Twenty-Third Community Health Advisory Coronavirus (COVID-19) |
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weekly message from the director... |
This week we learned that 17 more people with disabilities served in our regional center area tested positive for COVID-19, which is about an 18% increase. While 10 people were exposed by a family member in the family home, four were exposed in health facilities, and the remaining three were in care homes. Statewide, 40% of the positive cases are in family homes even though 80% of Californians with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) live at home with their family. The remaining cases are found in our residential services, with 12% of them being served mainly in congregated settings of 4 to 6 people, plus a few larger settings. VMRC serves 4% of the state's IDD population and we are reporting 4% of the state's positive COVID-19 cases. This just goes to show that there are no living environments where people with disabilities are free from risk of exposure, and that the congregated settings need additional protections against spread given the over-representation of cases in these service settings.
How are you Doing
As a regular reader of the Health Advisory you know we've been asking our community to give us feedback a lot lately, and we've been providing several presentations to report back out to our community the initial findings. This information is very important to us at VMRC because it is what we use for our Strategic Planning process, which often results in policy changes, resource allocation, and special initiatives to advance a particular finding or idea. After completing our three rounds of surveys it became evident to us that so much has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic that we needed to take a quick temperature of how response is impacting our consumers, families, providers, and staff. Here are just a couple of our initial findings:
When asking our community of consumers and their families how they are doing during this COVID-19 pandemic, we were happy to see that in fact 72% of respondents said their quality of life had either not changed or gotten better, or much better, during these difficult times. Though this is very welcomed news it is also important to note that 28% are experiencing life quality that has gotten worse for the family.
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In response to our question about what their greatest concern is these days, by far the most common answer is their health and the health of their family, and when you combine mental health in overall health concern, it makes up 50% of the total of what is most concerning. |
When we asked our staff how they are doing and what is their greatest concern these days, they also highly ranked the health domains at over 55% of what is most concerning them these days. In addition, working from home is causing some level of concern for a significant portion of our staff. |
Communication with our providers is a high priority for us at VMRC because there are so many changes occurring to our service system, often on a weekly basis, as evidenced in many of our weekly updates, that we felt it important to check-in on them to see if we were being effective so far. As evidenced by the survey answers, you can tell that our providers are reporting a marked difference in this important metric moving from the "Good" ranking towards the "Excellent" ranking (1= Poor, 2=Just OK, 3=Good, 4=Excellent, 5=Truly Outstanding). |
Thank you ALL for taking the time to help us serve our community better through your feedback. Watch for future strategic planning efforts to address the hundreds of pages of graphs and narrative reports generated by the survey conducted, managed, and analyzed by Kinetic Flow.
Tony Anderson
Executive Director
Valley Mountain Regional Center
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Case Management Update
POS Disparity Informational Meetings
VMRC is holding its annual Purchase of Service (POS) Disparity informational meetings via Zoom this year. We have scheduled four meetings, the first of which occurred yesterday. We will be reviewing Purchase of Service Expenditures in various categories from a previous fiscal year, percentages related to our consumer and staff make up, statewide comparisons, and initiatives in progress. We also want to hear your experiences, thoughts and ideas about equity. Upcoming public discussions will happen on August 13 (English presentation with Spanish interpretation) and August 15 (Spanish presentation with English interpretation). And, on August 21 for our SAC-6 audience during their weekly meeting.
August 13, 2020 at 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Meeting ID: 958 3186 6989
Password: 472561
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,95831866989# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,95831866989# US (Houston)
August 15, 2020 at 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Meeting will be in Spanish
Meeting ID: 928 4831 3234
Password: 042574
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,92848313234# US (San Jose)
+12532158782,,92848313234# US (Tacoma)
Apply for Calfresh Online
CalFresh is for people with low income who meet federal income eligibility rules. You can apply online for EBT SNAP food stamps and receive a card or money to buy groceries. Food stamps have dramatically reduced severe hunger in our country since its inception in 1977. The program has made changes based on need, as it has during this pandemic. Extensions have occurred during recent months and, remember, those receiving SSI/SSP benefits are eligible with no change to their monthly benefit. You can now use your Calfresh EBT card to purchase groceries online at Amazon and Walmart.
The application process normally takes about 30 days. For immediate food assistance, please contact your VMRC Service Coordinator for assistance in locating your local food bank or call 211, a resource helpline.
211 Resource Helpline
Each county has developed a local resource helpline for their residents to access. You can obtain information and referrals for various services you may need. Some of the most requested available resources include food, childcare, affordable housing/shelter, cash assistance, healthcare, children and family services, mental health, transportation, education, and legal services. 211 helplines are accessible 24 hours per day in three (3) of our counties (San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Calaveras) and have specialists available who speak multiple languages. Amador and Tuolumne counties have limited services available.
