Hello Caregivers and Clients,

Thank you all for your continued support and dedication in doing our best to keep our clients and team members safe and healthy!

We continue to monitor the public health information from official authorities, such as the CDC website for new insights. This current environment reflects uncertainties about and risks of the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.

As always, we continuously improve our processes to ensure safety. We have added a few more questions to the health check, which applies to both team members and client/household members. We appreciate your assistance in implementing these measures.

Here is the latest from the CDC and information about how our Health Checks relate to the CDC information.

 

Watch for Symptoms

 Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. These symptoms* may appear 2-14 days after exposure (based on the incubation period of MERS-CoV viruses). The CDC now states that people who develop symptoms may be contagious during the period from 48 hours before symptoms onset.

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

People at Higher Risk for Severe Illness          

Based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

This includes:

• People aged 65 or older
• People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility
• People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
• People who have serious heart conditions
• People who are immunocompromised
• People with diabetes
• People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis

When to Seek Medical Attention

If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include***:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

As part of our risk mitigation, Pathways Autism Center Health Checks include questions and steps to measure the existence of these symptoms.

• These steps check information about the care environment for ABA therapy.
• We especially count on the temperature check as an indicator of risk and appreciate your taking your child’s and your own temperature with your family’s own thermometer.
• Our team members are doing the same with their own thermometer, as well.
• At the very least, we are recording subjective indicators of a potential fever as indicated by the CDC (evidence of flushing, hot face skin to the touch of the back of the hand).
• Team members must stay home if they feel sick or, if not sick, have been designated to stay home per the CDC COVID - 19 risk framework.
• Families and caregivers should cancel if the client or person in the home is sick.

 

This table provides CDC guidance for your consideration:

**Close contact is defined by the CDC as:

a) Being within approximately 6 feet (2 meters) of a COVID-19 case for a prolonged period of time (Recommendations vary on the length of time of exposure from 10 minutes or more to 30 minutes or more.); close contact can occur while caring for, living with, or sharing a healthcare waiting area or room with a COVID-19 case

-or-

b) Having direct contact with infectious secretions of a person with confirmed COVID-19 (e.g.,

being coughed on)

Who Should Be Tested

Not everyone needs to be tested for coronavirus /COVID-19. Here is some information that might help in making decisions about seeking care or testing.

• Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home.
• There is no treatment specifically approved for this virus.
• Testing results may be helpful to inform decision-making about whom you come in contact with.

As part of our risk mitigation, the Pathways Autism Center Health Checks include the question of whether anyone in the household has had such a coronavirus / COVID-19 test.

General Guidance

 We believe people can be willing or unwilling, as well as able or unable to do a role. Based on their own situation, a team member can choose to inform Pathways that they are unwilling and/or unable to work during this time given COVID-19. This is a personal choice and each individual needs to make the decision that is right for them.Pathways supports each person’s decision to do what is best for them.

Based upon your own situation, each family can choose to receive or not receive services at this time. Status with Pathways will not be impacted and funding sources have waived their requirement of discharging clients on hold given the current situation. Families can also choose to receive Telehealth services based on funding source and appropriateness.

Other risk mitigation measures we are taking include:

Pathways Team Member Preventative/Infection Control Procedures
	Team members complete regular health checks
	Team members are to wash their hands at the start and end of session
	Staying home when sick (e.g., fever) and cancelling services per the illness guidelines
	Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
	Washing hands especially after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, going to the bathroom, or before preparing or eating food
	Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available
	Covering the nose and mouth with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) or bend/crook of the arm when sneezing or coughing
	Reduce physical contact (e.g., no high fives, handshakes)
	Team members should not bring toys across client homes at this time.
	Limit number of team members working with each client
	Routinely cleaning frequently touched surfaces

 

Risk mitigation measures we need you to do

Caregiver Preventative/Infection Control Procedures
	Participate in regular health checks
	Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
	Canceling services per the illness guidelines or if a household member is sick
	Regularly washing hands for 20 seconds with soap and water (length of A-B-C song)
	Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
	Washing hands especially after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, going to the bathroom, or before preparing or eating food
	Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available

	Covering the nose and mouth with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) or bend/crook of the arm when sneezing or coughing
	Non-essential visitors and participants will be limited
	Only one parent/caregiver participate in session
	Ensure common areas in the home have been cleaned and disinfected daily, including frequently touched surfaces (e.g., tables, countertops, handles, doorknobs, light switches, faucets)

 

Risk mitigation measures we need to support each other in doing

Joint Preventative/Infection Control Procedures
	Increase space between people as much as possible (e.g., have a table between people, home inhabitants locate to other rooms of the home during session)
	Limit number of team members in the home at one time
	Follow stay at home / shelter in place mandates
	Sustaining trust by communicating information with each other

 

Where shelter in place or stay at home orders exist, we expect that our team members comply. In addition, we are counting on caregivers to share if there are circumstances or instances where such measures have not been practiced in the household so that we can inform our decision making.

Thank you for being patient, collaborative, and flexible during this time.

Reference: Center for Disease Control (CDC) www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/index.html (CDC)

In addition, the chart posted at the following location was used. https://www.healthyhorns.utexas.edu/coronavirus_exposure_action_chart.html?utm_campaign=PRES_ FY19-20_Newsletter_Texas-News-4-3-20_EML&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua