COVID-19 Safety Plan
for Certified Day Program Reopening
Agency Legal Name
Agency Address
Day Program Type
Certified Site
Community, without Walls
Day Habilitation Prevocational
Day Treatment Respite
Sheltered Workshop
Operating Certificate
Number
Site Address
(certified sites only)
Certified Capacity
(certified sites only)
Primary Contact Name
Primary Contact
Email and phone
The program’s Safety Plan must describe procedures to operate the certified day program site or
deliver day program service in accordance with the guidance document, Interim Guidance
Regarding the Reopening of Day Services Certified by the Office for People With Developmental
Disabilities. This document provides the outline to utilize for development of the Safety Plan (or
future revision).
Some requirements may not be applicable to community-based services.
Please submit the written safety plan for each program to OPWDD prior to the reopening at
quality@opwdd.ny.gov. In addition, for each safety plan, a completed Day Program Site
Attestation must also be submitted. OPWDD will maintain copies of the plans for our records.
OPWDD will not be providing approvals of agency plans.
Certified Sites must also maintain a copy of the program’s Safety Plan on premises available to
facility staff, OPWDD and local health authorities upon request. Community day program services
(non-site based, without walls) must also make a copy of the Safety Plan available upon request.
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New Hope Community Inc.
5 New Hope Community Drive, Loch Sheldrake, NY 12759
04520650
Bethany Huebsch
(845) 434-8300 ext. 236
BHuebsch@newhopecommunity.org
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SAFETY PLAN COMPONENTS
NOTE: Guidance bullets below are not a substitute for provider review and adherence to
content of Interim Guidance Regarding the Reopening of Day Services Certified by the Office
for People With Developmental Disabilities
Signage applies to certified sites and other locations controlled by the provider
Ensure program building entrances have signs that alert that non-essential visitors are
not allowed.
Ensure signs are posted throughout the program building to provide instruction on the
critical COVID-19 transmission prevention and containment activities identified in the
companion document Interim Guidance Regarding the Reopening of Day Services
Certified by the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities.
Identify how you will ensure the above and any related strategies:
A. Entrance to Site Based Programs
Pre-Entry/Pre-Participation Screening:
Screen all individuals, staff, and essential visitors prior to entry into the day program site
and/or participation in services/service delivery:
o per infection control standards for protection of screener and screened person,
o to include temperature check and required questions on exposure and COVID-19
Symptoms, per NYS DOH and OPWDD guidance documents.
Maintain daily documentation of all screening of individuals, staff and visitors in
compliance with OPWDD and NYS guidance and policy.
Response to Signs and Symptoms and Departure:
Safe management of any individual, staff or visitor who fails initial/pre-program screening
or is exhibiting signs or symptoms during service delivery, to include:
o Facilitating departure as soon as possible, and
o Safely manage separation from people not exhibiting symptoms, until they depart.
Ensure instruction is provided to any individual or staff sent home due to symptoms to
contact their health care provider and written information on healthcare and testing
resources.
Ensure the day program immediately notifies the local health department and OPWDD
about the suspected case.
Participation and Return to Program/Service:
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Ensure staff members know to report and how to report positive COVID-19 test results,
exposure/possible exposure, and signs and symptoms to their supervisor.
Ensure individuals do not participate in day services while they or a member of their
household or certified residence is being quarantined or isolated.
Maintain medical documentation allowing an individual or staff member who was
COVID-19 positive to return to program site/services.
Ensure any return of an individual or staff to programs/services occurs only in adherence
to OPWDD and NYS DOH guidance regarding quarantine periods and fever free
durations.
Identify how you will ensure the above and any related strategies:
B. Social Distancing Requirements:
Ensure effective practices to facilitate social distancing when distancing is not
possible, including the following:
Reduction of total number of individuals served at one time, in order to reduce congestion
and facilitate easier social distancing;
Plans to maintain no more than 50% occupancy in small/confined spaces within a
program, such as a staff break room;
Potential use of physical barriers within site-based spaces;
Planned use, capacity and arrangement of furniture and/or work equipment in program
rooms, workspaces and meal and seating areas to allow for social distancing of at least
six feet apart in all directions (i.e. 36 square feet) and limit density. (Note an individual’s
needs may require individual to staff distance to be less than six feet);
Use of signage and floor markers/distance markers denoting spaces of six feet
throughout program area spaces, common spaces, waiting areas, entry, exits and other
areas of travel;
Facilitate one directional foot traffic where necessary in narrow spaces, using tape or
signs with arrows;
Install physical barriers, as appropriate, especially when physical distancing is not
feasible between program/workspaces;
Support and education of individuals to learn physical distancing/use of markers, patterns
of movement, and other program strategies;
Maintain a staffing plan to prevent employees who should need to “float” between
different rooms or different groups of individuals, unless such rotation is necessary to
safely support individuals due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g. staff absence).
