1. Entry
| - Upon arrival, all participants and staff must immediately sanitize their hands.
- Masks should be worn by staff while in the Center and participants who are asymptomatic (as able) in accordance with DOH guidelines.
- Limit personal items coming into the day program. Disinfect any necessary personal items.
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2. Location, ratios and program activities:
| - Centers should maintain care for participants in their normal licensed program areas and locations.
- Centers should maintain required staff-to-participant ratios.
- Centers must reduce staff-to-participant ratios if required by DOH or CDC guidelines to maintain social distancing. Centers should use social distancing (6 feet apart) within groups as required by DOH or CDC guidelines. Centers shall assess program areas and make appropriate adjustments to maintain social distancing.
- Centers should determine if they can serve all enrolled individuals while maintaining social distancing.
- Centers should consider an evaluation of participants, caregivers, and caregivers’ availability to provide or access care for participants, in order to determine who are the most care-dependent and have the greatest need, who should have the highest priority for Center services. Centers must develop a plan for enrolled individuals who cannot be served, including notification of on-hold status, homecare, possible schedule alternatives, or referral to another day center.
- Meals should be plated and served to participants. Family-style meals are prohibited. Staff must wear appropriate PPE to serve meals to participants, as well as meet SERV Safe requirements.
- Centers should plan activities that do not require close physical contact between multiple participants. Centers should limit item sharing.
- Centers should host any events in accordance with DOH and CDC guidelines.
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3. Participant care:
| - Centers should update care plans for all individuals and incorporate information to address high-risk participants with any additional measures that might be necessary to reduce the risk of infection of COVID-19.
- High-risk participants include people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions including the following:
- People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
- People who have a serious heart condition
- People who are immunocompromised (Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications)
- People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher)
- People with diabetes
- People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
- People with liver disease
- Centers should keep current on guidance issued by DOH and CDC.
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4. Protection of participants, staff and families:
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5. Infection control:
| - Centers should use strict hand hygiene at all times. Lather for 20 seconds with soap and water or use 60-95% alcohol-based hand sanitizer after any contact with participants and after contact with high touch areas, i.e., doorknobs, countertops, and especially anything at the level that individuals touch.
- Centers should enforce strict respiratory etiquette. Cough or sneeze into a tissue and deposit into a waste receptacle, cough or sneeze into an elbow or shoulder, and avoid any touching of your eyes, nose, mouth, or face.
- Centers should refer to the guidance stated above in the Daily Health Checks for Participants and Staff section and follow established procedures for participants who become sick at the Center.
- Masks should be worn in accordance with DOH guidelines. PPE shall be used in accordance with DOH and CDC guidelines, with special attention paid to the rules regarding one-on-one participant/staff contact.
- Centers should practice daily periodic routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces (for example: tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks & cell phones). Request that contracted transportation services also clean and disinfect (If possible, avoid mass transit). Cleansers should not be left unattended in accordance with current licensing standards.
- If the Center learns that a participant or staff person tested positive for COVID-19, inform the PDA Division of Licensing by contacting the appropriate Regional Human Services Licensing Representative, or the Division Chief at 717-433-0393. Consistent with the Governor’s Emergency Disaster Declaration, Centers shall submit reports of COVID-19 immediately to PDA due to the urgent need to quickly respond to proactively mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
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6. Staff illness:
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7. Documentation:
| - Centers should maintain daily documentation of staff and participant temperatures taken at arrival to the program and throughout the day if needed. The Center must document staff and participant temperatures >100° F.
- Centers should maintain daily documentation of any staff or participants who were refused entry or returned home due to exhibiting symptoms of the virus.
- Centers should document daily sanitization of the day program areas prior to opening.
- Centers should document daily participant attendance and staffing numbers.
- Centers should maintain daily documentation of the number of participants or staff returned home due to implementation of measures to maintain social distancing. This includes participants who must return home because they cannot comply with social distancing due to a mental or physical condition.
- Centers should document the issuance of PPE to staff, if the use of PPE is recommended by DOH.
- In order to meet these documentation requirements, Centers may use the form provided by the PDA’s Division of Licensing or their own form if it meets the requirements contained in the Division of Licensing’s form.
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8. COVID-19 Specific Training:
| - Training provided by the Center to Center staff should be consistent with guidance issued by the Office of Developmental Programs.
- Training created shall reflect the Center’s reopening guidance. Training should contain materials covering the following policies and procedures created to address:
- Prior to reopening
- Daily health checks for participants and staff
- Protection of participants while at the Center (entry, location, ratios and program activities, participant care, protection of participants, staff and families, infection control, staff illness, and documentation).
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