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Tags Posts tagged with "Pandemic"

Pandemic

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

ODP Announcement 20-114 explains that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) currently allows staff who are required to take the Standard Medication Administration Training Course (“Standard Course”) to take the Modified Medication Administration Training Course (“Modified Course”) until July 31, 2022.

The Department previously required that staff who took the Modified Course in lieu of the Standard Course complete the Standard Course no later than December 31, 2022. Please be advised that this deadline has been extended to June 30, 2023.

Staff persons may take the Modified Course in lieu of the Standard Course until July 31, 2022. Beginning August 1, 2022, staff persons must take the Standard Course.

Over the past 24 months, direct support professionals (DSP) have experienced high risks of infection, hardship, and exhaustion. Many have become ill and lost loved ones. The voices of DSPs and frontline supervisors matter now more than ever.

Show them you care about their wellbeing by sharing this confidential survey. The University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration, in partnership with the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals, developed this survey to better understand the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on direct support workers and identify the most effective ways to protect DSPs, frontline supervisors, and the people they support.

Please forward this survey to the direct support workers that you employ, including paid family members. Their answers will be anonymous. National and state-specific results from the survey will be shared widely in September 2022. Three earlier surveys were conducted by ICI and NADSP, and the results are available here. The new survey is for both direct support workers who completed an earlier survey and those who did not.

Complete the survey here. The survey closes on July 22, 2022.

On May 23, 2022, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General’s advisory that highlights the urgent need to address the health worker burnout crisis across the country. The advisory titled “Addressing Health Worker Burnout” warns that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated longstanding system challenges in the health care system. Health workers, including physicians, nurses, community and public health workers, nurse aides, and others have risked their own lives throughout the pandemic.

A series of recommendations are included in the advisory.