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Provide adequate space and operational practices (e.g. staggered break times) for staff
to adhere to social distancing while completing independent tasks (i.e. paperwork) and
when taking breaks (i.e. eating or smoking).
Identify how you will ensure the above and any related strategies:
C. Gatherings in Enclosed Spaces
Modifications to day program/service hours as needed, to allow blocks of service
provision while maintaining reduced capacity and group size.
Planned group size, which will be limited to no more than fifteen (15) individuals who
receive services. The restriction on group size does not include employees/staff.
Ensure the group (≤15) of individuals receiving services and staff working with them are
as static as possible.
Ensure that different stable groups individuals and staff, have no or minimal contact with
one another and do not utilize common spaces at the same time, to the greatest extent
possible.
Stagger staff and/or individual meal and break times to maintain social distancing.
Adhere to social/physical distancing practices identified in the safety plan.
Prohibit shared food and beverages and buffet style dining.
Require that food brought from home must require limited preparation (i.e. heating in
microwave) during day services and be packed appropriately.
Ensure reusable food utensils and storage containers are washed in the dishwasher on
the hottest wash and dry setting.
Identify how you will ensure the above and any related strategies:
D. Day Program Schedules and Activities
Modifications to day program/service hours as needed, to allow blocks of service
provision while maintaining reduced capacity and group size.
Staff will continue social distancing practices including maintaining at least 6 feet social distance from others.
Staffing Plan has been put in place to ensure that staff are not required to float between different groups of
individuals unless a floatation is critical to the safety of the individuals due to unforseen circumstance.
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Focus on activities with little or no physical contact and which do not rely on shared
equipment, to the extent possible.
Schedule individual’s activities to reduce density and allow for social distancing.
Identify how you will ensure the above and any related strategies:
E. Personal Protective Equipment:
Ensure all staff wear an appropriate cloth or disposable face mask/covering that covers
both the mouth and nose, at all times while providing services, consistent with all current
Executive Orders and OPWDD guidelines (unless medically contraindicated / not
tolerated.
Ensure all essential visitors wear a face mask or covering, providing a facemask onsite at
no cost, if visitors do not have their own which meets requirements.
Support individuals receiving services to wear face coverings, as tolerated, whenever
social distancing cannot be achieved.
Maintain an adequate supply of required PPE on site (and available to staff for when
needed for community-based services) to minimally include masks and gloves, and with
gowns and face shields as needed.
Train all staff on proper use of PPE including when necessary to use, donning, doffing,
disposing and/or reusing and sanitizing when appropriate.
Retain documentation of trainings in the employees’ personnel files and per agency
procedures.
Identify how you will ensure the above and any related strategies:
F. Hygiene and Cleaning
Personal Hygiene to Reduce Transmission:
A calendar will be generated by supervisory position that ensures groups are scheduled at different venues and
activities. This will ensure that groups do not overlap during their provided service time. Activity kits have been
developed by Assistant Program Managers to decrease the need for any "sharing" of program items. Should an
item require sharing, it will be disinfected between groups by Day Program staff.
All Day Hab staff are required to wear a mask or face covering while on shift. Additional masks and gloves have
been stored and made available as needed.
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Ensure strict adherence to hygiene requirements to reduce transmission as advised by
NYS DOH and the CDC.
Provide and maintain hand hygiene stations at each location to include:
o Handwashing: soap, running warm water, and disposable paper towels.
o Hand sanitizing: alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol for
areas where handwashing facilities may not be available or practical, and where the
need for frequent hand sanitizing is expected;
Train staff to wash their hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
using techniques per NYS DOH and CDC guidance, including the conditions that require
handwashing.
Support individuals to wash their hands frequently/when needed, with soap and water, for
at least 20 seconds using appropriate techniques as tolerated.