Just dial 211 or visit one of these websites for more information about the program.
San Joaquin County
Amador County
Tuolumne County
Upcoming Self-Determination Events
Self-Determination Advisory Committee (SDAC) Meeting
August 20 @ 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 994 9278 0137
Password: 242155
One tap mobile
+16699006833
Self-Determination Informational Gathering Series
August 24 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Password: 603333
Get to know some local service providers for Self Determination participants.
Self-Determination Orientation Training
August 27 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Would you like to know how Self Determination works? One session of training is mandatory if you have been selected and not already attended. Anyone is welcome at any session.
3 CEU Units offered for vendors who pre-register. Please register in advance for this webinar:
Cindy Mix
Director of Consumer Services
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Clinical Update
COVID-19 UPDATES
· The British Medical Journal has created a “living” systematic review and meta-analysis of various COVID-19 drug therapies that has been published.[1]
· People say the health care workers that are directly caring for COVID-19 patients are at risk of getting COVID-19 themselves. Does science agree with that? Yes. Frontline health care workers are 3 times more likely to get positive COVID-19 test result than the general population. The risk is even higher for Black, Asian, and ethnic minority health care workers, those who were in direct contact with COVID-19 patients, and those with in adequate PPE or were required to reuse PPE.[2]
· With school opening happening soon, what does science say among children and COVID-19? Children younger than age 5 with mild to moderate COVID-19 may have higher amounts of the novel coronavirus in their nasopharynx than older children. This leads researchers to conclude that children with high viral loads could be an important driver of virus spread in the general population.[3]
· In the other end of the age spectrum, the geriatric population, with mean age of 83 years, may have an atypical presentation of COVID-19, with altered mental status as the initial presentation, without any respiratory symptoms.[4]
· With the inadequacy of COVID-19 testing, it will not be surprising if soon, we will have our canine companions help public health detect COVID-19. This is because of the recent research that certain Labrador retriever, Malinois, Cocker spaniel, Dutch shepherd and Dutch shepherd mix were able to discriminate respiratory secretion samples that have COVID-19 to those without.[5]
Claire B. Lazaro, MSN, RN, NP, PHN, CCRN, FNP-C
Clinical Director
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Education/Early Start/OT/Behavior Services Update
Education
The VMRC Education Specialist, Olivia Held, is working with our community partners on a webinar regarding distance learning. SELPA representatives from our region, Family Resource Network, SCDD and Disability Rights California are among the presenters. Please stay tuned for a save the date! In the meantime, please take a look at the resources below.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Distance Learning pursuant to Education Code 43500-43511.
Adaptable physical education resources from SJCOE. Great resource for developing and maintaining gross motor skills
Speech and language resources from SJCOE
Supporting Challenging Behavior at Home during COVID-19: An Interview with Ross Greene
A Parent’s Guide to Virtual Learning: 4 Actions to Improve Your Child’s Experience With Online Learning
National Homework Hotline for Blind/Visually Impaired Students (free service)
Early Start
Our VMRC Early Start Service Coordinators continue to reach out to families as the majority of our services continue to be held remotely.
OT Clinics
Lifeworks is completing clinic and home evaluations remotely at this time. Lifeworks is operating on about a one month wait time. AAC evaluations require more time.
Capuchino has continued to complete face to face evaluations when absolutely necessary with the recommended safety precautions and PPE. The vast majority of evaluations are being completed remotely. UCP is no longer holding OT clinics. Their gait clinic is operating on a remote only basis. At this time they are unable to accommodate any initial evaluations. Consumers may access PT and orthotic needs through a referral from their primary care physician if they need to be seen right away. Repairs and home modifications have continued to take place. Some contractors are completing outdoor work only. Clinical is receiving 20-25 referrals per week. We have 50 pending pass through purchases. Families can choose to become vendor with VMRC to be reimbursed after the vendorization process is complete. They can also put in an application through https://www.mygymfoundation.org/, for items less than $500 if the Consumer is under the age of 18.
Behavior Intervention Services
A reminder that VMRC is holding hands on parent training classes to assist families with basic behavior training. This class is being delivered remotely. Please contact the VMRC Service Coordinator if you would like to access this valuable class.
Tara Sisemore-Hester
Assistant Director, Clinical Services
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Human Resources Update
The challenges that come with fluid situations related to COVID-19 have made the role of any HR department even more crucial. The HR Department at VMRC fully recognizes that to optimally serve the population that VMRC serves, it is important that the health, well-being and happiness of our own employees are given due significance in a timely manner. We appreciate that in order to continue building a rewarding employee experience, it is imperative to understand what matters to our employees.
