Twentieth Community Health Advisory: Coronavirus (COVID-19)
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weekly message from the director...
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This has been the most difficult week of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic so far for people with developmental disabilities and our entire community of families, providers, partners, and regional center staff. With the alarming positivity rates, hospitalization rates in our largest counties reaching as high as over 120%, and the rising exposures around the world, the nation, and the state, our community of people with developmental disabilities has not escaped this current wave. We lost our first consumer to COVID-19 this week and then soon learned of a second death and later that same day learned of two new serious potential cases. In the regional center system statewide we have now lost 63 people with disabilities and with each loss we are analyzing and scurrying around to ensure we have done everything possible to prevent the exposures and to provide quality treatment once we learn of the exposures. Please wear your face coverings where ever you go in the community to make it a place accessible and safe to all people with disabilities and if you’re coming into someone’s home to support them wear your face covering and wash your hands.
What’s Come from the Department of Developmental Services
Since last week we’ve received extensions on waivers and directives that allow regional centers to conduct remote IPP meetings, temporary Health and Safety rates for residential services, prohibition of people with vulnerable health condition from day programs, Early Start remote IFSPs and eligibility and services, and the state of emergency exception for billing during absences, return to the 20 day timeline for 4731 complaints, extension of HCBS self-assessment through August, and Early Start allowances to support title ones 0-3 with the schools.
Check out this summary of the waivers and directives and code references:
Sincerely,
Tony Anderson
Executive Director
Valley Mountain Regional Center
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Case Management Updates
Continued Outreach to Consumers and Families
As reported previously, our VMRC case management staff have made great efforts to reach out to all of our consumers. Due to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases in our area recently and the fact that some time has passed since we first started our mandatory consumer contacts, I am asking that Service Coordinators (SC) begin the process of contacting all consumers on their caseloads again. It is imperative that we make contact and know the status of our consumers.
An SC made contact with a family this week, only to find that the consumer had tested positive for COVID-19, was very ill and on a ventilator. Because of scenarios such as this and the potential that there may be others in similar situations or now have become in need of services, we are compelled to reach out once again.
It is understood that this task puts additional pressure on case management staff, however reverting to only routine contact is not acceptable at this time. Making the contact to know of our consumer’s status and ensuring needed services are in place is a top priority. So, please know that you will be receiving a wellness check call directly from your SC in the near future. A letter will be sent out if you cannot be reached by phone, and follow up calls will be attempted twice per week until contact is made.
Always know that you can contact your Service Coordinator or their Program Manager as needed via our directory on our website
here.
COVID-19 Expenditure Analysis
Our outreach efforts continue to result in additional services and supports being put into place for our consumers. As an agency, we have discussed strategies, learned from you and your life situations, worried that we may not be reaching our ultimate objectives, but always in search of doing the right things to provide good, needed and equitable services. Our local Cultural and Linguistics Committee asked to review the additional services authorized due to COVID and to analyze the purchase of service information as it relates to ethnicity and language differences.
The report contains raw data drawn from the computerized information system and is reflective of the purchase authorizations compared to those two categories. And, in preparation for our upcoming public disparity discussions, we plan to analyze further using age, geographic location and service type, however we wanted to share this initial analysis of the data with you as it relates to recent expenditures due to COVID only.
VMRC’s overall percentage breakdown of consumer ethnicity is:
· Hispanic—37%
· White—34%
· Black/African American—8%
· Asian—9%
· Other—12%
Percentage breakdown of VMRC-generated additional services authorized due to COVID by ethnicity:
· White—37.49%
· Hispanic—33.41%
· Black/African American—9.69%
· Asian—8.56%
· Other—10.85
VMRC’s overall percentage breakdown of consumers by language:
· English—82.03%
· Spanish—14.95%
· Asian—1.51%
· Other—1.52%
Percentage breakdown of VMRC-generated additional services authorized due to COVID by language:
· English—83.19%
· Spanish—14.09%
· Asian—1.55%
· Other—.36%
This is just a glimpse of the information available for discussion during the upcoming public disparity meetings. To discuss your experiences and learn more about how VMRC spends money on services throughout the entire year, please join us for the following public meetings:
· August 8, 10am -11:30am
Meeting ID: 958 3186 6989
· August 13, 6pm -7:30pm
Meeting ID: 958 3186 6989
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August 15, 10am -11:30am
Meeting ID: 928 4831 3234
For more information about the public meetings, feel free to contact Gabriela Lopez, VMRC Cultural Specialist- glopez@vmrc.net.
