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119th
Community Health
Advisory
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Weekly Message from the Executive Director
Tony Anderson
By the Numbers
This week we reported 42 positive cases for people with disabilities and 19 direct support professionals. This represents a 40% decrease in positive cases compared to last week. Two people with disabilities were hospitalized last week and of the two both were vaccinated and one had one booster shot.
Office Building Site Status (June 28th):
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San Joaquin 15.1% (up .8%) – Exceeds 5% - Remote Quarterly Visit Recommended, Masks in the Office required.
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Stanislaus 19.3% (down .4%) - Exceeds 5% - Remote Quarterly Visit Recommended, Masks in the Office required.
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Calaveras 17.5% (down 1.4%) – Exceeds 5% - Remote Quarterly Visit Recommended, Masks in the Office required.
Amador is at 6.3% (up .4%) and Tuolumne is at 23.4% (up 3.4%).
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A Series of Learning Opportunities
This following section is a series of wonderful learning opportunities by Congreso Familiar, one of our partners in the Partners in Policymaking project at VMRC. They are known for developing quality conferences dedicated to promoting education and leadership skills within Spanish speaking families who have children or family members with disabilities.
Thursday, July 21
5 PM - 7 PM
What is Early Intervention?
Parents will learn about the Early Intervention process at the Regional Center.
Click HERE to register
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Supported Decision Making
What tools can I use when my loved one turns 18 to continue to provide support?
Join us for this series of 3 presentations to learn more about your options.
First performance: Thursday 8/18 5PM
Supported Decision Making (SDM)
Supported decision making is a new but not difficult process and is often practiced informally by families and our service system.
Second presentation: Thursday 8/25 5PM
5 Reasons to Think Twice About Guardianship
An overview of how adult guardianships can be problematic for some individuals and families. Most families, attorneys, and judges impose conservatorship or guardianship out of a desire to protect an individual. It's incredibly well-intentioned. But the document does not provide that protection.
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Congreso Familiar es una conferencia dedicada a promover educación y liderazgo en familias Latinas que tienen niños o miembros de familia con discapacidades. Si usted no sabe acerca de nuestro trabajo en la comunidad, los invitamos a explorar nuestro sitio para aprender más. | | | |
Supported Decision-making Session
A series of 3 weeks
Thursdays: 8/18, 8,25 and 9/1
5 PM - 7 PM
Supported Decision Making
What tools can I use when my loved one turns 18 to continue to provide support?
Join us for this series of 3 presentations to learn more about your options.
Click HERE to register
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Self-Determination Orientation Developed by the State Council on Developmental Disabilities
In an effort to increase the available Self-Determination orientations the Department of Developmental Services has created a statewide program that will be implemented by the State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD).
Currently, "Module 1: Self-Determination Program Orientation" is available in English and Spanish. SCDD trainers have a variety of presentation days and times available. This first module, "Self-Determination Program Orientation" meets the requirements for participation in California. "DDS is developing more trainings with details to help individuals at different steps throughout the process. These in-depth trainings will be administered by the SCDD team in the future.
Please check out the SCDD SDP Orientation Page to learn more about this exciting program and the orientation training. Also, attached are the English and Spanish flyers for outreach and distribution.
The SCDD training team includes SCDD staff along with self-advocates and family advocates who have lived experience with the Self-Determination Program. Individuals are free to choose between a locally sponsored Self-Determination training at their Regional Center or take the official statewide one designed by DDS.
Important note 1: Individuals who complete this training, will get a certificate of completion to prove you met the requirements in law.
Important note 2: Individuals who have already completed the orientation as required by law, are not required to retake this orientation.”
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Clinical Update
Claire Lazaro
Clinical Director
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COVID-19 Update
Sharing this information on the new Omicron subvariants and how it is affecting COVID-19, from Johns Hopkins University and Public Health On-call Podcast from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.[1],[2]
An excerpt from the question and answer with Johns Hopkins Virologist, Andy Pekosz1:
How are these subvariants impacting vaccine efficacy and treatments?
First, all these omicron variants are good at evading some portion of the vaccine-induced immunity. Vaccines are still protecting against severe disease, but even if you are vaccinated, if you're exposed, you should expect to have a symptomatic infection. We're seeing case numbers go up, but we're not seeing hospitalizations, disease severity, or death go up anywhere close to that same rate. Vaccines are working against severe disease, not against infection.
Full article here: Omicron Subvariants and the Changing Landscape of COVID-19.
