COVID-19 Update
July 10, 2020

OPWDD COVID-19 Data
On Thursday, July 9, The Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) shared data regarding the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths due to COVID-19 within the service system. The following was shared:
  • 3,161 individuals supported have been confirmed to have COVID-19.
  • 2,556 of the cases were in certified residential facilities.
  • There have been 440 deaths relating to COVID-19.
  • 3,679 staff have been confirmed to have COVID-19.
OPWDD has not yet supplied more detailed data regarding COVID-19 cases by setting. As a reminder, New York state maintains data on cases by county here.
 
OPWDD On-Demand SNAP Training Course
OPWDD's Revenue Support has  developed an on-demand Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) course, which is available in SLMS to meet the need for more frequent SNAP trainings. SNAP can be found in the SLMS under class code OPWDD-EL-SNAP. Click here to enroll. You will be prompted to sign in to the SLMS.

For detailed instructions on how to access the SLMS, visit the SLMS Reference page on the OPWDD website. If you have any questions about using the SLMS, please contact Talent Development and Training at [email protected].
Please forward this email to anyone who may be interested in learning more about SNAP.

AHRC Suffolk COVID-19 Policy and Procedure Binder Sample
In response to OPWDD's increasing  COVID-19 Prevention and Control Review of OPWDD Certified Residences, several Chapters have developed audit preparation materials. AHRC Suffolk developed a COVID-19 policy and procedure binder. The Chapter provides a copy to each IRA and ICF. The binder is used to educate staff on agency and OPWDD protocols in preparation for any audits. The binder also includes some useful nursing services documents. The Chapter has recently experienced some OPWDD surveys and the outcomes were very positive. Having the protocols available to staff certainly helped the Chapter obtain these positive outcomes. 

This document is best used as a reference for how you might establish your own binder. Chapters should not simply adopt the contents of this document, as OPWDD's health advisories and protocols are frequently updated and some of the material included may have changed.

We very much appreciate the AHRC Suffolk Chapter sharing this information. 

NYSDOH EVV Technical Assistance Call
On Tuesday, July 14, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) will be holding an Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) technical assistance call.  Registration for the call can be completed here .
 
NYSDOH maintains a schedule of these calls as well as FAQs here.

This and all related updates will be cataloged on  The Arc New York COVID-19 Resource Page   for future reference. Please contact us if you have questions regarding any of this information.

 
CONTACT: 
Josh Christiana , Associate Executive Director for Quality, Compliance & Chapter Relations

This email was sent to:
  • President Jack Kowalczyk 
  • Board of Governors 
  • Chapter Presidents
  • Executive Directors 
  • Chief Operating Officers
  • Chief Financial Officers  
  • HR Directors 
  • PR Directors 
  • Quality & Compliance Staff 
  • Joint Committee on Quality & Compliance 
  • Guardianship Coordinators 
  • State Office Staff