4-9-20 Access and Functional Needs Leadership Coordination ...



Access and Functional Needs Leadership Coordination CallNovel Coronavirus (COVID-19)April 9, 2020 3:00 pm- 4:00 P.M. PDTJoin Zoom Meeting: : (669) 900-9128; Code: 890654795#Meeting materials:Today’s call Agenda (4/9/2020)Minutes from last week’s call (4/2/2020)Answers to the un-answered Questions (Q&A) posed during last Thursday’s (4/2/2020) call“COVID-19 Resource Links” outlining numerous specific COVID-19 related websites, guidance docs, etc. (Updated 4/9/2020)Attendees on call:Due to the number of participants on this call, a roll call was not taken. The following state government speakers participated:California Department of Aging (CDA), Director, Kim McCoy Wade California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Adult Programs Deputy Director, Debbi ThomsonCalifornia Department of Public Health (CDPH), COVID-19 Science Branch, Public Health Medical Officer, Christina Armatas MD, MPHGovernor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), Office of Access and Functional Need (OAFN) Chief, Vance Taylor and;Listos California, Senior Advisor for Disaster Volunteering and Preparedness, Karen Baker and Suu-Vaa TaiCall convened at 3:00 P.M.Welcome/Introductions -Cal OES, Vance TaylorVance Taylor, Cal OES:Due to the high volume of participants, these calls are muted by the host. Raise your hand in Zoom or *6 to unmute on the phone.This call brings together State Government partners, Community Leaders and representatives throughout the state for information sharing for a cooperative response to COVID-19 and issues we have seen across the stateAll unanswered questions arising from this group will be answered and shared in the question and answer (Q&A) distributed weeklyThe resource document is updated weekly, the distribution today (4/9/2020) includes resources developed by the State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD).An American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter will be available for next week’s AFN Leadership Coordination callForward any additional accessibility requests to Vance.Taylor@caloes.Governor Newsom announced deals with a consortium of non-profits and acquired technology that will provide 200 million medical masks and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) every monthGovernor Newsom signed an executive order related to In-Home Support Services (IHSS)Governor Newsom made an initiative to increase COVID-19 testing capabilities, including drive-thru testing centers, increase in the number of test kits, and investing in technologies that allow the rapid return of resultsCOVID-19 Situation Summary and State Mitigation Efforts – CDPH, Dr. Christina ArmatasCalifornia has over 18,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19; almost at 500 deathsAttention focused over the last few weeks to increase COVID-19 testing capabilities and make them more efficientFDA has approved one (1) point of care test, which allows a test to be taken in the office rather than a separate laboratory. More rapid results are expected.USE CAUTION messaging sent to healthcare providers, local jurisdictions, and people at home. Marketing increased on other (non-FDA approved) “point of care tests” and “take at home” tests should NOT be used as a diagnosis for COVID-19.Continuing to assist local health partners experiencing outbreaks, especially in skilled nursing facilities (NSF), correctional facilities, and other congregate living facilities.CDPH provides on-site and consultive supportBriefing, Executive Order (IHSS) – CDSS Debbie Thomson CDSS is working on additional guidance to assist navigation for recipients through this time.Executive order N-47-20 issued April 7, 2020This is not guidanceProvides the authority for flexibilities to the program and allows opportunities for evaluation and adjustment for the COVID-19 responseAllows for the development and issuance of guidance that reflect the flexibilities.The rules are not adjusted until guidance is issued. E.g., reports from multiple sources (including this group) regarding provider enrollment processes and the need for a more efficient enrollment process when someone’s current provider is sickBriefing, New Webinar Series – CDA, Kim McCoy WadeCDA wants to hear from this group how else to improve information services.Stay Home. Save Lives. Check In. developed in partnership with the Master Plan on Aging, CDA and state partners are pivoting from planning to responseOngoing development to assist with staying connected and information sharingCurrently, pledges for engagements in connecting (making calls) and information on where to find assistanceWebsite/Information is available in English, Spanish, (Mandarin) ChineseKey contact telephone and websites available nowCOVID-19 Website/Hotline #(833) 544-2374CA Aging and Adult Website/Information line #(800) 510-2020Adult Protective Services (833) 401-0832 for assistance with abuse, neglect or wellness checks211 posted for grocery and basic needs, information for medicine and medical needsCDA connecting with Independent Living Centers (ILC) for additional assistanceIncreasing partnership with the Friendship line #(800) 971-0016, a place built to reach out for connection, for help in a crisis 24/7.