December 30, 2020
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CP State News
Have a Happy New Year! ️
Before you count down to the New Year, make you sure you count down Racker Executive Director Dan Brown's Top Ten Reason's to get the COVID-19 Vaccine.
No stupid human tricks necessary!
OPWDD emergency/proposed regulation on Medical Consents
On December 29, OPWDD filed an emergency/proposed regulation on Medical Consents. The regulation is effective today and will appear in the State Register on January 13, 2021. 
The amendment adds "Informed Consent Committee (see section 633.16 of this Part), convened by an individual’s residential provider, for the limited purpose of providing consent for a COVID-19 vaccine" to the hierarchy of who can provide informed consent. Click here to read the full text of the regulation.
Today, December 30, OPWDD released additional guidance on the COVID-19 vaccine consent process, "Interim Guidance: Use of an Informed Consent Committee for Consent to the COVID-19 Vaccine."
Gov. aligns quarantine guidelines with CDC
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced updated quarantine guidelines for New York which are consistent with the latest Centers for Disease Control guidance. Under the new guidelines, individuals exposed to COVID-19 can end their quarantine after 10 days without a testing requirement as long as no symptoms have been reported during the quarantine period. After day 10 is reached, individuals must continue monitoring for symptoms through day 14 and if any develop, they should immediately self-isolate and contact the local health department or their healthcare provider to report this change and determine if they should seek testing.
Center for Discovery vaccination efforts featured on CNN
CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 featured how the coronavirus vaccine is providing relief and hope to residents and staff at the Center for Discovery
Attn: Execs, Finance, and Education committee members
Preschool/School Age SED COVID-19 Pandemic Cost Reimbursement Survey
CP State has been working with the State Education Department (SED) to establish a process that will ensure that all approved preschool and school age programs for students with disabilities, that are subject to the rate-setting methodology, are timely and appropriately reimbursed for the additional costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. These costs are necessary to meet health and safety requirements to provide education services to students with disabilities.
A review of information from a number of approved programs clearly indicates that the additional costs of school reopening and maintaining health and safety guidelines compliance is significant. The approved programs cannot bear the financial burdens of these unforeseen costs given current reimbursement levels and rate setting parameters. In order to advocate with the State Education Department for a process that will ensure that all approved preschool and school age programs for students with disabilities are timely and appropriately reimbursed for additional COVID-19 pandemic costs, please complete the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/SEDReimbSurvey by January 8,2021. 
Information provided to SED will be aggregated and no program will be identified.
Please contact thamel@cpstate.org or bcrosier@cpstate.org with any questions.
CP State continues series on community building for people with I/DD
On the heels of Dr. Al Condeluci's highly informative session on seclusion and loneliness in the I?DD population, CP State is proud to announce a continuation of the series, with sessions scheduled through March!
Upcoming FREE sessions include:
  • Building Community through Social Capital – Wednesday, January 20 @ 10 a.m.
  • Community Mapping – Wednesday, February 3 @ 10 a.m.
  • Understanding the Social Infrastructure – Wednesday, February 17 @ 10 a.m.
  • MACRO CHANGE: The key Ingredient for Community Success– Wednesday, March 3 @ 2:30 p.m.
  • Session 6 (TBA) – Tuesday, March 16 @ 10 a.m.
  • Session 7 (TBA) – Thursday, March 18 @ 10 a.m.
CP State is offering these sessions through its DDPC Rural Advocacy Grant. They are free for all CP State Affiliates.
If you would like to participate, please contact Tim Ferguson at TFerguson@cpstate.org or 518-436-0178.
COVID-19 Vaccination resources
In the past few days, there have been many informational materials issued for administration of the COVID-19 Vaccine:

All the materials about the COVID-19 vaccine can be found on the OPWDD COVID-19 webpage. As new guidance becomes available related to the vaccination process, it will also be posted on that page. Click here to sign up for OPWDD COVID-19 updates.
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