[Ohio-Talk] FW: Daily Clips, 4-20-20

[Smith, JW]

Please see below.

jw

Dr. jw Smith
School of Communication Studies
Scripps College of Communication
Ohio University
Schoonover Center
20 E. Union St,
Athens, OH 45701
smithj at ohio.edu<mailto:smithj at ohio.edu>
T: 740-593-4838

Every shut eye ain’t sleep.

Check out my latest book here<https://www.amazon.com/Back-Bus-Front-Classroom-Thirty-Year/dp/0578579677/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=from+the+back+of+the+bus+jw+smith&qid=1570358199&sr=8-1> and here<https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/from-the-back-of-the-bus-to-the-front-of-the-classroom-jw-smith/1133805213?ean=9780578579672>

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From: shirley.marchi at ood.ohio.gov <shirley.marchi at ood.ohio.gov>
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2020 12:40 PM
To: Carolyn Peters <dr.carolyn.peters at gmail.com>; Matt Sauer <matthew.sauer at uc.edu>; David.Baker at education.ohio.gov; shauna.dowdy at ood.ohio.gov; jegerhardt9 at gmail.com; margie.hegg at gmail.com; Lisa Hickman <lisah at ocecd.org>; carlo at loparopr.com; Alison McKay <amckay at disabilityrightsohio.org>; kevin.miller at ood.ohio.gov; johnmoore at dsc.org; Peter Moore <PMoore at opra.org>; Jeremy Morris <jmorris at ohiosilc.org>; Smith, JW <smithj at ohio.edu>; Karis Spence <Karis.Spence at huntington.com>
Cc: Kim.Jump at ood.ohio.gov
Subject: Daily Clips, 4-20-20

Hello Council Members,

Please see below Daily Clips.
Thank you.

Shirley Marchi
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities


Daily Clips, 4-20-20:


  *   Office of the Governor: Release: 4-17-20: Week in Review


  *   Office of the Governor: Release: 4-17-20: COVID-19 Update: Recovery Phase, Inmate Testing


  *   Bullet Point News from 4-17-20


  *   Statehouse News Bureau: Ohio May Have Hit Peak of COVID-19 Cases This Weekend


  *   The Columbus Dispatch: Coronavirus in Ohio: More than 1,800 inmates at Marion Correctional Test Positive


  *   The Blade: DeWine Calls for Federal Help with Testing Materials


  *   Loveland Magazine: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Continues to Assist Job Seekers


  *   The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Strains Safety net for People with Disabilities


  *   The Washington Post: Group Homes for Disabled Adults Grapple with the Spread of Coronavirus


Office of the Governor: Release: 4-17-20: Week in Review

WEEK IN REVIEW

Friday, April 17, 2020

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Week in Review

For the week ending April 17, 2020

Throughout the week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine was joined by Lt. Governor Jon Husted and Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton M.D., MPH, to announce decisions made regarding the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) throughout Ohio.

DeWine, Husted, Acton
On Monday, Governor DeWine announced that the Ohio Department of Health issued an order requiring long-term care facilities to notify residents and families within 24 hours of a resident or staff member testing positive for COVID-19.

In compliance with Ohio Department of Health orders designed to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, the in-person sale of liquor in the following counties is now restricted only to Ohio residents:

Ashtabula
Trumbull
Mahoning
Columbiana
Jefferson
Belmont
For an individual to purchase liquor in the aforementioned counties, that person must present a valid Ohio photo identification or a valid military photo ID for a person on active duty status.

Additionally, Lt. Governor Husted highlighted an executive order, signed by Governor DeWine last Friday, that provides nearly $5 million in emergency funding from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant to support Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks and the statewide hunger relief network.

Governor DeWine also authorized members of the Ohio National Guard to support Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) medical staff at the Pickaway Correctional Institution. They will also help provide care at the on-site long-term care center, which houses older inmates and those with chronic illnesses.

On Tuesday, Governor DeWine announced that his administration is submitting its first waiver application to the federal government, known as 1135 or Appendix K, to provide the needed flexibility to address this crisis.  This is in addition to the previous emergency measures taken by the Ohio Department of Medicaid to help increase access to healthcare for millions of Ohioans.