“Check In” participants thus far include Alzheimers Association, Village Movement California, Walgreens, counties, health plans, etc.Webinar Series AnnouncementDeveloped to address reports received by caregivers, family, and friends who are caring for each other and older “at-risk” adults, needing supportTime slotted in the afternoons to accommodate working schedulesConference line platform for ease of accessBegin Wednesday, April 15, 2020Week 1 – Caring for an Older Adult in Your Home will feature representatives from the Family Caregiver Alliance and Alzheimers AssociationWeek 2 – Caregiving from Afar: Caring for a Loved One Across Town, Across the Country, or in Senior LivingWeek 3 – Essential Conversations: Planning for Care and Serious Illness during the COVID-19 CrisisWill discuss palliative care and other advance planningWeek 4 – Caring for Yourself while you’re Caring for Someone Else: Stress Relief, RespiteBriefing, LISTOS California – Karen Baker and Suu-Va TaiDeveloping Tip Sheets in English and Spanish will have a multitude of tips for pandemics and COVID-19.Requests this group to assist in distribution when publishedWill be working with Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), public and private sector partners to be a part of a health “check in” network.Plans to meet with CDA tomorrow to coordinate efforts.Plans to develop additional partnerships to educate older adults, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable to prepare for wildfires, earthquakes, and floods after this 2 month munity Emergency Response Team (CERT) – Suu-Va TaiCERT is a government-affiliated volunteer program that educates volunteers about disaster preparedness and basic and advanced disaster response skills.CERT is available for counties to deploy for local response and mutual aidDuring COVID-19, CERTs are helping out with activities at testing sites, food pantries, and wellness checksRecent surveys show over 70 CERT programs (over 1500 volunteers) stand ready to support telephonic wellness checksCurrently working with counties to see which are providing wellness checks, and which may need extra supportQuestions and Comments from Group:Is this virus staying on cardboard for 3 days or plastic for 2 weeks? Is it possible you can have COVID-19 for days with no symptoms? Is it true the “nose factory” can no longer determine smells? Is this true or unreliable information?CDPH Reply: It is true the virus is detected on these materials for a few days out. What we don’t know for sure is the risk that it poses to people. Because of this, there have been some recommendations that if you are bringing anything from outside into your home, to wipe them down first. We don’t have strong evidence or know what the true risk is. Recommendations are coming out from an overabundance of caution.Regarding the loss of smell, it is recorded by some patients as an early symptom. So is changes to taste. These symptoms are not a telltale sign for everyone that is impacted by COVID. This does not predict how sick someone will become.Additional Resource: JAMA: Food Safety and COVID-19Can you tell us about the accessibility of popup medical centers? Specifically, the trailers, is accessibility being considered at all?Cal OES Reply: When looking at housing for individuals in homeless encampments, the options are to either put them in a trailer or a hotel. The trailers are not very accessible and are not considered a good option for those individuals using a wheelchair.Our messaging to counties has consistently been: Counties need to ensure that, as people are being placed, individuals with access and functional needs receive priority placement at hotels/motels. Also, hotels/motels should reserve their ADA rooms for people who need that accommodation.The ARC and United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) members would like to know, what is the distribution plan for the 200 million masks?. How can direct support professionals access them? Cal OES Reply: Right now, the process to put a request in for PPE is to go in through the local Public Health or local Emergency Management. We operate under the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), requests are made from the bottom up. That is, if the locals can meet the request, they will. If locals can’t fill the request, they push it up to the region, then to the state. There is a great demand for PPE. The Governor anticipates we’re going to have lots of PPE coming and there will be more materials available. The recommendation is that you put the request for PPE in now, so the request is in the system, and there is a mission task that gets generated.We have concerns regarding backups for emergency care providers. Are there other areas for guidance that CDSS is looking at?CDSS Reply: There are guidances issued and being developed for additional support.CDSS has issued guidance asking counties to set up backup systems specifically related to this situation, where they can connect emergency backup providers with recipients. We are also paying a $2 differential for providers for these types of services. Counties have been working on that, and hopefully will assist with some of that need.All County Letter No. 20-30 on IHSS overtime and outreach (3/30/2020)All County Letter No. 20-29 on the need for back-up providers to assist IHSS (3/30/2020)CDSS plans to remove overtime violations, so providers can work additional hours because the back-up systems are not in ernor waived the requirement for the 90-day reassessment. Additionally, counties can reassess remotely (via telephone, teleconferencing, etc.) rather than in person during this period while this emergency is still going on.CDSS is evaluating improvements to the assessment processes being conducted. CDSS continues to work with counties to evaluate needs, flexibilities, and explore options for accommodations in this situation while maintaining the health and safety of individuals by ensuring the program is being conducted appropriately.Three (3) All County Letters (ACL) were issued last week. CDSS aims for new guidance to be issued next week.Is the Federal Government going to stop funding for COVID-19 testing to the state?Cal OES Reply: Cannot speak to the Federal Government. California is ramping up on testing. We are procuring more test kits and exploring/procuring technology that allows for faster testing results. We are also setting up more mobile/drive-thru testing ment: Testing sites must be accessible and not require wheelchair users to go over inaccessible terrain, grass, or use wheelchairs that are not cleaned in between those borrowing the