[1] Johns Hopkins University Hub. July 19, 2022. https://hub.jhu.edu/2022/07/19/omicron-subvariants/
[2] Public Health On-call Podcast from Johns Hopkins University. July 6, 2022. https://johnshopkinssph.libsyn.com/488-an-update-on-omicron-subvariants-with-dr-andy-pekosz
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Case Management Update - Children
Tara Sisemore-Hester
Director of Consumer Services - Children
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Below is the Session 2 Study Guide for the July 23rd event. The guide will also be posted, along with the Session 1 Guide on the IDA website at this link.
You are welcome to join even if you haven’t read the book!
Finally, to attend Session 2 & 3 please register below!
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Saturday Morning Listen will be taking a summer break… but we still want our members to have an opportunity to make connections.
Join us instead for our first virtual book club!
This event is LIVE and not recorded
We will be meeting on the fourth Saturday morning, July 23, and August 27, from 9:00 to 10:00 am to discuss the book What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing by Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey.
As we come out of the COVID 19 Pandemic, it is a perfect time to discuss Perry and Winfrey's insights on shifting our approach to trauma and understanding how adversity in children affects the brain and behavior. We will explore how to use this information to promote resiliency and healing for the early intervention families we serve.
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Saturday July 23, 2022
August 27, 2022
9:00am - 10:00am
NO FEE
Even if you cannot attend both dates please go ahead
and register
This will be a free event. A limited number of scholarships will be available for purchasing the book. After signing up we will send you the zoom link and book club instructions in your confirmation notice.
BOOK CLUB Study Guide
Register NOW for July 23 & August 27
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2022 Virtual Provider CME Program
Driven by Excellence in Treatment, Teaching and Research
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We are excited to announce our 2022 Virtual Provider Continuing Medical Education (CME) program. Our mission is to improve the lives of children by offering outstanding specialty care education for medical professionals. Our monthly CME webinars are offered at no cost to you.
Join Us!
Early Identification & Treatment of Hip Dysplasia in Children with Cerebral Palsy – What Every Pediatric Provider Needs to Know
Wednesday, August 17 at 6 p.m. PST with the orthopedic surgeonVedant Kulkarni, M.D.
Register Here
Audience: Pediatricians, PCPs, RNs, School-based Nurses, Physical Therapists and other licensed healthcare professionals
Learning Objectives:
· Describe the impact of hip dysplasia in children with cerebral palsy and the evidence for early identification through a hip surveillance program.
· Identify strategies for treating hip dysplasia depending on the severity of hip displacement.
· Demonstrate usage of the free HipScreen mobile application (www.hipscreen.org) to quantify hip displacement
· Describe how and when to refer a CP patient with hip dysplasia.
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Our Presenter:
Vedant Kulkarni, M.D., is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Shriners Children's Northern California and a clinical assistant professor at UC Davis School of Medicine. His work is devoted to treating children with all types of pediatric orthopedic conditions and injuries. He has a special interest in neuromuscular disorders such as cerebral palsy and is part of a multidisciplinary team that is devoted to excellence in clinical care and research.
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REGISTER TODAY!
Topic: Early Identification & Treatment of Hip Dysplasia in Children with Cerebral Palsy – What Every Pediatric Provider Needs to Know
Cost: FREE
When: August 17
Time: 6 - 7:30 p.m. PST
Registration: Click Here or Scan the QR Code
Special Invitation: Pediatricians, PCPs, RNs, School-based Nurses, Physical Therapists and other licensed healthcare professionals
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Community Services Update
Brian Bennett
Director of Community Services
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Important Changes to VMRC Special Incident Reporting!
Beginning August 1, 2022, VMRC will accept Special Incident Reports via email or fax. If you choose the email option, you must submit to the dedicated email group for the respective office.
Stockton: SIRStockton@vmrc.net
Modesto: SIRModesto@vmrc.net
San Andreas: SIRSanAndreas@vmrc.net
SIR submission by fax will continue to be accepted to the dedicated fax number for the respective office.
Stockton: (209) 955-3673
Modesto: (209) 557-2111
San Andreas: (209) 754-3211.
Special Incident Reporting guides can be located on the VMRC website
https://www.vmrc.net/special-incident-reporting/
If you have any questions regarding this information, please feel free to contact me.