This waiver will allow Ohio to:

Bolster the use of telehealth and other technology for health assessments and care planning;
Waive signature requirements for a variety of providers to ensure safe distancing without compromising access to care;
Ease obstacles to access nursing home care;
Allow services to be provided at alternative locations; and
Remove staffing-level requirements to give providers more flexibility.
Dr. Acton announced that a new order has been issued that requires local health departments to provide to their jurisdictions' dispatch agency or agencies the names and addresses of COVID-19-positive individuals. Dispatch agencies are required to keep this information confidential.

On Wednesday, Governor DeWine announced that he has asked the Ohio Hospital Association to begin developing a plan to begin treating patients whose non-COVID-19 elective procedures were delayed or deferred due to the ongoing pandemic.

Lt. Governor Husted announced that by the end of next week, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) will be able to begin processing the additional $600-a-week payments authorized by the federal CARES Act.

ODJFS also plans to launch an online tool that will allow self-employed, 1099 workers to get in line early, so that as soon as they have the technological ability to process their claims, they will already have their paperwork in and be in line for review. The department expects to be able to begin processing those claims by May 15, 2020.

Additionally, Governor Mike DeWine announced the expansion of Ohio’s partnership with Battelle to extend their sterilization services to law enforcement agencies and EMS providers. Battelle is providing this service for free.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol developed a statewide collection and distribution system to make this process as simple as possible for local first responders.

Governor DeWine announced that a team of Ohio State University researchers created an in-house “recipe” to make the crucial VTM.

In addition, the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and Ohio State’s colleges of Medicine, Engineering, and Dentistry, along with the Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence, Infectious Diseases Institute, and Institute for Materials Research, collaborated with a national consortium that rapidly deployed a design and testing program for 3D printed testing swabs.

Ohio State is part of the academic-industry-government consortium led by Harvard, the U.S. Army, and the University of South Florida that designed the swabs.  Ohio State teams are working with 3D Manufacturing companies, including FormLabs, Inc. in Toledo, and academic institutes across the State of Ohio to manufacture these swabs and swab kits en-masse for the citizens of Ohio.

Governor DeWine has approved of the early release of 105 prison inmates in Ohio who had been scheduled to be released in the next 90 days.

Governor DeWine reminded Ohioans to complete the 2020 Census.

The U.S. Constitution mandates a census is held every 10 years to help determine how federal funds will be divided among the states. For more information, visit 2020Census.gov or call 844-330-2020.

On Thursday, Governor DeWine and Dr. Acton discussed how the state will develop its plan to reopen the economy. Beginning May 1st, the state will begin a phased-in reopening of the state economy.  The plan will be fact-driven over a long period of time to minimize the health risk to business owners, employees, and their customers. In consultation with Dr. Acton, Lt. Governor Jon Husted will lead the governor’s board of economic advisors to identify best practices, similar to the current requirements on essential business operations, to ensure Ohioans health and safety as businesses begin the process of reopening.

Governor DeWine also announced he will work closely with the Governors of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, and Kentucky to reopen the region’s economy in a coordinated way. The states will review four factors as they reopen their economies: the number of cases in the state and the number of hospital admissions, the amount of hospital capacity, the ability to test and trace cases of COVID-19, and best practices for social distancing in businesses.

On Friday, Governor DeWine reiterated that Ohio's recovery phase will be not start and end overnight. As Ohio begins to reopen, Governor DeWine stressed the need to balance:

Compliance with public health measures;
Implementation of safeguards in business; and
Protections for the most vulnerable Ohioans.
Restart
Comprehensive testing of inmates has begun at Marion Correctional Institution, Pickaway Correctional Institution, and Franklin Medical Center. Ohio is believed to be the first and only state in the country to conduct comprehensive testing in a state prison setting.

With comprehensive testing at these facilities, the Ohio Department of Health expects higher reports of COVID-19 as the testing identifies positive individuals who otherwise are asymptomatic or would recover without a test. For example, the testing of one prison dorm in Marion found that out of 152 inmates, 39 percent tested positive for COVID-19, although they did not show any symptoms.

As of Friday afternoon, there are 9,107 confirmed, and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 418 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 2,424 people have been hospitalized, including 740 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Video of today's full update, including versions with foreign language closed captioning, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel's YouTube page.

For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.

Check out another one of Governor DeWine's #InThisTogetherOhio videos.

