The “Stable Groups” protocol found in many of the “Shelter in Place” orders issued by many of the county health departments sets guidelines for childcare and childcare providers. This type of guideline should be developed and implemented for older folks that depend on outside caregiver support.
The guidelines for childcare, from the Solano County Health Department, is similar to order issued in Alameda County, California with a few differences. The Alameda text includes an expanded definition of “stable group.” And Solano is ten per group and Alameda is twelve per group. With a quick Google search I found out similar wording is being used around the country in their shelter in place orders.
Please see image of excerpt above and below is the text. (Jump the fold for more.)
xxiii. Childcare facilities providing services that enable employees exempted in this Order to work as permitted. To the extent possible, childcare facilities must operate under the following mandatory conditions: 1. Childcare must be carried out in stable groups of ten children or fewer. 2. Children shall not change from one group to another. 3. If more than one group of children is cared for at one facility, each group shall be in a separate room. Groups shall not mix with each other. 4. Childcare providers shall remain solely with one group of children.
xxiii. Childcare facilities providing services that enable employees exempted in this Order to work as permitted. To the extent possible, childcare facilities must operate under the following mandatory conditions:
1. Childcare must be carried out in stable groups of ten children or fewer. 2. Children shall not change from one group to another. 3. If more than one group of children is cared for at one facility, each group shall be in a separate room. Groups shall not mix with each other. 4. Childcare providers shall remain solely with one group of children.
1. Childcare must be carried out in stable groups of ten children or fewer.
2. Children shall not change from one group to another.
3. If more than one group of children is cared for at one facility, each group shall be in a separate room. Groups shall not mix with each other.
4. Childcare providers shall remain solely with one group of children.
I’m a live in case manager for a 90 year old. The seven caregivers that I work with are supplied by an agency. Due to staff turnover I have had at least 4 new caregivers report to work over the last two weeks. So that is upwards of 11 people that have come into contact with my charge. Without testing available anyone of them may have already brought COVID-19 into the household. Further many of the caregivers work for multiple clients and if infected they are spreading COVID-19 to their other clients.
As everyone on Daily Kos knows those over the age of 60, if infected, have a high probability of needing professional medical care. And the projections of availability of doctors, nurses, hospital beds, drugs, and ventilators is that they will be in short supply. Or, as in Italy’s case there will be a triage process that denies care to those over 60. The best strategy is to keep seniors in stable groups to prevent their exposure in the first place. I will leave it to the professionals to sort out the details.
This issue should have been addressed in the first round of Shelter in Place orders but sadly it was not. However, it can be addressed in updated orders. But, this update will only take place if our elected officials are aware of the issue.
Please contact your elected officials and request them to update their Shelter in Place orders. Start with your county supervisors. Feel free to copy anything from this post. And share this post on social media. Please help by getting this message out nationally.
Now that I have posted this I’m going to contact every county level official I can in the Bay Area to encourage them to implement stable groups for seniors.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Gordon (linkage)
Community Activist
Resistance Words is a Daily Kos group to bring attention to words and concepts that advance the Democratic Party goals of good governance.
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