Support During Power Shutoffs
As PG&E is preparing for Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) they are partnering with Valley Mountain Regional Center to assist consumers before, during and after PSPS events. One of these partnerships is with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) through a grant program to support the Access and Functional Needs community. Our local agency is known as DRAIL and their contact information is contained in the link below. This support includes:
· Enabling qualifying customers who use electrical medical devices to access backup portable batteries
· Emergency preparedness outreach and education
· Promotion of medical baseline program
· Accessible transportation resources
· Hotel vouchers
· Food stipends
Please stay safe and healthy!
Cindy Mix
Director of Consumer Services
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Clinical Update
These past weeks, there have been a dramatic increase in CVOID-19 cases and people are wondering, “When will we have a vaccine?” Just a few days ago, the Phase I clinical trial result of the mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, manufactured by Moderna, has been published.
[1]
Forty-five healthy adults, ages 18-55 years, participated and received 2 doses of 25 mcg, 100 mcg or 250 mcg, given 28-days apart. Serum-neutralizing activity, whose values were similar to the upper half of the distribution of control convalescent serum, was detected following the second dose in all participants. They experienced adverse effects such as chills, fatigue, headache, myalgia and pain at injection site. No trial-limiting adverse events were reported. Phase II clinical trial with 600 healthy individuals to evaluate 50 mcg and 100 mcg is ongoing. The large Phase III clinical trial to evaluate the 100 mcg dose is expected to start this summer.
With more studies underway, we are learning that African-American and Hispanic-Americans are nearly 3 times more likely to become infected with SARS-CoV-2 and has close to twice the chances of dying from COVID-19 compared to their white counterpart.
[2]
,
[3]
Furthermore, Asian-Americans have 1.3 times more risk of acquiring the infection.
Young adults and pregnant women are not off the hook. New research published from the Journal of Adolescent Health showed that 1 in 3 young adults (18-25 years old) are at risk for severe COVID-19, and emphasizes the importance of smoking prevention and mitigation.
[4]
While pregnant women who are infected with the novel coronavirus has higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes.
[5]
Experts and the general public are learning something new each day regarding this novel coronavirus. People who have recovered from COVID-19 should continue to wear protective face coverings and practice 6-feet physical distancing. This is in response to the news that CDC and WHO are exploring the possibility of re-infection with CVOID-19.
[6]
,
[7]
,
[8]
The journal of Pediatrics published that children are rarely responsible for the spread of the virus,
[9]
a recent case series found that the nervous system of children are affected by COVID-19.
[10]
And in Florida, they are finding out that there is an increased asymptomatic cases in children that shows damage to their lungs.
[11]
Science has shown the efficacy of using face coverings in decreasing the rated of COVID-19 transmission, prompting CDC Officials and its Director to call for universal masking among all Americans while in public.
[12]
Wearing a mask is a way of protecting your loved ones and the people in the community we live in. Please continue to wear mask or face covering when outside your home, stay 6 feet apart and wash your hands frequently. Together, we will get through this.
Claire B. Lazaro, MSN, RN, NP, PHN, CCRN, FNP-C
Clinical Director
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Families and Self-Advocates are Wanted for Interviews for a Study on Future Financial Planning
The University of Delaware's National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities are conducting interviews for a study focusing on future financial planning for/with people with disabilities and want to hear from people with disabilities, their family members and experts in the field!
Planning for the future is a priority and concern for people with disabilities, and there are no commonly accepted standards of practice for services and processes that support people with disabilities and their families to plan and maintain their finances.
We would like to interview people with disabilities, family members and experts in the field via Zoom to build our knowledge about the issues and promising practices related to future financial planning people with disabilities.