–30–

MEDIA CONTACT:
Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957


Office of the Governor: Release: 4-17-20: COVID-19 Update: Recovery Phase, Inmate Testing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 17, 2020

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957
Breann Almos: 614-799-6480

COVID-19 Update: Recovery Phase, Inmate Testing
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Dr. Amy Acton, MD, MPH, provided the following updates on Ohio's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

RECOVERY PHASE UPDATE:

Governor DeWine reiterated today that Ohio's recovery phase will be not start and end overnight.

"We must continue to assume that everyone has this disease because it is not going away until we have a vaccine," said Governor DeWine. "As we gradually, carefully, and responsibly start to reopen Ohio, it will be important that we all continue to work together to protect each other."

As Ohio begins to reopen, Governor DeWine stressed the need to balance:

Compliance with public health measures;
Implementation of safeguards in business; and
Protections for the most vulnerable Ohioans.
The Path Forward to Restart
PRISON UPDATE:

Comprehensive testing of inmates has begun at Marion Correctional Institution, Pickaway Correctional Institution, and Franklin Medical Center. Ohio is believed to be the first and only state in the country to conduct comprehensive testing in a state prison setting.

With comprehensive testing at these facilities, the Ohio Department of Health expects higher reports of COVID-19 as the testing identifies positive individuals who otherwise are asymptomatic or would recover without a test. For example, the testing of one prison dorm in Marion found that out of 152 inmates, 39 percent tested positive for COVID-19, although they did not show any symptoms.

"While we know coronavirus does pose a specific threat to congregate settings, this comprehensive testing will give us insight on both how to best coordinate response at these facilities, as well as data and insight on how comprehensive testing within a cohort will affect testing numbers," said Governor DeWine. "I want Ohioans to know that these numbers do not necessarily indicate a new problem at these facilities, but simply wider testing."

Governor DeWine also announced that he denied 84 commutation requests and approved seven.

CURRENT OHIO DATA:

There are 9,107 confirmed, and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 418 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 2,424 people have been hospitalized, including 740 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Video of today's full update, including versions with foreign language closed captioning, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel's YouTube page.

For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.

–30–

Bullet Point News from 4-17-20

•          Ohio’s COVID-19 case data is below:
o          8,858 confirmed cases
o          249 probable cases
o          9,107 total cases
o          2,424 hospitalizations
o          401 confirmed deaths
o          17 probable deaths
o          418 total deaths
o          740 ICU admissions
o          More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE.

•          Governor DeWine reiterated today that Ohio's recovery phase will be not start and end overnight. As Ohio begins to reopen, Governor DeWine stressed the need to balance: compliance with public health measures; implementation of safeguards in business; and protections for the most vulnerable Ohioans.

•          Comprehensive testing of inmates has begun at Marion Correctional Institution, Pickaway Correctional Institution, and Franklin Medical Center. Ohio is believed to be the first and only state in the country to conduct comprehensive testing in a state prison setting. With this, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) expects higher reports of COVID-19 as the testing identifies positive individuals who otherwise are asymptomatic or would recover without a test. Governor DeWine also announced that he denied 84 commutation requests and approved seven.

•          Attached are checklists for cloth face coverings (masks) and decontaminating facepiece respirators.

•          Ohioans can apply for unemployment benefits online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at unemployment.ohio.gov. It is also possible to file by phone at 877-644-6562 or TTY at 888- 642-8203, Monday through Friday 7AM to 7PM, Saturday 9AM to 5PM, and Sunday 9AM to 1PM. Employers with questions should email UCTech at jfs.ohio.gov<mailto:UCTech at jfs.ohio.gov>.

As always, Coronavirus.Ohio.Gov and the Department of Health hotline, 1-833-4-ASK-ODH are great resources for those who have questions.


Statehouse News Bureau: Ohio May Have Hit Peak of COVID-19 Cases This Weekend

4-19-20 Karen Kasler

[https://www.statenews.org/post/ohio-may-have-hit-peak-COVID-19-cases-weekend<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.statenews.org%2Fpost%2Fohio-may-have-hit-peak-covid-19-cases-weekend&data=02%7C01%7Csmithj%40ohio.edu%7C5a6130d35d6e4deece0608d7e5498921%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637229976332765014&sdata=G5E4wDj9SPt7ne%2B0OWF0cdXqkNfaNn%2Bvl7G11dSgvSc%3D&reserved=0>]

Ohio’s number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 spiked to 11,292 Sunday – fueled in part by mass testing at three prisons. But the head of the institute that’s has been working with the state on modeling says this weekend may have been an important one in the fight against coronavirus.

The total of confirmed cases reported Sunday was 11,292, with the total of confirmed and suspected cases at 11,602. That's an increase of 1,353 confirmed cases over Saturday - but it also includes numbers coming in from mass testing at three Ohio prisons.

Michael Oglesbee is the Director of the Ohio State Infectious Diseases Institute. And he said Ohio may have hit the peak as forecast on April 19.

“We know there are many more infected individuals, but we don't know what that number is," Oglesbee said.

Oglesbee said that number could be 1,600, which was the model prediction that was released by the state on April 5, "or it could be some other number that the model prediction was based on cases where we actually have biological testing, and we have symptoms."

Oglesbee said the number matters to health care facilities that need to ensure they have capacity to treat people. But he cautioned people that using modeling to predict numbers is like trying to predict the stock market, when they should be looking for trends.

“Whether the number is 1,600 or 600, to some degree, it doesn't matter," Oglesbee said. "It matters to hospitals and health care facilities because they want to know that they have the capacity. But keep in mind that modeling is a bit like, you know, looking at daily trends in the stock market and trying to figure out what the trajectory is.”

Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton has repeatedly said that with limited testing, there is no way to determine how many cases of COVID-19 are in Ohio. But she and other experts have estimated that 70% of the population may eventually contract coronavirus.


The Columbus Dispatch: Coronavirus in Ohio: More than 1,800 inmates at Marion Correctional Test Positive

4-19-20  Patrick Cooley Jim Woods

[https://www.dispatch.com/news/20200419/coronavirus-in-ohio-more-than-1800-inmates-at-marion-correctional-test-positive<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dispatch.com%2Fnews%2F20200419%2Fcoronavirus-in-ohio-more-than-1800-inmates-at-marion-correctional-test-positive&data=02%7C01%7Csmithj%40ohio.edu%7C5a6130d35d6e4deece0608d7e5498921%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637229976332775003&sdata=etYrcrL73Ihz5SpvQ3p7oR%2FrQzTTgXWktl5RIAGKEgY%3D&reserved=0>]

The total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus rose to 11,602 cases on Sunday

Coronavirus has overtaken a vast majority of the prison population at the Marion Correctional Institution, state officials said Sunday.

The Ohio Department of Health reported more than 1,000 newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus across the state Sunday, bringing the total of confirmed and probable cases to 11,602. With 20 additional deaths, there have been 471 confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19, state officials said.

The number of hospitalizations rose to 2,565. Franklin County now has 1,442 confirmed cases and 30 confirmed deaths.

Much of the increase in cases has come from Ohio’s prison system, as more tests have come back, confirming that inmates and employees are infected.

Overall, the state’s prison system has recorded 2,426 positive results among inmates, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said. That number is 21% of the total confirmed cases in Ohio.

The majority of those cases are at the Marion Correctional Institution, where 1,828 inmates — 73% of the total — have tested positive for the virus, state officials say. The remaining 667 prisoners now are in quarantine. No deaths have been reported among inmates there.

Pickaway Correctional has 384 prisoners who have tested positive, and the number of reported deaths has increased to five, according to correction department statistics. The prison’s 1,614 other inmates are in quarantine.

In addition, 64 staff members at Pickaway Correctional have tested positive.

The Franklin Medical Center in Columbus is another hot spot; 103 inmate patients there have tested positive, and there has been one death. The 393 other inmate patients there are in quarantine. Among the staff, 46 members have tested positive.

“Throughout our mass testing process, we have found many individuals who are testing positive for COVID who are asymptomatic,” said JoEllen Smith, correction department spokeswoman.

Those who require additional care are being treated at hospitals near the prisons or at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The Ohio National Guard is providing medic support at Pickaway Correctional and will be sent to help at Marion Correctional as well, Smith said.

The state also has put most of its other institutions, which house more than 29,000 prisoners, in quarantine as a precaution.

Despite the increase in confirmed cases among inmates, the total seems to have leveled off in recent days. The number of deaths, though, is steadily rising.

Gov. Mike DeWine has pledged to begin reopening the state’s economy in phases beginning May 1, but health experts caution that testing must be widespread before businesses in the state can fully reopen.

Ohio is able to offer only limited testing at this time.

Protesters have congregated outside the Statehouse in recent days to demand that DeWine reopen the economy, and some Republican lawmakers have joined the calls for the state to allow businesses to open again.

