April 20, 2020 Face Mask Donations Needed

Do you or does someone you know create cloth masks or have a supply of other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)? Help our direct support professionals continue to work safely with a donation . Anyone having leads or involvement with those making or donating masks for frontline workers, please email foundation@people-inc.org . All donations are being coordinated centrally through the People Inc. Foundation and are greatly appreciated!

April 16, 2020 Letter to Families (English and Español)

April 16, 2020: Another letter to families is available (in English and Español ). As always, People Inc. encourages you to stay in contact. Our dedicated email address and phone line is operational to help make it easier to share any concerns at COVIDconcern@people-inc.org or 716.817.7445. Families can also contact the senior residential supervisor at your loved one’s home.

April 15, 2020 Important Information from Self-Advocacy Association of New York State (SANYS) Director Arnold Ackerley

Self-Advocates and Parent Advocates had a recent victory advocating for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to be allowed to have a support person with them if they are admitted into the hospital. Thank you to all the advocates who worked so hard on this, and to the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and the New York State Department of Health (DOH) for taking action.  SANYS worked together with professionals at SWAN (Statewide Advocacy Network) on these tools if a trip to the hospital is necessary: Help with COVID-19 Hospitalization Help with Hospitalization – Easy Read  The information in these documents should help self-advocates, family members, staff and others communicate the rights of a person with I/DD should they need to go to the hospital.   “Help with COVID-19 Hospitalization” is a nine-page packet and “Help with Hospitalization – Easy Read” is an easy-to-read summary of what is in that packet. Within the packet is also a COVID-19 disability form created by SUNY Stony Brook which can be filled out in advance to help people have good information prepared, in the event that they enter a hospital.   We are want to be clear that these are tools we are offering as help to people and they are not required for use. We recommend that self-advocates work with their circle of support and/or teams to determine if support in the hospital will be essential or not. Everyone should recognize that this is specifically about a right to essential support and there are people with I/DD that may not need essential support in the hospital. As always, we are all different and we want to recognize that difference and be responsible in how we exercise our rights.     Additionally, DOH has issued guidance to hospitals, clarifying the right of people with I/DD to have essential support in hospital.  That guidance can be found here: COVID-19 Updated Guidance for Hospital Operators Regarding Visitation We would like to thank OPWDD and DOH for issuing the above guidance. We would also like to acknowledge the work done by SUNY Stonybrook and professionals at SWAN. People Inc. is a proud supporter of the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State (SANYS).

April 14, 2020 Immediate Action Needed - Urge Federal Reserve for Forgivable Loan for Nonprofits

Attention Families and Supporters, On Friday, April 10, the Treasury and Federal Reserve announced the Mid-Size Loan Program , for nonprofit and for-profits with 500-10,000 employees through the Main Street Business Lending Program, which would include organizations like People Inc. As it stands currently, this program is a loan, which is not forgivable. The Federal Reserve is currently accepting comments and recommendations. The deadline to comment is THIS Thursday, April 16.  As People Inc. is providing essential services during the crisis, we have incurred highly unusual increased costs in staffing, PPE, and other critical services. Since we are not eligible for other Federal relief programs such as the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) due to our size and due to the fact that we must remain fully operational, we are asking families of those we support and our management team, to request that the Mid-Size Loan Program have provisions to convert to a forgivable loan for nonprofits, such as People Inc., that face losses due to COVID-19.  We encourage you as a vital member of the People Inc. family to comment to urge that this loan be forgivable for nonprofits by going to the Federal Reserve website as soon as possible. If you would prefer to email your comments, please send them to: regs.comments@federalreserve.gov and include "Main Street Lending" in the subject line of the message. Your concerns must be received either online or by email before the end of business on April 16. A sample comment for you to use (1,500 character maximum): In support of the 4,000 employees of a regional non-profit health and human services agency that provides programs and services to nearly 10,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, special needs, their families and older adults throughout numerous counties in Western New York and the Greater Rochester region, I am writing today to inform you that People Inc. is fully engaged in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. They must ensure that more than 150 community-based homes and services for people with disabilities remain as safe as possible and are staffed 24/7. The vulnerable people that depend on People Inc. deserve no less. However, because they are providing essential services during the crisis, People Inc. has incurred highly unusual increased costs in staffing, PPE, and cleaning services. Since People Inc. is not eligible for the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) due to their size and the fact that they must remain fully operational, we request that the Mid-Size Loan Program have provisions to convert to a forgivable loan for nonprofits that face staggering losses due to COVID-19. This would grant them the same protections as PPP. Thank you in advance for your support of direct care staff, the people they support and People Inc.