Keeping in mind the unique COVID-19 challenges and Henry Ford’s saying that “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave, is not training them and having them stay”, the HR department at VMRC has been working diligently to arrive at training options that could be offered to staff via Online Portal/LMS.
Training Opportunities
Stress is a given in all of our lives. Learning to manage it well means we can be more productive, live longer, fuller lives, and even be happier! The HR Department would like to share that there are two very useful short trainings for 7 and 15 minutes on ‘Dealing with Stress’ and ‘Mindfulness’ that can be utilized by staff, and would prove beneficial during these uniquely stressful times. We understand that it is important to take care of yourself because one cannot serve from an empty vessel.
Training on Stress Need Not be a Cause of Stress
These trainings are not mandatory, but the HR Department highly recommends these two online courses on managing and dealing with stress (available via Paylocity Portal). These two short courses not only discuss best practices for managing stress, but also include practicing mindfulness and meditation. Staff can log into their Paylocity and the trainings would be available under their portal.
The HR department at VMRC has also worked diligently to arrive at a Comprehensive Online Training Plan to facilitate new hires in ‘Case Management’ and ‘Clinical’ Departments. All required trainings for our new hires during the first 90 days/3 months have been successfully implemented and initiated by J. Dhillon, the Training Manager at VMRC, under the guidance of Bud Mullanix, Director of HR, to optimize staff development and growth at VMRC.
The HR department takes great pride in sharing that all of these trainings are being successfully completed by the new hires via online LMS portal. The recommended trainings have been approved by Director Case Management as well as the Clinical Director.
Mary Jane Flores, Mayra Sixtos and Sara Darby from the HR Department have been ensuring that the new hiring and on-boarding process, as well as the overall functioning of the HR Department is made as smooth as possible during these challenging times. During these stressful times, in case any manager or supervisor feels that their staff could benefit from any training based on individual needs, kindly reach out to the HR Department for any assistance and we would be glad to help.
Bud Mullanix
Director Human Resources
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North Valley Hills Update
Dena Hernandez, Regional Manager
As we are still at home…wondering about what is next and have some time on our hands …here are 2 cool things about Employment from SCDD.
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is a must watch video this week!
Let’s Work! is a video initiative of the CA Transition Alliance funded by the State Council, and these talented young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have been working tirelessly to share their stories and help others with I/DD achieve competitive integrated employment.
We can't wait to watch the final documentaries and how-to videos later this year.
Check it out on You Tube
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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 August 7th, 2020
TIME: 11:00am-12:00pm
WHERE: ZOOM- computer, tablet, cell phone
The next SAC6 CHAT:
· Friday, August 7 2020 - Self Determination program - Kerstin Williams SAC6 & Self Determination Advisory Committee and Liz Diaz and Angie Shear of VMRC
Join Zoom Meeting on your computer, tablet or phone
Meeting ID: 970 6245 6372
Password: 401415
You must enter the Password or you can call in:
TOLL FREE NUMBER TO CALL IN:
· 888 475 4499 US Toll-free
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Five County Data Update
as of August 6, 2020
San Joaquin County
- 12,119 total positive cases and 192 deaths
- 2,520 cases in the last 14 days with a 7.6% testing positive rate
- 254 current hospitalizations
- 16% of ICU beds available and 58% of ventilators available
Stanislaus County
- 9,408 total positive cases and 151 deaths
- 2,007 cases in the last 14 days with a 8.3% testing positive rate
- 280 current hospitalizations
- 7% of ICU beds available and 52% of ventilators available
Tuolumne County
- 147 total positive cases and 2 deaths
- 46 cases in the last 14 days with a 1.5% testing positive rate
- 3 current hospitalizations
- 17% of ICU beds available and 100% of ventilators available
Calaveras County
- 136 total positive cases and 1 death
- 18 cases in the last 14 days with a 1.7% testing positive rate
- 4 current hospitalizations
- 100% of ICU beds available and 100% of ventilators available
Amador County
- 156 total positive cases
- 65 cases in the last 14 days with a 6.2% testing positive rate
- 6 current hospitalizations
- 17% of ICU beds available and 100% of ventilators available
State of California
- 537,410 total positive cases and 9,965 deaths
Valley Mountain Regional Center
- 92 positive consumer cases and 6 deaths
- 8 positive staff cases
- 1 positive volunteer case
- 39 positive provider cases
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Local County, State and National Public Health Resources |
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