Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Dear Residential Providers & Family Members,
Over the past months some families temporarily brought their loved one home from a Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) or Intermediate Care Facility (ICF/DD) for support and care during the Stay at Home Executive Order. The DD Division has supported these decisions and appreciates the commitment to staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As has been communicated, CILA providers serving individuals who have gone back to a family or other caregiver home, and who will surpass 60 days of consecutive bed hold, will be allowed an additional 30 days (up to a total of 90 days bed hold) as needed. The Division does not have the ability to extend the bed hold past 90 paid days for providers.
As Illinois enters Phase 3 of the Governor's Restore Illinois Plan, the Division is working through how to safely resume a full range of services, supports and activities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Division is approaching the reopening cautiously -- with safety and everyone's quality of life in mind.
The Division believes individuals who are residing outside of their residential setting should begin the process of returning to their CILA or ICF-DD services. As a part of this conversation, providers should determine what safe, socially distant, visitation looks like. The Division realizes one size does not fit all, so thoughtful and deliberate discussions need to begin as soon as possible to develop and finalize plans for each individual's return, and may possibly include the Individual Service Coordination Agency (ISC).
Please note: The Division strongly recommends that individuals who are staying with families should return to the CILA or ICF/DD only when they plan to remain there long-term. The Division discourages short-term returns in order to limit the risk of spreading COVID-19.
Some potential discussion points could include:
Questions that residential providers should consider posing to families:
- Did the individual ever become infected with COVID19?
- Did anyone in the family home become infected with COVID19?
- Has the person or other family members been tested for COVID19? If tested what was/were the date(s) of the test(s)? Were the test results for COVID19 negative or positive?
- How well does this person tolerate wearing a mask? What are strategies to support mask wearing outside of the home?
- What is/are the individual/family's specific and quantifiable concern(s) in returning to residential services and supports?
- What can be done or put in place to address specific and quantifiable concerns?
Questions families should consider posing to the residential provider:
- Has anyone living or working (residents and/or staff) at the specific residential site been tested for COVID19? What were the results?
- What is the residential provider's ability to obtain and maintain supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for both staff and residents?
- What additional sanitation and cleaning procedures has the residential provider put into place since COVID19?
- Can the residential provider obtain and maintain enough cleaning supplies to disinfect frequent touch surfaces and shared rooms and items to minimize cross contamination?
- What is/are the residential provider's specific and quantifiable concern(s) before this person returns to residential services and supports?
- Has the agency implemented any new rules, regulations, requirement, processes or procedures the person returning to residential services needs to be informed of, and agree to, prior to returning to residential services?
- What are the visitation policies ongoing?
For all of us at the Division we want to express continuing gratitude and appreciation to providers, individuals, and the families and provider staff who have been providing supports during these challenging and unprecedented times.
Warmly,
Allison Stark
Director, Division of Developmental Disabilities