Even if you have not had any experience with future financial planning, we’d still like to speak with you!
If you are interested in participating in this study, please click this link to leave your contact information:
Please share this information with your networks!
Who:
We hope to interview people with disabilities and their families, leaders of provider agencies, leaders of banks and trust companies, and attorneys with experience in the family financial planning process.
What:
We want to interview you virtually for about 30-45 minutes. We do not foresee any risk that the interview will pose to you, and you can choose not to answer any questions or stop the interview at any time. We will take notes and record the interview so that we can best utilize the information you share.
When:
We would like to speak with you in the next few weeks.
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Early Start Update
VMRC Service Coordinators continue to contact families to see how they are doing during the Covid pandemic. They are also inquiring whether families have the necessary technology to receive remote services when appropriate. And they have identified families that are in need of food and other resources so that they can assist in ensuring needs are met. Our Early Start team is also working closely with Resource Development to vendor new providers in order to meet the needs of Early Start children. This includes providers who have the ability and expertise to provide remote services.
The following waivers were extended:
Early Start In-Person Meetings
: Any requirements of the California Early Intervention Services Act or Title 17 requiring in-person meetings for determining eligibility or service coordination are waived. The regional center may continue to conduct evaluation and assessment activities and provide Early Start coordination by remote electronic communications, including Skype, Facetime, video conference or teleconference. The new expiration date for this waiver is August 9
th
, 2020.
Early Start Remote Services
: The requirements of the California Early Intervention Services act, Title 17 or a child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) requiring the delivery of services in-person are waived. A service provided to a child in-person may be provided may be provided by remote electronic communications, including Skype, Facetime, video conference, or telephone conference. The new expiration date for this waiver is August 9
th
, 2020.
Extension of early intervention services
: Any requirements of the CEISA, including Government Code section 95014(a), mandating early intervention services end at age three are waived. Regional centers must continue to work with local schools to transition children to educational service pursuant to existing regulations. The new expiration date for this waiver is August 14
th
.
Tara Sisemore-Hester
Assistant Director, Clinical Services
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Self-Advocacy Council 6
Lisa Utsey - Self Advocacy Council 6 chairperson invites you to join the SAC6
Friday CHATS!
With so much happening because of the virus SAC6 wants to hear how you are doing and share information so we can all get through this together!
Health and Wellness
Join us on a SAC6 ZOOM CHAT!!
Let’s Check In with each other!
WHEN
: Friday July 17th, 2020
TIME
: 11:00am-12:00pm
WHERE
: ZOOM- computer, tablet, cell phone
The next SAC6 CHAT:
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Friday, July 17, 2020 - Social Media Training with Doug Bonnet, Special Assistant to the Executive Director
Join Zoom Meeting on your computer, tablet or phone
Meeting ID: 989 8567 1780
Password: 588860
You must enter the Password or you can call in:
TOLL FREE NUMBER TO CALL IN:
· 888 475 4499 US Toll-free or
· 877 853 5257 US Toll-free
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Five County Data Update
as of July 16, 2020
San Joaquin County
- 7680 total positive cases and 81 deaths
- 3,384 cases in the last 14 days
- 274 current hospitalizations
- 23% of ICU beds available/71% of ventilators available
Stanislaus County
- 5,777 total positive cases and 61 deaths
- 2,936 cases in the last 14 days
- 235 current hospitalizations
- 37% of ICU beds available/61% of ventilators available
Tuolumne County
- 84 total positive cases
- 46 cases in the last 14 days
- 2 current hospitalizations
- 17% of ICU beds available/100% of ventilators available
Calaveras County
- 75 total positive cases
- 38 cases in the last 14 days
- 3 current hospitalizations
- 75% of ICU beds available/100% of ventilators available
Amador County
- 49 total positive cases
- 22 cases in the last 14 days
- 2 current hospitalization
- 17% of ICU bes available/88% of ventilators available
State of California
- 358,713 total positive cases and 7,424 deaths
Valley Mountain Regional Center
- 50 positive consumer cases
- 3 positive staff cases
- 1 positive volunteer case
- 21 positive provider cases
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Local County, State and National Public Health Resources
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