, a "health care provider" includes "anyone employed at" a doctor's office, hospital, medical school, home health care provider, or several other types of organizations.  Click here for the full list and our analysis.