Health Advisory LVIII: VMRC Community Notice

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Fifty-Eighth

Community Health Advisory Coronavirus (COVID-19)

weekly message from the Executive Director

By the Numbers

This week I am happy to say VMRC only reported 4 positive COVID-19 cases for our consumers, and only 2 direct support professionals and no hospitalizations. We report daily to DDS and for a while we reported new cases every day, but this week we had two days where we reported zero cases. At this time all central valley regional centers have stabilized and looking statewide all consumers in out of home settings have significantly dropped to last summer's levels.

New Outdoor Guidance from the CDC This Week

Also, this week the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced that fully vaccinated people (1) no longer need to wear a mask outdoors if they are not in crowded settings, (2) no longer need to be restricted from work following an exposure as long as they do not have symptoms, (3) no longer need to quarantine following a known exposure unless they live in healthcare residential congregate settings.

Please remember if you are "immunocompromised" you will need to talk to your healthcare provider to see how these recommendations apply to you. For the latest full description of guidance from the CDC on what vaccinated and nonvaccinated people can do visit this page on their website:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html

The Latest Directives from the Department of Developmental Services

Last week DDS published two new directives. One directive requires regional centers to begin face to face meetings (DDS plain language summary) within 30 days and the other directive is focused on visiting consumers living outside the family home or their own home. DDS is directing Valley Mountain Regional Center to return to doing quarterly face-to-face visits for consumers living in licensed homes, Family Home Agency settings, and Supported Living and Independent Living arrangements. The directive references our contract obligation with the department:

Contractor shall have face-to-face contact with all individuals living in community out-of-home settings (licensed community care facilities, health facilities, supported living and independent living settings, and adult family homes) at least quarterly. These contacts shall be for the purpose of monitoring the health, safety and well-being of each individual, gathering information to assess the effectiveness of services provided to meet the individual’s needs and monitoring progress in meeting identified goals.

VMRC will begin to update our COVID-19 protocols for staff and the community and will publish these protocols in a future Health Advisory. The good news is that VMRC and our provider community was given early priority status for the vaccinations and have been vaccinating our staff and providers since January.

The second directive on Visiting says DDS recommends that people remain cautious when visiting family and friends in-person in licensed homes. DDS says to follow the strictest guidelines and if there is a conflict between rules, especially if these rules are in conflict with the best interest of people served then the regional center will assist in working these conflicts out.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

This week we were informed that DDS is working on updating the guidance for confirming (attesting) the receipt of "absence payments" in connection with the "PPP". This will not be linked to the submission of provider claims and has been removed from the provider certification in eBilling.

Participant Directed Respite Services

Last December DDS directed Valley Mountain Regional Center to pay an increased rate of reimbursement for overtime hours for Participant-Directed Respite Service and in January they established that the rate would be $28.77 per consumer per hour for overtime hours when overtime is required by law. The rate increase is due to the increase in state minimum wage in accordance with Senate Bill 3 and remains in effect until further notice and is necessary to limit the number of participant-directed respite providers entering the consumer’s home.

Tony Anderson

Executive Director

Valley Mountain Regional Center

Case Management Update

In-Person Monitoring to Resume

The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) is directing regional centers to resume conducting at least quarterly face-to-face monitoring visits for consumers living in licensed residential facilities to make sure they are healthy and safe. This will also include all Family Home Agency settings, as well as Supported Living/Independent Living arrangements.

Now that many people are vaccinated and not as many people are getting sick from COVID-19, we will restart in-person visits for individuals living outside of their family home. Regional center staff will follow COVID19 safety guidelines when visiting. VMRC will be developing a strategy to begin visits no later than May 21 and will prioritize visits with the most high-risk needs first.

Protocol for Return to In-Person Site-Based Day Programs

Individuals resuming in-person day program services must be in alignment with the strictest requirements of the county where the services are delivered.

Upon notification from VMRC’s Community Services department that the day program has a Community Care Licensing (CCL) approved mitigation plan, Service Coordinators (SC) will begin holding planning team meetings for those consumers who attend the program to discuss the in-person return to a site-based program. Community Integration programs not licensed will go through our Resource Development staff for such approval. These notifications will begin the process for all requests.

SCs will schedule meetings to discuss readiness related to the proposed mitigation plan to ensure the consumer can safely follow the expectations of the program. R&D Transportation Services will begin routing and planning transportation needs for consumers once they receive confirmation from the day program that the planning team meeting occurred. The SC will then verify and authorize the service.

At this point, for consumers who are considered high risk, SCs and Program Managers will seek input from VMRC’s clinical support staff. If consumers with high risk conditions choose to attend in-person program despite the understanding of informed risks, they will need to seek a doctor’s note and the consumer would sign a waiver.

