COVID-19 Policy

Elite Behavioral Services is providing this policy statement to provide information to our clients, their support teams, and other service providers regarding our operations in response to COVID-19. This statement attempts to review legal mandates that may affect our service, any operational changes that our clients and support teams may expect from behavior consultants, and the importance of client-consultant communications.

Legal Mandates:

In order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all Hoosiers, Governor Holcomb has issued Executive Order 20-18, a directive for all Hoosiers to Stay at Home. The Order is effective from 11:59 pm on March 24, 2020, and remains in full force until 11:59 pm on April 20, 2020, unless rescinded earlier by the governor. The primary mandate of the Order requires all Hoosiers to remain in their home, leaving only for Essential Activities, Essential Government Functions, or to participate in Essential Business Operations.

As stated in the Order, an individual is permitted to leave his/her home to work for or obtain services at any Human Service Operation. This includes any provider funded by Indiana Medicaid. As a Medicaid provider, Elite Behavioral Services and each of our consultants will continue to provide services under this allowance, communicating with each client and support team to agree on the safest and most effective method to do so, incorporating all prudent “social distancing” strategies.

Operational Changes:

In light of the permission granted in the Governor’s Order for Human Service Operations to continue providing services, Elite Behavioral Services consultants will continue to visit with clients when the consultant is healthy, showing no sign of infection, and has no reason to suspect he/she may have been exposed to COVID-19. Of course, all consultants will verify with each client and/or guardian that he/she wishes to continue services through this time or, if preferred by the client or consultant, will coordinate to reschedule sessions as necessary. Elite Behavioral Services has reviewed the Covid-19 outbreak General Guidance offered by the Bureau of Developmental and Disability Services and encourage all clients, families, and support teams to familiarize themselves with that information.

For any in-person session, clients and consultants are encouraged to practice appropriate hygiene and social distancing. This includes: washing hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds frequently (upon entering a home, before and after eating, after using the restroom, and after touching any doorknob, game controller, or other high-traffic surfaces); maintaining a distance of at least six feet when in conversation; coughing/sneezing into a tissue or elbow when tissues are not readily available; and avoiding handshakes, high-fives or similar skin-to-skin contact. Clients and teams should visit CDC.gov for helpful guidance on how best to protect themselves.

Alternatively, clients and guardians may prefer to meet telephonically or virtually. All consultants working with Elite Behavioral Services have access to some form of video chat application (Google Hangouts, Google Duo, Apple Facetime, Skype) and are encouraged to make effective use of the platform with the permission of the client.

Communication:

As practitioners of mental and social health, we understand the enormous strength of the human instinct to gather, express physical affection, and experience the world firsthand. Unfortunately, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we are asked to suppress these very human instincts, albeit for a temporary time. This will necessarily have some effect on mental and behavioral wellness, beyond what is normal.
Because the health and safety of clients and their support teams is our priority, during a time of extreme disruption, communication with our clients is vitally important. Although this is a unique circumstance, one that we hope is few and far between, our consultants will seek to deliver the same high level of effective behavior management therapy. Frequently communicating with the clients and support team members, in whatever way possible, will be key to ensuring the clients can grow and learn even in these stressful and trying times.

To this end, we are recommending the following actions:
Our consultants will continue to meet with clients, as scheduled. However, if either the consultant or client would feel more comfortable either rescheduling or meeting telephonically or via video chat, he/she is expected to call the other person to discuss the best option and ensure access to compatible software on both ends. In any case, discussion and communication of preferences are requested prior to a scheduled session/visitation with enough advance notice to make the necessary arrangements.

• Even if in-person sessions are preferred at this time, consultants and clients are encouraged to discuss and make pre-arrangements to ensure access to the preferred method and platform for virtual sessions, in the event that in-person sessions become impossible. This may require the client to obtain assistance from a support team member and/or the consultant to download other widely available communication technology.

• Finally, communicating any changes in health status or potential exposure to COVID-19 will be crucial. We all know, one of the best tools we have to effectively defeat the spread of this virus is to socially isolate ourselves if there is any potential that we could expose others. We will try to be mindful of our contacts and encourage clients and support teams to do the same.

During these difficult times, it is especially important that the individuals we serve are not forgotten. Working in the spirit of cooperation and engaging in robust communication will enable us to continue to strictly adhere to our mission statement, renewing the standard of success for our clients, and ultimately contributing to a stronger society.