Kindest regards,
Katina Richison, Division Manager – QA
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HCBS Compliance Assessments – Validation and Remediation Process Announcement
DDS in cooperation with Regional Centers is preparing for the implementation of the HCBS Final Settings Rule by assessing vendor settings that provide services to more than one individual in the same setting. This includes providers of residential, day program and employment programs. Between January and August of 2020 vendors were asked to complete an HCBS compliance self-survey. Then in 2021 DDS contracted with Public Consulting Group (PCG) to complete a full HCBS assessment for a representative sample of regional center vendors. VMRC had 60 providers who received this full assessment. Those reports have been received back from DDS and were emailed to providers on May 2nd, 2022.
DDS has released a directive to regional centers on the validation and remediation process that our vendors with eligible service codes will need to complete. Emails will be sent to providers to advise whether they are to complete the validation process or the remediation process. Vendors will have 30 days to complete the process that they are assigned to complete. The window for submitting Validation forms and documents has closed. Vendors who did not submit their validation plans by the due date are being moved into Remediation and will need to complete a remediation plan instead, due date to be determined. Remediation plans and supporting documents for our first group of remediation vendors are due to VMRC no later than July 22nd, 2022. You have until March 17th, 2023, to complete the work you outline in your remediation plan including receiving updated IPP information from Service Coordinators.
DDS Assessment Validation and Remediation Forms
VMRC hosted two trainings on the validation and remediation process on May 31st and June 3rd, 2022. Providers can access the Power Point Presentation below and includes the updated due date for vendors assigned to remediation:
HCBS Validation and Remediation Training for Vendors
VMRC will also be hosting virtual office hours for our vendors to drop in via Zoom to ask questions related to the validation and remediation process. The three links below will take you to the zoom session.
Monday’s from 2:00-3:30pm through July
Wednesday’s from 10:00-11:30am through July
Friday’s from 1:00-2:30pm through July
Please do not wait to get started on your validation and remediation plans. An email will be sent to providers advising them of what step of the process, validation, or remediation, they will be starting on. All documentation must be submitted electronically through email. Paper copies and handwritten documents will not be accepted. Your vendor # and federal requirement # must be included in the file name of every document you submit, documents that are not named with the vendor number and federal requirement number will be rejected.
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Upcoming HCBS Trainings for Vendors
The HCBS Final Settings Rule applies to all vendors who provide services in a setting that serves more than one regional center consumer. The intent of the Final Settings Rule is to ensure that people with developmental disabilities receive services that integrate them fully into the community to the same degree as people without developmental disabilities. It ensures quality of life! They also ensure that the residential settings that services are received in are home environments rather than institutional environments. All settings must optimize and enhance choice rather than regimenting it. The HCBS Final Settings Rule protects consumers rights including the right to privacy, dignity, respect and freedom from coercion and restraint. The Final Settings Rule goes into effect March 17th, 2023, all providers with the service codes listed below, must be compliant by that date.
VMRC will continue hosting trainings for Residential Providers, Day Type Services Providers and Employment Services Providers. Service providers under the following service codes are strongly encouraged to sign up for one of the trainings provided. It takes time and effort to implement these requirements. Eligible service codes are Residential: 096, 113, 904, 905, 915, 910, 920; Employment Services: 950 and 954; Day Type Services: 028, 055, 063, 475, 505, 510, 515, 855
The attached flyers have registration links on them for the following trainings. You must register to take the training. Once you have registered you will receive a link for the zoom session on the date you have chosen. For attendance purposes please have each staff taking the training register with their own contact information including their email address. Any last-minute changes to the scheduled trainings will be communicated to the registered individuals by email at the email address they have provided.
HCBS Training Schedule for Residential Providers
HCBS Training Schedule for Day and Employment Program Providers
Contact Anna Sims, SCSL, HCBS Program Evaluator with questions: (209) 955-3353, asims@vmrc.net
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VMRC has the need for American Sign Language Interpreters!
VMRC’s Deaf Specialist, Nicholas Bolger will be hosting an informational session for interested persons on Thursday August 4th from 2-3:30 p.m.
Prior registration is not required
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/2491410936
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Drowning Prevention Wellness and Safety Bulletin from the Department of Developmental Services
For Vendors and Direct Service Providers:
For Self-Advocates and Families:
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Emergency Services Update
Aaron McDonald
Emergency Response Coordinator
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Continuing with last week’s theme of Power Outages 101, this week we take a deeper dive into the type of outage that is currently impacting PG&E customers currently: Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS). If your power is supplied by a utility company other than PG&E I encourage to reach out and inquire about the alerts, supports & resources they offer during power outages.
Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings: A tool that keeps us all safe
Helping to further reduce wildfire risk:
PG&E is evolving its wildfire prevention efforts for the safety of our customers and communities. This includes Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS).
Follow this link for informative videos on EPSS: https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/outages/enhanced-powerline-safety-settings/enhanced-powerline-safety-settings.page#epssvideo .
How it works:
- EPSS are advanced safety settings.
- These settings allow PG&E’s powerlines to automatically turn off power within one-tenth of a second.
- This can occur when there is a hazard, like a tree branch falling into a line.
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Increased safety:
- PG&E began implementing EPSS in July 2021. This year, they will be enabling settings when conditions indicate an increased potential for wildfires.
- Last year, they saw an 80% reduction in ignitions* on EPSS-enabled circuits in High Fire-Threat Districts (HFTDs), compared to the last three-year average.
*CPUC-reportable ignitions, as of December 31, 2021.
- That is why they are expanding the program to all power line miles in high fire-risk areas and nearby locations.
What to expect:
- These more sensitive settings will be enabled when elevated wildfire risk is present. This is most likely from May to November.
- This will help keep you safe but may also result in unexpected power outages.
- PG&E does not expect these settings to impact customer bills.
Outage causes:
- Outage causes resulting from enabled safety settings can vary, from equipment failure to an animal or vegetation striking the power line.
- Crews may be able to determine the cause of an outage while patrolling the circuit. However, outage causes may be ruled as undetermined.
- Undetermined causes could be the result of hazards, such as a tree branch or animal that struck the line. Sometimes these hazards are no longer present during patrols.
Customer support:
PG&E acknowledges how disruptive it is for customers to lose power. That is why they are working hard to support their customers and communities and reduce the impact of outages. These include:
Additional safety measures:
These adjustments are just one of the safety enhancements PG&E has put in place. Other efforts include:
- Beginning to underground 10,000 miles of powerlines. This will improve safety and reliability.
- Exceeding state vegetation standards. This helps to prevent trees and branches from falling into powerlines.
- Installing stronger poles and lines. This makes the electric grid safer and more resilient.
- Reducing the impact of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) with grid updates and weather forecasting improvements. This allows us to surgically target shutoffs.
PG&E’s commitment to your safety:
WHAT CAN CUSTOMERS EXPECT IF THEY EXPERIENCE AN OUTAGE?
- These settings may result in power outages for customers.
- Outages that result from these enhanced safety settings are not Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). PSPS outages are a last resort used to keep you safe. Customers will be notified before a PSPS takes place.
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NOTE: If a powerline is on your property, PG&E may need access to restore power. Please allow PG&E technicians access to patrol. The sooner they can patrol, the sooner power will be restored.
HOW IS PG&E SUPPORTING CUSTOMERS DURING OUTAGES?
PG&E is working hard to reduce the impact of losing power by:
- Providing portable batteries, generator rebates and backup power transfer meters.
- Notifying customers when an outage has occurred and when they can expect power to be restored.
- Leveraging ground and air patrols for quicker restoration times.
- Optimizing device sensitivity and other related settings to minimize the size and duration of outages.
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North Valley Hills Update
Dena Hernandez, Regional Manager (209) 473-6930
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CALLING ALL SELF-ADVOCATES! The California State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) is collecting stories from self-advocates as part of our efforts to
phase out subminimum wage.
Please share any experiences you have had working in sheltered workshops, and working for subminimum wage. We also want to hear about your dream job and career goals. No dream is too big. The sky's the limit!
You can share your stories online https://bit.ly/3tH81hm or use #CACIEDream when connecting with us on social media.
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How to connect to SCDD through Social Media | | |
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Family Resource Network (FRN) Update
Lisa Culley, Executive Director
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Sibshop is back in person! Sibshops provide brothers and sisters (ages 7-14) with peer support and information in a lively, recreational setting.
Sibshops are lively events where the participants will:
*Meet other sibs (usually for the first time);
*Have fun;
*Talk about the good and not-so-good parts of having a sib with special needs with others who “get it”;
*Play some great games;
*Explore how other brother and sisters handle sticky situations sometimes faced by brothers and sisters;
*Laugh
*Learn about the services their brothers and sister receive; and
*Have some more fun!
Please contact Family Resource Network at 209-472-3674 or FRNfamilies@frcn.org to request a registration packet and to answer any questions about Sibshop. The next Sibshop is scheduled for Friday, August 5, 2022, in Turlock.
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Local County, State and National Public Health Resources | | | | |