Project Connect is a Support during COVID

It is worth mentioning again that The Arc of California and the Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare have partnered to offer Project Connect, a telehealth support line for individuals with disabilities, their families, direct support professionals, and others who support individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The Project Connect support line is staffed by graduate students in the School of Social Welfare and supervised by licensed social workers. The graduate students are able to offer a wide range of support services including counseling, wellness checks, depression screening, and referral to community services.

Project Connect is a FREE service and developed based on the needs of consumers during the pandemic.

Public Charge Rule – No Longer Applies

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is no longer applying the 2019 Public Charge Rule. This guidance makes it clear that the use of most public benefits programs such as health, nutrition, and housing programs, will not have an impact on an individual’s immigration status.

Ending the 2019 Public Charge Rule means DHS will no longer consider an applicant’s receipt of Medi-Cal (except for Long Term institutionalization at the government’s expense), Public Housing/Section 8 or CalFresh benefits as part of the public charge inadmissibility determination. Also, COVID testing, treatment and vaccines, Economic Impact Payments (stimulus checks), pandemic related one-time financial assistance among others benefits are not part of public charge.

To learn more about the Public Charge Rule see this guide from the Protecting Immigrants Families (PIF) website:

https://protectingimmigrantfamilies.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-ABCS-OF-PUBLIC-CHARGE.pdf

Ready for Self-Determination?

In just a couple of months, enrollment in Self Determination will be open to anyone eligible for regional center services. To prepare for this, we will be holding virtual Self Determination orientation meetings. These meetings are required as the next step in officially enrolling in the Self Determination Program (SDP).

While the soft roll-out had originally envisioned accommodating 2,500 individuals at this point, as of last week just 546 people statewide – 39 of them from VMRC – had completed all of the steps DDS requires for them to receive services through SDP. These steps include completing an orientation, development and certification of an individual budget, completing a spending plan, obtaining a financial management service provider, and initiating services.

If you are interested, please let your VMRC Service Coordinator know and register for one of the following orientations being provided. Spanish translation will be available.

· Saturday, May 15, 2021 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_d1TjPC1pTJ-wogCyavie8g

· Wednesday, May 19, 2021 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_n5cCfQTLSJyhG5ZDACllPw

· Tuesday, June 29, 2021 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GD2vHdC0TemogCdTR5lWMw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining.

Please contact Angelique Shear at (209) 955-3294 or ashear@vmrc.net for questions.

Cindy Mix

Director of Consumer Services

Clinical Update

We are saving lives one vaccine at a time!! 😊

My wholehearted “THANKS!!!” to all who have volunteered and will volunteer to our Drive-thru COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics! The success of the vaccine clinics was because of volunteers such as our VMRC staff, Board of Directors, and community partners: DRAIL, B.E.S.T., UCP, SCDD, FRN, SAC6, DRC, ICC, and CLASP, who helped make it possible. We spent our weekend at our Stockton Office Drive-thru clinic last Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

VMRC is grateful to the partnership with Safeway Pharmacy (Albertson’s Companies) who served as our vaccine provider during the 3-day COVID-19 Vaccine Drive-thru Clinic at our Stockton Office! We vaccinated a total of 874 individuals 16-year-old and over. On Friday, we administered 297 vaccines, 296 on Saturday, and 281 vaccines administered on Sunday. When you combine both Modesto and Stockton, that will be a total of 1,463 members of our community who got their vaccines through the VMRC COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics.

Below are photos of our Drive-thru COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at the Stockton Office:

STATION 1: Check-in

STATION 2: Screening

STATION 3: Immunization/Vaccination

STATION 4: Observation/PPE give-away

STATION 5: Exit Station

VMRC COVID-19 VACCINE TRACKING

All regional centers are tracking how many consumers has been immunized with COVID-19 vaccine. Based on the data below, we have about 1,659 consumers who have gotten the second dose or the single shot vaccine, and 928 who got the first dose, totaling to about 2,587 consumers who have gotten the COVID-19 Vaccine based on our record. Below is the latest data we have for our consumers:

The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) have gathered all the data of all 21 regional centers all over the state. Based on this record, VMRC is top 2 of those who have vaccinated the most among their consumers.

NEW CDC GUIDANCE on when it is safe to not wear a mask and when it is needed. The photo below from CDC helps explain the guidance in simple ways and shows the risks involved in each situation.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/pdfs/324153_choosingSaferActivities11.pdf

If you have received the Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine, you might have some concerns because of the pause that the CDC has done on this vaccine. Here is what CDC says you should do if you have gotten the Janssen (J&J) vaccine:

“For three weeks after receiving the vaccine, you should be on the lookout for possible symptoms of a blood clot with low platelets. These include:

o Severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision

o Shortness of breath

o Chest pain

o Leg swelling

o Persistent abdominal pain

o Easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the injection site

Seek medical care right away if you develop one or more of these symptoms.”

