The Center recognizes its responsibility to protect the health of the people we serve, our employees and members of the greater community. This protocol has been developed to be followed addressing on-site visitation by outside family members and service providers (Care Managers, etc.) as per OPWDD guidelines. Service recipients and their families will be expected to follow these guidelines in order to insure safe and enjoyable visits. Specifically, steps in implementing this protocol include, but are not limited to:

  • All such visitation can occur during regular visitation hours; specifically, daily from 10:00a – 6:00p.
  • All such visitation needs to be prearranged and scheduled by family members with house management.
  • In order to maintain safety, social distancing is recommended. Outdoor visits will be encouraged as appropriate. Indoor visits should take place in a designated area, ideally a single bedroom. The use of masks is expected of all participants during the visit, regardless of vaccination status. Staff will implement the universal disinfectant protocol to the area used after each visit.
  • To insure safety, only one family unit will be allowed to visit the facility at any one time. Such family units must be limited to no more than three persons at a time. No family member being younger than 18 years of age are to be allowed entry, outside of special circumstances needing Executive approval.
  • All visitors will be expected to participate in an initial health “Daily Staff Check” screening, following the same pre-entry “Daily Staff Check” protocol as staff. The results of this “Daily Staff Check” screening are to be documented on the programs’ “Daily Staff Check” form for the day.
  • During the visit, all family members will be expected to wear Personal Protective Equipment, specifically regarding masks. The use of gloves and gowns is at the discretion of the visitor. All such PPE will be supplied by the agency as needed, but will need to be discarded by the family members on their own accord.
  • Management staff are expected to forward any person expressing issues or problems with any of the limitations or prohibitions contained in this protocol to their immediate supervisor and/or responsible Executive or Quality Assurance for further discussion.
  • The appropriate administrator will insure that this protocol is relayed to all involved staff persons within 24 hours of its adaption. All such staff training will be documented within a house record for later review.
  • The appropriate administrator will insure that this protocol is relayed to all involved families within 24 hours of its adaption, in the most family-accommodating way possible; via email, fax, phone etc.; via the attached letter. All such notification of families will be documented within a house record for later review.

This protocol is strictly in the context of on-site visitation by non-agency persons; particularly family members, and is in no way inclusive of any other expectations, such as residents leaving the facility grounds and/or overnight visits and returning, on-site visitation by other agency support personnel or vendors outside of already established protocols.

This visitation protocol will need to be suspended for any program location that becomes quarantined due to any health-related issue.