The governor issued a statewide stay-at-home order in March that shuttered any business deemed nonessential. Grocery stores remain open, as do restaurants that agree to offer only carryout and delivery.

In an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning, DeWine said he recognizes that protesters have a First Amendment right to speak their minds, but he has asked demonstrators to observe social distancing to avoid spreading the virus.

“They were protesting against me yesterday, and that’s just fine,” DeWine said. “We’re going to do what we think is right, and that is try to open this economy, but do it very, very carefully.”

DeWine told Todd that Ohio could double or triple testing capacity if the FDA approved a reagent needed for test kits. DeWine appeared to confirm on Twitter on Sunday that the FDA had approved the reagent, but a spokesman for the governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

pcooley at dispatch.com<mailto:pcooley at dispatch.com>

@PatrickACooley

jwoods at dispatch.com<mailto:jwoods at dispatch.com>

@Woodsnight


The Blade: DeWine Calls for Federal Help with Testing Materials

4-19-20  Associated Press

[https://www.toledoblade.com/local/Coronavirus/2020/04/19/ohio-governor-calls-for-federal-help-with-testing-materials-1/stories/20200419100<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.toledoblade.com%2Flocal%2FCoronavirus%2F2020%2F04%2F19%2Fohio-governor-calls-for-federal-help-with-testing-materials-1%2Fstories%2F20200419100&data=02%7C01%7Csmithj%40ohio.edu%7C5a6130d35d6e4deece0608d7e5498921%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637229976332775003&sdata=1QNUG5evVMeucW1aQsv3fZjPInlDhXUKtYesFylAWK8%3D&reserved=0>]

COLUMBUS — The governor of Ohio is calling on the federal government to help provide crucial materials that would allow a dramatic increase in testing for coronavirus.

Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press that Ohio hospitals doing the testing lack needed chemicals known as reagents, and help from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is needed.

“I could probably double, maybe even triple testing in Ohio virtually overnight,” said Mr. DeWine, who called on the FDA to “prioritize companies that are putting a slightly different formula together for the extraction reagent kit.”

“We have worldwide shortage of some of the materials that go into this, so we really need help,” he said. “Anybody in the FDA is watching, this would really take our capacity up literally ... overnight.”

Governor DeWine, a Republican, referred to his having sought help several weeks ago with an issue involving sterilization of masks, and he said President Trump “got that done.” The FDA authorized a Columbus-based private research lab to deploy a system that can sanitize 160,000 face masks a day, after initially approving only 10,000 masks a day.

The Ohio Department of Health reported Sunday that there were 471 total confirmed and probable fatalities and 11,602 total cases that also count 310 probable cases according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s expanded case definition.

The department reported 2,565 patients in Ohio hospitals, with 765 patients admitted to intensive care units.


Loveland Magazine: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Continues to Assist Job Seekers

4-17-20 Loveland Magazine

[https://www.lovelandmagazine.com/opportunities-for-ohioans-with-disabilities-continues-to-assist-job-seekers/<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lovelandmagazine.com%2Fopportunities-for-ohioans-with-disabilities-continues-to-assist-job-seekers%2F&data=02%7C01%7Csmithj%40ohio.edu%7C5a6130d35d6e4deece0608d7e5498921%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637229976332784998&sdata=XOQFWsW25Yh7r1zMVnZmx8Ig4I7BQSj5pg21Gz3Cfx8%3D&reserved=0>]

In the past 4 weeks, OOD has placed 314 Ohioans with disabilities into jobs in customer service, food prep, stocking, and more

If you have a disability, can work, and want to work, reach out to Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) today. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors can help you explore your options, whether you desire to work right away or when the coronavirus pandemic subsides. Visit www.OODWorks.com<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oodworks.com%2F&data=02%7C01%7Csmithj%40ohio.edu%7C5a6130d35d6e4deece0608d7e5498921%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637229976332784998&sdata=vCVhOp51LwmsR3yyk7O5oUIE%2F30291ftP9b224W1M6U%3D&reserved=0> or call 800-282-4536 to get started.

A Video for a Special Fan

During the current coronavirus pandemic, OOD Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors are conducting ongoing outreach to program participants and have identified that they need additional support to navigate their current situation. In response, OOD has developed a new service: REACH (Refer, Educate, And Check-In), to support and assist participants in the engagement of community and statewide resources (such as food banks, mental health services, and telehealth options) during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Vocational Rehabilitation Providers offering this service will complete check-ins with OOD participants to identify their current needs, provide information to address those needs, and make corresponding referrals when needed.  They will also discuss the availability of employment opportunities identified on OOD’s Urgent Jobs List.

Providers interested in getting involved in REACH can read more on the OOD website. Individuals interested in getting started with OOD can visit www.OODWorks.com<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oodworks.com%2F&data=02%7C01%7Csmithj%40ohio.edu%7C5a6130d35d6e4deece0608d7e5498921%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637229976332794998&sdata=JhCkXOHxseDrxmArbhScRAveV6epfNwXkQ%2BStylkFEc%3D&reserved=0> or call 800-282-4536.


The Washington Post: Group Homes for Disabled Adults Grapple with the Spread of Coronavirus

4-18-20 Rebeca Tan

[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/group-homes-for-disabled-adults-grapple-with-the-spread-of-coronavirus/2020/04/18/ac2ecae2-7ff2-11ea-a3ee-13e1ae0a3571_story.html<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Flocal%2Fgroup-homes-for-disabled-adults-grapple-with-the-spread-of-coronavirus%2F2020%2F04%2F18%2Fac2ecae2-7ff2-11ea-a3ee-13e1ae0a3571_story.html&data=02%7C01%7Csmithj%40ohio.edu%7C5a6130d35d6e4deece0608d7e5498921%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637229976332794998&sdata=4TxBJZ6sqa%2FhCD1XpHvgPhJcXApRPgK7QLLWgN%2FVA5o%3D&reserved=0>]

Rosamund Thomas peeled off the latex gloves, washed her hands, and slumped onto a seat in the bathroom of the condominium where she works as a caretaker.

Working at a group home for adults with intellectual disabilities is often strenuous. But during the coronavirus pandemic, Thomas said, each day feels like walking a tightrope — a thin one, with no safety net.

When she steps into the three-bedroom condominium in suburban Montgomery County, Md., to feed, bathe and care for the three disabled residents, she worries about what she may have carried inside. And after her eight-hour shift, when she returns to her apartment in nearby Layhill, she wonders whether she might have brought anything home to Keith, her 16-year-old son.

“They are in their home. I am the one coming and going,” she said of her clients one recent afternoon. “If something should happen . . . ” her voice trailed off, and she began to cry.

“I can’t even imagine,” Thomas continued. “If they get sick, I have to live with this for the rest of my life.”

Thomas works for the Arc Montgomery County, which operates 36 group homes for developmentally disabled adults in a county of 1 million people.

Sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked in the newsletter are free to access.

The residences have been in lockdown since mid-March, with no visitors allowed and only staff moving in and out. But in the past two weeks, six residents have tested positive for the coronavirus, along with four caregivers. On April 11, one group home resident, a man in his 60s, died of COVID-19.

For the Arc and dozens of providers in the Washington region, the outbreak confirmed their worst fears about caring for some of society’s most vulnerable members with stretched-thin resources.

Thomas and other caregivers are paid just slightly more than minimum wage and frequently take shifts at multiple homes, increasing the risks of viral transmission. Their clients often have other underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to the virus.

Residents of group homes live in close quarters; some may not understand the importance of wearing masks or practicing social distancing, and many are not able to articulate whether they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

In harder-hit states like New York, the virus has spread through dozens of group homes and infected hundreds of developmentally disabled adults, who are dying at higher rates than the general population.

In the Washington region, providers who operate group homes have taken drastic steps to prevent outbreaks, with some wiping down surfaces and doorknobs every two hours. But the agencies say they are struggling with limited staff and equipment — a situation compounded by years of receiving less funding than requested from state and federal governments.

“We’re trying our best, but we really can’t do it alone,” said Deborah Mark, a spokeswoman for Arc. “Every year, we’ve had to fight and beg for money.”

An immigrant community faces a ‘catastrophic’ pandemic without help

Even before the coronavirus crisis, the Arc had 77 vacancies for “direct service professionals” like Thomas, whose pay has stayed relatively flat even as the state and county minimum wage grew. Starting pay in Montgomery is $13.15 an hour, just 15 cents above minimum wage.

Since the outbreak, at least 25 employees have stopped working, either because they are afraid or are self-isolating after possible exposure, Mark said. Managers have started covering some shifts, dropping by group homes to cook and care for residents.