More information in a question and answer format on this CDC website link.

Here is a Fact Sheet from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) regarding the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Benefits and Risks.

If you are interested in getting COVID-19 Vaccine, visit this document CA Counties COVID Info.docx. It has the website links and phone numbers of each county in the State of California to help you get vaccinated.

Claire B. Lazaro, MSN, RN, NP, PHN, FNP-C

Director of Clinical Services

Early Start and Education Updates

Autism Services

As we wrap up Autism Awareness/Acceptance month please check this out: The MIND Institute Autism Center for Excellence has a number of ongoing studies aimed at increasing our understanding of Autism and effective treatments. One of the current studies has moved clinical trials to an online telehealth format. The Specifying and Treating Anxiety in Autism Research, or STAAR Study. The study is looking at the effectiveness of two different treatments. They are currently recruiting participants ages 8 to 14. Additional information on the STAAR study as well as other resources and research opportunities offered by the MIND Institute can be found at

https://health.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/

Early Start

Early Start transition from Part C (birth to 3) to Part B (education services) at age 3 is an important time for children. VMRC Early Start staff work hard to ensure a seamless transition to education services once the child turns 3 and exits Early Start. Please check out the following valuable resources to learn more about how Early Start transition works:

http://www.frcn.org/pdfs/Final_Building_Bridges_book_0613.pdf

http://www.frcn.org/pdfs/Final_Span_BB _0613.pdf

https://www.ceitan-earlystart.org/wp-content/uploads/TransHndbk_Final_061515.pdf

Early Start Webinar Series

Tele-intervention and Private Insurance: Guidance for Families

Thursday, April 29, 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Using Technology to Connect and Engage with Families

Wednesday, May 5, 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Early Intervention “Post COVID”: Navigating Blended Service Delivery and Maintaining Mental Wellness

Tuesday May 25, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

For more information and to register for these events please go to: CPEI Online

Tara Sisemore-Hester

Assistant Director - Clinical Services

Community Services Department Update

· Beginning May 10^th any Special Incident Report that is received “late;” will be regarded as a Substantial Inadequacy. Technical Support Plans and/or Corrective Action Plans will resume for vendors who submit “Late” Special Incident Reports.

· Special Incident Report timelines: Initial notification to VMRC within 24 hours and written vendor SIR submitted to VMRC within 48 hours of the incident.

· SIR Reporting Form, SIR Cheat Sheet and fax #’s available at:

https://www.vmrc.net/special-incident-reporting/

· VMRC’s Quality Assurance Team will resume In Person-On-Site Annual Quality Assurance Reviews beginning May 3, 2021.

· VMRC’s Quality Assurance Team will resume Unannounced Visits to Licensed Residential Care settings beginning Monday May 31, 2021.

· Day Program Providers please submit your CCL approved COVID Mitigation Plan or Community Based Day Program COVID Mitigation Plan to your Community Services Liaison (CSL) or Robert Fernandez at rfernandez@vmrc.net This is required prior to having ID Team Meetings in preparation for Day Program re-opening.

· Weekly Residential Informational Session hosted by VMRC’s Community Services Department EVERY FRIDAY at 9:00 a.m. Residential providers are invited to join to learn about important changes and trends as it relates to the COVID pandemic.

https://zoom.us/j/92136846701

Meeting ID: 921 3684 6701

We thank you for your on-going commitment to our consumers!

Brian L. Bennett

Director of Community Services

Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne County Transition Fair

· Thursday, May 6th, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

https://zoom.us/j/97770161596?pwd=cjBVeUdzTlUwbm5mQ3drVnloLzZEUT09

Webinar ID: 977 7016 1596

Passcode: 759652

US: +1 669 900 6833

North Valley Hills Update

Dena Hernandez, Regional Manager (209) 473-6930

Update from Family Resource Network

Family Resource Network is providing the workshop “The Birds, the Bees, and Your Child with Special Needs” on Wednesday, May 12, 2021, from 6:30-8pm virtually on Zoom. David Demetral, Ph.D., LCSW, Professor, Division of Social Work, CSU-Sacramento, will lead information sharing and promote discussion around the sensitive topic of issues related to sexuality. This workshop is for parents and family members, caregivers, or professionals living and working with children, youth, and young adults with disabilities or special needs. Registration is through Eventbrite and can be found at this link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-birds-the-bees-and-your-child-with-special-needs-tickets-152041120083