wheelchair to reach the testing site.Cal OES Reply: Correct. The Pacific ADA Center put together a factsheet and resource information outlining accessibility requirements at medical drive-thru test sites.We are very worried about health care rationing. Locally, we would like to connect with emergency managers who are involved in those decisions. We know hospitals have their ethics committees, but who would those people be, locally?Cal OES Reply: The State Council for Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) and others put letters into the Governor asking about that specific issue. In response, the Governor issued a joint bulletin which?unequivocally states that rationing care based on a person’s disability status is impermissible and unlawful. This letter is signed by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), CDPH, and the Department of Managed Healthcare (DMHC) and is dispursed statewide to local agencies as well.Guidance Relating to Non-Discrimination in Medical Treatment for COVID-19 (3/30/2020)Regarding the datasets, the model, and the China experience, what does this tell you about the transition when the stay at home orders begins to be eased? What are you planning for, what are the projections?CDPH Reply: CDPH has a team of scientists who understand these types of models and project what the model will be in weeks and months from now. This team is actively working on what the trend will be in California as far as the number of cases, but also for resources, and so forth. This is a hot topic but we don’t have answers just yet.How many counties have active CERT programs, and in how many counties in California?Cal OES Reply: Thirty-six (36) counties have active CERT programs. For wellness checks, CERT members from one county can work in another. It is not relevant if a county has a CERT or not; If a county or agency needs to have CERT help, CERT volunteer are happy to assist anywhere in the state.Do we have to sign up for Master Plan emails to find out about the webinars?CDA Reply: You do not have to sign up; All information will be available on website by this weekend. If you sign up for emails, the information will be emailed to you. There is no registration and the webinars are accessible by both telephone or zoom option. Plans are aiming for 1 PM on Wednesday, April 15, 2020.Regarding CalFresh, is there any new information about food benefits? Any updates and availability of food for our families?CDA Reply: A one-page document is developed by CDSS that summarizes all the recent changes on Cal Fresh issues, ranging from benefit increase for two months to the waiving of reporting to the beginning of online shopping becoming available in a couple of weeks.CDSS Comment: Plans are underway to share information for CalFresh recipients.San Francisco Human Rights Association asks if CDPH how often will the statewide data of COVID-19 deaths based on race and ethnicity be updated?CDPH Reply: The race and ethnicity will be updated on a rolling basis as it is reported. Expect small changes daily, and more significant changes as our data gets more complete. Those reports are based on what local health departments are able to report to CDPH. The information is not always immediately known, so it lags from case reports.Several providers have clients that attend school or adult centers that are no longer open. As a result, IHSS members are providing more service hours. IHSS members are asking what are state authorities doing in response to that need?CDSS Reply: This is an existing, normal process to increase the number of hours. Whenever there is a change – a resource that is no longer available to them – they would be in contact with their county office and the county social worker would adjust their assessment to include those hours in ment: We have received reports that no one answers the office, they have left messages on their voicemails. It has been a week already, but there is no response.CDSS Reply: The counties are struggling. There are lots of people with these situations contacting them now. Call them back. If there is a particular county with an issue, you can let us know and we can follow up with the county to make sure they are responded to. CDSS has provided additional funding to the counties for overtime particularly for this purpose, so they can respond to these questions. As soon as clients/providers get in touch with the counties, they can pay retroactively to the date the service started not being available.Regarding people who are homeless, how can we protect them from COVID-19 and help with the spread? We have calls from people having difficulty getting homes, paying rent, and handling mortgage. Our callers are contacting 211 and county board of supervisors – with no response, how do people get access to rooms?Cal OES Reply: One of the state initiatives is Project Room key where the state is providing hotel rooms and trailers for individuals experiencing homelessness in high-risk categories. The goal is 15,000 rooms across the state being managed at the county level.CDA Reply: Project Roomkey- Emergency Housing for Immediate Protection Fact Sheet is available.In Los Angeles, they are offering delivery services for 60 years or disabled. There is a special number available 24/7. When I called Costco about sending my provider (and I’ve heard this elsewhere) they are not letting providers go in as essential workers. They are requiring identification, and if it is not a first responder they do not accept it. So people have to wait in line.CDSS Reply: If their criteria is for first responders, then IHSS workers do not fit that criterion. If the criteria is “essential worker,” we have included on our portal who essential workers are, and IHSS providers fall into that category. Workers should have a paystub showing they are an IHSS provider.Cal OES Reply: Clarify, IHSS workers are essential workers. They should be able to travel and be treated as such. The