Encourage and facilitate use of hand sanitizers by staff and individuals upon arrival to and
departure from program and through the day, providing supervision/support of use by
individuals as needed.
Address any individualized needs affecting the unsupervised availability of hand sanitizer.
Cleaning and Disinfection of Environment, Equipment and Supplies:
Strictly adhere to sanitation requirements as advised by NYS DOH guidance documents.
Implement the following minimum standards regarding cleaning and sanitizing:
o Frequent cleaning and rigorous disinfection of high-risk areas/high touch surfaces;
o Use of only EPA registered products for disinfecting non-porous surfaces;
o Adhere to proper dwell times for all cleaners, sanitizers and disinfectants per
manufacturer recommendations as indicated on the product label; and
o Ensure adequate ventilation to prevent inhaling toxic fumes.
o Maintain site cleaning logs indicating the date, time, and scope of cleaning.
o Keep cleaning products, sanitizers and disinfectants secure and out of reach of
individuals who may misuse;
o Safely and immediately discard used gloves, paper towels or other disposable items
after sanitizing or disinfecting, tied in a trash bag and removed from the environment.
o Clean and disinfect all areas and equipment used by a person exhibiting symptoms
upon their departure from the area and prior to use of the area or equipment by other
individuals or staff.
o PPE use and hand hygiene when cleaning and disinfecting causes safety hazards.
o Provide ventilation with outside air safely and when possible.
Limit use of shared objects/equipment. Ensure shared items are cleaned and/or sanitized
after each use. Require hand hygiene before/after contact and glove use when feasible.
Prohibit use of items/objects that cannot be cleaned and sanitized (i.e. soft object, cloth
placemats, etc.) unless clinically required.
Prohibit bringing personal items from home, except when clinically necessary, then have a
plan for regular cleaning and disinfection including immediately prior to departure.
Identify how you will ensure the above and any related strategies:
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G. Transportation
Ensure that the following measures are implemented for the transport of individuals to/from
day services to reduce COVID-19 transmission risk, when providing or contracting for
transportation:
Ensure only individuals and staff from the same facility will be transported together;
preventing individuals or staff from other residences to be intermingled whenever
possible;
Reduce capacity on buses, vans, and other vehicles to 50% of total capacity;
As possible, stagger arrival and departure times to reduce entry and exit density.
To the extent possible, restrict close contact of individuals and staff by not sitting near
each other or the driver.
If there are multiple doors in a bus or van, utilize one-way entering and exiting. Provide
instruction for individuals to exit the vehicle one at a time and wait for driver or staff
instruction before doing so.;
Ensure staff and the driver always wear face coverings in the vehicle. Ensure staff who
cannot medically tolerate the use of a face covering are not assigned to transport
individuals.
To the extent they can medically tolerate one, support individuals to wear masks in
vehicles.
After each trip is completed, clean and disinfect the interior of the vehicle before
additional individuals are transported; and
Where appropriate and safe, roll windows down to permit air flow.
Identify how you will ensure the above and any related strategies:
Vehicle occupancy will never exceed 50% of max capacity. Individuals and staff will restrict close contact when in
vehicle by not sitting near eachother or the driver to the extent possible. All staff scheduled to transport individuals
at this time will wear a mask. Individuals will be encouraged to utilize masks during transporation as tolerated.
After each trip is completed the vehicle will be cleaned thoroughy and be documented on the tracking sheet. To
the fullest extent possible and as tolerated individuals being supported will utilize one entrance and exit for the
vehicle. When appropriate and safe windows will be rolled down to permit air flow.
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H. Tracing and Tracking
Notify the local health department and OPWDD immediately upon being informed of any
positive COVID-19 test result by an individual or staff at their site.
If a staff or visitor test positive, procedures for day service cooperation with the local
health department to trace all contacts in the workplace and notify the health department
of all staff, individuals and visitors who entered the facility dating back to 48 hours before
the positive person began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or tested positive,
maintaining confidentiality as required by federal and state law and regulations.
Identify how you will ensure the above and any related strategies:
ADDITIONAL SAFETY PLAN MEASURES:
Please use this space to provide additional details about your program’s Safety Plan, if
appropriate.
In the case of positive test results, Day program provider will follow all New Hope Community policy and
procedures as well as local health department guidelines as it relates to reporting guidelines for COVID-19.