Joe and Judy Pauley with their daughter Cecelia, who has Down syndrome and lives at an Arc group homes in Montgomery County. (Courtesy of Judy Pauley)

Judy and Joe Pauley of Potomac have spent years advocating for the state to allocate more funding to the Developmental Disabilities Administration, which helps to pay workers like Thomas. Earlier this week, they found out that their daughter Cecelia, who has Down syndrome and lives at an Arc group homes, tested positive for coronavirus.

“[The caretakers] are my substitute. They are mom when I’m not there,” said Judy, 83. “How can these be minimum wage jobs?”

Considered essential workers, caregivers have continued to work but have limited protection from the virus. Providers have struggled to obtain masks, gowns, and hand sanitizer, often resorting to sharing supplies after delayed or canceled orders.

At the Arc’s group homes, each of which house four to five people, most staff members work only with cloth masks. The few who have higher-quality protective equipment have sometimes had to reuse it, Mark said.

Montgomery’s health department, which distributed two weeks’ worth of protective equipment to all nursing homes, said there “are not immediate plans” to do the same at the county’s 200 group homes.

A spokesman for the department said the state has distributed protective equipment to its 2,400 group homes but did not respond to follow-up questions asking why multiple providers, including the Arc, report a lack of masks, gowns, and goggles.

“We’re kind of in last place,” Mark said. Protective personal equipment “has to go hospitals, first responders, nursing homes . . . and further down the list are group homes.”

Because caregivers often work multiple places, it can take just one outbreak for the virus to spread through a provider network. Daphne Pallozzi, chief executive for CHI Centers, which operates 17 group homes in Maryland, said caregivers may be “doubly exposing” or “doubly exposed.”

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Patience Ekpo, 60, has stopped working at one of the several group homes where she is normally employed to lower the risk of cross-contamination. She picked up additional shifts at another home because an individual there — a middle-aged man named Jimmy — keeps trying to leave the house and needs someone to watch him closely.

“He’s very sociable, very happy,” Ekpo said one recent afternoon from the house, which is located in Silver Spring. “He likes to go out and shake hands.”
As she was speaking, Jimmy headed for the door.

“Please, please,” Ekpo said to him through her cloth mask. “I’ll go out with you. Give me a minute, one minute.”

Jimmy stalled, then sat down, his brow furrowed.

“Are you angry? Don’t be angry,” Ekpo said coaxingly. “Thank you, my dear.”

Ekpo and others have taken on the parental role of dispelling the fears, anxieties, and boredom that come with quarantine. Pallozzi, of CHI Centers, said she purchased indoor games and activities — from bingo and adult coloring books to a box set of documentaries — but knows that these are stopgap measures.

“If we have to go through May, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” she said.

When Ekpo watches news reports on COVID-19, she said, she feels her heart palpitate. She is frightened of being a carrier but sees it as her duty to ensure that Jimmy stays safe.

Thomas said it is hard for her to imagine what would happen if she wasn’t able to care for her three residents. Who would know that one of them likes their cereal with strawberries and another with bananas? Who would know when they liked to go for walks or when to hold their hands?

As she spoke to a reporter by phone that afternoon during her shift, a television game show audible in the background, Thomas considered what would happen if one of the group home residents contracted the virus.

“An ambulance would come, and then they would be by themselves,” she said softly. “I wouldn’t be able to go.”

“Oh no,” Thomas whispered to herself. “No, no, no.”

A time of unprecedented fear for parents of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities


The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Strains Safety net for People with Disabilities

4-19-20 Elizabeth Koh

[https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-strains-safety-net-for-people-with-disabilities-11587310130]

Coronavirus Strains Safety Net for People With Disabilities

About one in four Americans has some form of disability, making them more vulnerable to Covid

By  Elizabeth Koh
April 19, 2020, 11:28 am ET

Damian Gregory worries about the things that have quickly become normal to worry about in the coronavirus era: Is there Clorox at the grocery store this week? When will social distancing end? Will he and his family stay healthy until a vaccine is found?

But the 46-year-old consultant and advocate, who has cerebral palsy, says he carries an extra layer of fear.

He has to worry if he will be able to navigate in his wheelchair at the store or arrange for services to transport him. He wonders when social distancing will end, so his twin brother, who has a more severe form of cerebral palsy, can welcome back the personal care assistant who used to help him wake, eat, dress, and go to work every day.

