As Louisiana transitions into Phase One of the national Plan to Reopen America, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) has released further guidance with respect to various congregate settings, including Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (ICF/DD).
Within the guidance, LDH continued to inform the various facilities that it is their responsibility to not only review relevant federal and state guidance, but to also review and modify their policies in response to that guidance. Furthermore, when these modifications to their policies take place, the facilities must notify residents and legal guardians/family members of these changes so that they are kept informed.
LDH included some specific policies that should be reviewed and that may require modification, such as:
- Visitor policies
- Policies for residents if families want to take the resident home for self-isolation (including policies for their return to the facility)
- Criteria for discharge and readmission
Disability Rights Louisiana (DRLA) was pleased to see that LDH confirmed that there needs to be a policy in each ICF/DD regarding “notification to residents/families if residents or staff test positive for COVID-19”, and that “there must be a notification of possible exposure.” LDH also made clear that the notification must be done in such a way as to not share personal or health information regarding the subject of the exposure (or anyone else). We believe that this type of transparency offers some peace of mind to family members and allows them to consider alternative placement of their loved one if they choose.
Additionally, LDH stipulated that any facility that needs to move any resident to another facility due to COVID-19 must notify the resident’s family (or responsible person), notify the LDH Heath Standards Section of the location of the resident, and ensure that any billing agreement originates from the resident’s original location.
Lastly, LDH followed up on May 11th with a piece of additional guidance from the Office of Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD) and the Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS) which extends statewide program closures for Adult Day Care Centers, Adult Day Health Care Centers, and Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) programs throughout the duration of Phase One of the national Reopen America Plan.
Provided the high risk nature of individuals with developmental disabilities and others who typically participate in the mentioned programs, along with the need for a better understanding of the prevalence of positive cases within the ICF/DD population, DRLA believes that the decision to keep these programs closed is the responsible measure to take.
Questions related to information in this article can be directed to Chris Rodriguez, Executive Director of DRLA: crodriguez@disabilityrightsla.org