recommendation is that they carry a paystub that serves as proof, but that determination, like Costco, is up to them. If there is an issue, send a note and we can try to work through it off the call.There are lots of people who are very depressed these days, some people bordering on suicidal, what is in place in our network that we can use to help them?CDA Reply: Friendship Line is a wonderful resource for adult connection and support -- including depression and suicidal thoughts. #(800) 971-0016 While we all move online, is there support for community-based organizations or other organizations to have accessible flyers, forms, meetings?Reply: The Department of Rehabilitation has a Disability Access Services sections that can help with digital accessibility.Has the Department of Developmental Services set up a crisis call-in line for individuals or family members who truly find themselves in a crisis situation? The typical protocol has been that people are supposed to go through their service coordinator but having to go up the ladder in a time of crisis isn't efficient. Having a dedicated line with a human answering the call would be valuable in these situations.SCDD Reply: If you have problems with a regional center, contact the Department of Developmental Services at (916) 651-6309 or Ddsc19@dds.Unanswered Questions from Group during this call (includes chat):Is there any discussion on the coordination of accessibility for ‘pop-up’ or converted spaces for medical facilities or housing for COVID-19 patients? I'm thinking locally about the trailers in Sacramento and the Sleep Train?BenefitsCalFreshMy friend from Washington has a $300 increase on his Cal Fresh card. Will that happen in San Bernardino, CA? If anyone gets that Cal Fresh Fact sheet website, can they post it or give it to Vance to share?IHSSThe IHSS Public Authority in Los Angeles is requiring IHSS recipients to submit a SOC 838 every time there is a change in their provider’s hours, which is frequent. What is IHSS doing about this?Will the county back-up registries be continued even AFTER the COVID-19 pandemic?Can IHSS Consumers and Providers at risk get tested?Can Providers and Consumers get masks and gloves?Can Providers get hazard pay?How do IHSS Providers get the 14 days of sick leave, do they qualify and with no testing how will they prove COVID-19 related sick leave?Can you do YouTube video showing IHSS tasks regarding COVID-19 protocol?Can you get the IHSS SW/EW's to answer the phone?Some counties, such as Alameda County, are still requiring people who wish to become IHSS providers to attend mandatory in-person orientations. Some counties are still not allowing provider orientations to take place remotely, even though the state's allowance for this to happen during COVID-19. What can people in Alameda County do to change the in-person requirement? Especially now, when it is so difficult to find new or replacement workers. What can Alameda county residents do regarding this?InsuranceI am 58 my friend is 74. My insurance is covering me for masks but my friend with the same insurance is not covered for masks. I do have underlined issues. My question is, shouldn't 74 years young be an underlined condition?UnemploymentRegarding relief programs, when will relief and unemployment benefits be coming? We are getting reports of people are calling the Employment Development Department (EDD), as people are not computer savvy and there are lots of questions. How can people get more access to EDD?CERTMany cities and counties that have CERT programs believe that the CERT volunteers aren’t considered first responders and therefore, can’t be used during the present pandemic event. Has the State's Volunteer Agency clarified that?How do we coordinate with CERT?Health IssuesCurrently, there is granular healthcare data on hospitals and other categories related to COVID-19, California Open Data. Will counties be able to release that information and is there any guidance from the state to ensure consistency in that reporting? How do we understand statewide what is happening in our hospitals?What are state guidelines for those in hospice regarding the ability of family member providers to not be restricted from entry into Assisted Living Facilities where care is being reduced to senior residents?With regard to COVID-19 testing, what is the guidance for people with disabilities?There is now evidence that the coronavirus can infect animals. I'm worried about our friends with canine companions and pets. Should we have some vets on this coalition?What would be your guidance to non-profits and other organizations who want to start scheduling large gatherings in August?Has there been any further at the state level of restricting individuals from leaving their communities within a certain radius to prevent community cross-contamination? How would these impact service providers that must travel outside of the radius restrictions?Wrap Up and Next Steps -Vance TaylorCollectively, organizations will work together to issue guidance for people with disabilities, older adults, and others with access and functional needs, to include those who live independently in the community.Unaddressed questions will be compiled, answered, and shared with this group.This stakeholder coordination call will continue to take place weekly on Thursdays.The next call is Thursday, April 16, 2020, at 3:00 P.M.Call logisticsNumber: (669) 900-9128; Code: 890654795#Join Zoom Meeting tap mobile +16699009128,,890654795#Actions for this group:If there is a question that should be addressed that was not asked or posted on this call today; or an issue needing immediate attention; or an element that has not been addressed in the guidance, email Vance at Vance.Taylor@caloes..Look at and share the resource list, if there are good resources to add, email Vance at Vance.Taylor@caloes..Call adjourned at 4:04 P.M. ................
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