Resources

Updated April 3, 2020: Please consult the following resources for the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 Coronavirus: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention New York State Department of Health Other Resources: For concerns regarding COVID-19:  email COVIDconcern@people-inc.org  or call 716.817.7445. For up-to-date program closures: call our closing lines at 716.817.5700 (Western New York) or 585.441.9393 (Greater Rochester Region). Mental Health Information  - Tips and Resources

March 31, 2020 Letter to Families (English and Español)

March 31, 2020: Another letter to families is available (in English  and Español ). As always, People Inc. encourages you to stay in contact. Our dedicated email address and phone line is operational to help make it easier to share any concerns at COVIDconcern@people-inc.org or 716.817.7445. Families can also contact the senior residential supervisor at your loved one’s home.

March 24, 2020: A Message from Rhonda Frederick, People Inc. President and CEO

A Message to our Community    During these very challenging times, we so appreciate the tireless work of our partners – elected officials, our peers in health and human services, vendors and supporters. Above all, I’m incredibly thankful for and proud of the 4,000 staff members of People Inc. Their dedication and talent are evident on a “typical” day, and in times like this, are even more vivid and extraordinary. We wanted to share some of the proactive measures we have taken within People Inc. to prepare and deal with this crisis.   At People Inc., the safety and well-being of people we support and our employees remain our highest priority, as the potential for community spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus continues. We are actively in contact with and monitoring websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NYS Department of Health (DOH), County Health Departments and the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), among others.   During this crisis, we are thankful for our Emergency Response model that has been in place for the past six years. Our long-standing People Inc. Emergency Preparedness Team is meeting twice daily to ensure that we remain proactive and address access to resources, while keeping communication flowing to our staff, people we support and their families.   People Inc. has a number of measures in place, including:     Suspending community outings and operation of our Day Programs, and reassigning those staff members to augment our teams at residential sites. Our staff has been extremely flexible and have demonstrated exemplary commitment to our mission in light of unprecedented circumstances. Implementing a conservative  Visitors Policy  and working with families on arrangements while taking precautions to protect the well-being of those we support and our staff. Utilizing our existing Telemedicine Program in our residential sites, which continues to quickly assess medical concerns without automatically transporting people to crowded healthcare centers. Increasing training on cleaning protocols and product use, and practicing beyond Universal Precautions.  Enhancing supports for our staff with 24/7 access to our Employee Service Line and Employee Assistance Program and a dedicated resource and information section of our Employee Intranet, as well as daily updates.  Expediting and centralizing sourcing of critical supplies and establishing a secure staging area and process to get those where they are most needed.  Continuing to plan ahead to be prepared as best we can for the future.  Developed a  Coronavirus Update section on our website.   A dedicated phone line and email address have been established for people supported and their families to contact us with specific concerns related to COVID-19 Coronavirus: Phone: 716.817.7445, Email:  COVIDconcern@people-inc.org .   As a resource for people we support, a special phone line for non-emergency help has been established, which is 716.322.7070.   Our longstanding People Inc. Emergency Closing Line is updated regularly as decisions are made to suspend any agency program. You can call the two available phone lines for closure updates:   Western New York:  716.817.5700 and                            Greater Rochester region:  585.441.9393.   Thank you for your support as we work to ensure the safety of the people we support and our staff. Sincerely, Rhonda Frederick President and CEO People Inc.

March 23, 2020 Updated Visitor Policy

Updated March 23, 2020: People Inc. has once again updated our  Visitor Policy  based on emerging info from the NYS Department of Health, which is now in effect at our agency locations*. This includes updated processes for families who utilize our Residential Services. Call 716.817.5700 (Western New York) or 585.441.9393 (Greater Rochester Region) for the latest program closings. *Some exceptions

March 15, 2020 Phone Numbers for Program Closings

Posted March 15, 2020: As we continue to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 Coronavirus, People Inc. encourages the people we support, their families and employees to stay up-to-date with program closings. Call 716.817.5700 (Western New York) or 585.441.9393 (Greater Rochester Region) for the latest closings.