He worries most of all that he or his loved ones might be infected by a virus that has been particularly deadly for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. He and his brother live with their mother and aunts, who are in their 70s and have become caregivers for the twins even as they are socially distanced in their home near Kendall, Fla.

“When the able-bodied community gets the sniffles, we get pneumonia,” Mr. Gregory said of people with disabilities. “The difficulties are multiplied 10-fold.”

For millions of the nation’s people with disabilities, the retreat forced by the coronavirus is stripping away much of the patchwork safety net that helps them maintain independent lives.

About one in four Americans has some form of disability, and though a much smaller fraction have what is considered a severe condition, they are among the most vulnerable population for Covid-19.


Damian Gregory worries that he or his loved ones might be infected by coronavirus, which is particularly deadly to people with compromised immune systems.

Many live in group homes, and other institutions that provide round-the-clock nursing care or supervision, facilities that have proven susceptible to the virus’ spread. Scores of such facilities have reported cases, from New York to Illinois to California. In Texas, at least 54 residents and 47 staff members at one state-run facility, the Denton State Supported Living Center, have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

People with disabilities are also uniquely at risk, in part because many have additional chronic conditions that can weaken their immune systems. Because of their disability status, they also harbor fears their medical care could be rationed if they do contract the coronavirus—and be denied treatment if lifesaving equipment like ventilators run short. Some states have assembled ethics guidelines for providers who may have to decide who gets treatment if resources are limited, favoring the patient more likely to have the better outcome.

Those who continue to live in their own homes and communities often do so through a painstakingly pieced-together network of caregivers and providers who help them complete daily activities, from eating and bathing to cleaning and traveling. Such providers are the definition of social closeness, building ties that keep an otherwise isolated population connected.

But the virus has forced many people with disabilities to ask those home aides and assistants to stop visiting, fearing they might unintentionally carry the virus.

Nonurgent medical treatments have been put on hold, indefinitely postponing appointments like physical therapy or checkups that many need to stay in shape. The self-described lucky ones have families that are stepping back into caregiving—often aging parents or older relatives who can also be vulnerable to the disease.

It all strains a group that already struggles to make ends meet and often feels unseen, advocates, and people with disabilities say.

Like many initially faced with the virus, Sarah Goldman said she hoped taking sensible precautions against spreading germs would be enough.

Ms. Goldman, who uses a wheelchair and has cerebral palsy, said she used to have six rotating caregivers who would come by her apartment in St. Petersburg, Fla., daily to help her get up, prepare for the day, then return and help her with similar tasks in the evening.

At first, she asked, “the girls,” as she called her caregivers, to bring their own utensils and towels with every visit to minimize the spread of germs.

“I had them wash their hands every single time they came into the house,” Ms. Goldman recalled.

The Gregory brothers live in Miami-Dade County with their mother and aunts, who are in their 70s and have become caregivers for them.

When restaurants began to shut down, and her city neared a stay-at-home order, Ms. Goldman, 28 years old, said she knew she needed to make sure she and her caregivers remained healthy. They agreed to suspend her caregiving services, and Ms. Goldman moved back in with her parents in nearby Tampa.

She is grateful her parents can help, she added, noting not everyone has that option.

But “my whole life is now different,” she said. “My whole independence has gone away.”

Many of the social resources that people with disabilities rely on at group settings like long-term care facilities are strained, said Jim DeBeaugrine, whose brother-in-law Peter Prater has Down syndrome.

“It’s not just a risk—it’s all-consuming,” said Mr. DeBeaugrine, a consultant on disability issues and former Florida disabilities agency head. “It’s affected our workforce, it’s affected all the natural support systems that our people have come to rely on. It’s affecting providers’ ability to provide services that are critical.”

His brother-in-law, he said, had moved into a group home a few years ago after having strokes that prompted his need for 24-hour nursing care. But group activities continued to enrich his life until the virus also shut those down.

Mr. Prater was recently diagnosed with Covid-19 and is recuperating in a nearby hospital.

Mr. Gregory, the disability advocate, and consultant says he fears what would happen if he gets the disease. He has a history of pulmonary embolism, in addition to his existing condition.

To minimize his and his family’s exposure, he said they recently started receiving Instacart deliveries, though the platform nationwide has had delays as it seeks to recruit additional shoppers to meet demand.

Meanwhile, much of his limited income has also dried up—the consulting work from which he made most of his living has seen “everything from now until August canceled,” he said.