LCBDD COVID-19 Response Update

As of June 2, 2021

As Ohio continues to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities will monitor guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Ohio Department of Health and the Licking County Health Department.

On June 2, Ohio’s public health orders regarding masks will be lifted. Members of the public will no longer be required to wear a face covering in the building. If they would like to continue to wear a face covering, they certainly can do so and disposable masks will be available in the lobby.

Our agency has established a Continuity of Operations plan (that will be updated at https://lickingcounty.gov/covid_19_notice.htm ) and our Leadership Team is meeting regularly to respond to new information.

Please be aware that aspects of this plan may change. We will continue to update our community as needed.

Visits

• Starting June 2, LCBDD will provide people we support options for how they would like to meet.
• If a person would like to use Zoom or phone conferencing to meet, LCBDD will accommodate that request.
• If a person would like to meet in person, LCBDD will accommodate that request.
• Masks can be worn at the request of the person we support or their family. LCBDD staff members may also choose to wear a mask, based on their personal preference.
• Along with masks, LCBDD staff members will continue to be provided with sanitizing items, cleaning supplies and disposable styluses as needed.
• During some visits, a hybrid format may be used — meaning some participants will attend in person and some will attend by phone or Zoom.
• If anyone in the family is experiencing any COVID-like symptoms leading up to the visit, we ask that they contact LCBDD to reschedule.

E.S. Weiant meetings and operations

• In some meetings, a hybrid format may be used — meaning some participants will attend in person and some will attend by phone or Zoom.
• If meeting participants are experiencing any COVID-like symptoms leading up to the meeting, we ask that they contact LCBDD to reschedule.
• The E.S. Weiant Center is open to the public, and will continue to be staffed during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday) Our on-call service coordinators can continue to be reached after hours by calling 211, to assist with emergencies.

Forms and documents

• If you have a document to drop off or pick up, please come into the lobby and the administrative specialist should be able to assist you.

Office procedures:

• Hand sanitizer is available throughout our building for visitors. Our staff has been asked to use it frequently and wash their hands often with soap and water.
• Our staff members have been equipped with cleaning supplies and meeting spaces will be wiped down after each use.

Vaccines:

• Vaccination status of people we support, their family members and/or LCBDD staff members is not a factor in offering and providing in-home visits and services. We believe that health care choices are personal decisions, therefore we are not asking people we support or their families about their vaccination status nor are we sharing ours. Virtual services will remain available for people we support and their families if they are not comfortable having people in their homes.
• For more information about COVID-19 vaccinations, please go to https://lcountydd.org/covid-19-vaccine-information/ or visit the Licking County Health Department website at https://lickingcohealth.org/.

Providers:

• We would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our providers and their willingness to work together during this difficult situation. They are making challenging choices to keep people safe.
• We have established a dedicated webpage for providers that will be continuously updated with information. Please visit lcountydd.org/covid-19-for-our-providers/.
• LCBDD’s Provider and Transition Supports department is working with providers to offer support and will be checking in with them on a regular basis.

Resources:

The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities has started a webpage to help families, providers and county board employees stay informed about COVID-19. Check it out for the latest: https://dodd.ohio.gov/…/our-…/resource-dodd-covid-19-support

For additional information regarding COVID-19 please go to: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

The state of Ohio has established a website for resources and information: coronavirus.ohio.gov.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has also opened a call center to answer questions regarding coronavirus (COVID-19). The call center will be open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and can be reached at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).

CDC information in other languages can be found here: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/pubs/other-languages?Sort=Lang%3A%3Aasc

Videos about COVID-19 in American Sign Language can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvrp9iOILTQatwnqm61jqFrsfUB4RKh6J

A plain language resource on COVID-19 can be found here: https://lcountydd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Plain-Language-Information-on-Coronavirus1.pdf

A plain language resource for vaccine info can be found here: https://lcountydd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Plain-Language-Ohios-COVID-19-Vaccination-Program.pdf