First day back to work at the Elmore Center in July.

The transition process for JCDS day services at the Elmore Center has slowly progressed over the past month, and we have added just a few more people to the program since the last update. With very few exceptions, the people who have been given the opportunity to return to the Elmore Center live with their families or independently and we have remained very cautious about including those in group living.

Due to the drastic increase in new cases that Johnson County has seen through June and July, we made the decision to hold on the next phase of transition until we see a 14-day downward trend in the new cases per day and the percent positive per day. Information can be found on the JoCo COVID-19 dashboard under Gating Criteria.

The Day Service Transition team meets weekly and discusses this information and the overall transition plan. When we are at a point of resuming the next planned phase, we will first address those receiving residential services from JCDS who have expressed a strong interest in returning to the Elmore Center. Although there are other considerations; primarily this group includes those who have identified employment as a high priority. Once this group completes their transition process, the team will consider the next phase, which will include those receiving residential services from affiliate providers who have expressed an interest in resuming day services with JCDS.

As with the first phase, prior to setting a firm start date, transition meetings will be scheduled with each person and their circle of support to discuss individual risk factors. A new tool called the COVID-19 Risk/Benefit Discussion Guide is now being used to assist teams with assessing the risks and benefits associated with resuming day services. The medical portion of this tool will be completed by the JCDS Health Supports Coordinator and the other sections will be completed by the person and their support team.

As has been previously shared, JCDS continues to work with our partners at the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services and Managed Care Organizations on what services are allowable and then with our clinical staff and Johnson County Health and Environment on how we should safely be providing supports.

Although we are making progress with transitioning people back to their regular programs, JCDS does not anticipate that day services at the Elmore Center will be operating at full capacity in the near future because of the continued risk that COVID-19 poses to many people we support who are in a high-risk category. Please feel free to reach out to Beth Johnson directly at 913-826-2342 if you have any questions or concerns.