COVID-19 County Safety Plan 2878

Department Information
Social Services
County Building, Olean
1 Leo Moss Drive
Olean, New York. 14760
United States
Contact Information
Anthony Turano
7167013691
People
Physical Distancing
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-All staff will participate in any COVID-19 training assigned by HR or furthermore as offered/required by state oversight agencies as arranged, tracked and recorded by Staff Development Coordinator and/or HR Director.
-Cubicles will be configured to allow 6 ft. distance between personnel. This will require some assistance from DPW and DSS IT staff to adjust existing work areas and reposition computers. No cost is anticipated but a significant investment in time to complete the reconfiguration on both floors of the department. Approximately 1/3 of current staff are assigned to work from home, creating significant additional space in the office. Staff have been advised that they must wear face covering any time they leave their cubicle.
-Staff have been advised that they must wear face coverings any time they are in a confined space such as a hallway, stairwell or restroom
-Approximately 1/3 of department staff will continue to work from home


Yes
Yes
-Staff that have provided medical documentation indicating high risk for severe illness will be accommodated on a case by case basis through various options including telework, limited public contact, job sharing and/or other accommodations. County Attorney, HR and ADA Compliance Officer will be resourced as necessary.
-As regulations allow, staff will interact telephonically or electronically as much as possible. Staff meetings will be facilitated through teleconference via WebEx . No in-person meetings will be held where 6 ft. of distance can not be maintained. Capacity limits will be placed on conference rooms and break rooms in the department to facilitate social distancing. Breakroom capacity will be limited to 3 persons at a time.
Conference rooms will be limited to 8 persons in first floor, 6 persons in second floor and 4 persons in the SCU conference room. Transportation by car will be limited to one staff and no more than two passengers will all occupants required to wear masks. Mobile work crew 14 passenger vans will be limited to one staff person and no more than 4 passengers will all occupants required to wear masks.
Yes
Casework staff and supervisory staff in CPS and Child Welfare Units as well as some Supervisory and Examiner staff in Income Programs will work from home as long as IT and programmatic needs can continue to be facilitated. Said staff have had their workplaces reassigned to their homes.
Transportation Aids and Work Site Supervisors will also work from home.
Support Officers will rotate between work from home and the office on a weekly rotating basis
Yes
The public have been encouraged to utilize MyBenefits.ny.gov to apply for assistance in various participating programs. The department utilizes robo call and robo text services to provide information to applicants and recipients and can utilize this services to communicate with staff as necessary. Robo call and robo text, as well as social media have been used to encourage the public to call before coming into the office, as modified regulations allow for more programs to be accessed without coming to the office to apply or be interviewed. Applicants and recipients of income programs have been advised that they can use a mobile document upload app to remain compliant with documentation requirements. Non-custodial parents with child support orders can meet obligations through an online payment platform call "Govpay" or through US mail. A inter-departmental currier many be used to move documents among work from home staff. Some computers will need to be brought to the office for updates from the state IT system. The currier will facilitate this and will enter the county building through the main entrance where she will have her temperature will be taken upon entry.
Additional Comments
-In addition to comments above, Caseworker staff have been advised to conduct virtual visits where revised regulations allow. For example, individuals for whom the Commissioner is currently legal guardian are among the most vulnerable individuals in the community. Those in nursing homes and other congregate care facilities have been visited through various platforms including Facetime, Skype and Zoom. This will continue as long as regulation permits. At that point, an alternate to face to face visitation may need to be exercised.
-Similarly, children in both residential and home based foster care settings have been visited using same or similar technology for visits by Caseworkers and birth parents. This has been coordinated by supervisory staff as well as attorneys for the department, the children, the birth parents and the courts.
-In CPS cases where mandatory face to face contacts have led to low or no risk findings and the case is determined to be unfounded, virtual follow up through electronic media and telephone for closing contacts have been utilized.
-Where interviews in the office setting are necessary, staff have been instructed to wear masks and utilize interview booths where a glass partisan separates participants.
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Places
Physical Space Modifications

Please provide in detail any physical space modifications that are proposed to achieve social distancing requirements.  These modifications can include, but not limited to rearranging offices, adding physical barriers, etc.

Yes
Keeping staff who are able to work from home out of the office until guidance indicates it is safe and favorable to have them return will increase the ability for the remaining staff who must come to the office to maintain social distancing. However, due to the current layout of the office space, as furloughed workers return, it will be necessary to reconfigure many of the existing cubicles so that 6 ft. of space exists between coworkers.
-Cubicles will be configured to allow 6 ft. distance between personnel. This will require some assistance from DPW and DSS IT staff to adjust existing work areas and reposition computers. No cost is anticipated but a significant investment in time (perhaps overtime) to complete the reconfiguration on both floors of the department. Approximately 1/3 of current staff are assigned to work from home, creating significant additional space in the office.
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Protective Equipment
Yes
Yes
Yes
Detailed Summary Options
-All staff have been provided face coverings and have been advised that should they have additional needs, they can contact the Commissioner's Secretary.
-All Casework staff (CPS, Child Welfare and Adult Protection) who are required to enter the homes of county residents whom they serve have also been provided eye protection and gowns and have been advised to contact the Commissioner's secretary in the even that they need replacement PPE
-All field staff who are working from home have been provided thermometers and have been advised to take their temperature every 12 hours. They have been instructed not to enter the field if their temperature is above 100 degrees or if they are symptomatic. They are to immediately contact their supervisor to share their symptoms and then to contact the EOC nurse for further instructions.
-All field staff have been provided hand sanitizer and have been advised to contact the Commissioner's secretary for any refills.
-Conference rooms and all work areas around the department have been stocked with cleaning solutions and paper towels and/or sanitizing wipes. Staff are encouraged to clean their work stations regularly and to frequently wash hands with soap and water in the restrooms.
Hygiene and Cleaning
Yes
Yes
Yes
Detailed Summary Options
-All field staff have been provided hand sanitizer and have been advised to contact the Commissioner's secretary for any refills.
-Conference rooms and all work areas around the department have been stocked with cleaning solutions and paper towels and/or sanitizing wipes. Staff are encouraged to clean their work stations regularly after each client visit and to frequently their wash hands with soap and water found in the restrooms.
-Cleaning of the department remains the task of DPW staff and the contracted cleaning agency.
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Communication
Yes
Yes
Yes
Detailed Summary Options
-Signs provided by state DOH have been posted in waiting rooms and throughout the department and provide 'best practices' guidance on PPE, social distancing, hygiene and cleaning protocols
-the floor in all waiting rooms has been marked to indicate where to line up while maintaining 6ft of social distancing.
-many chairs in waiting rooms have been blocked to encourage proper social distancing. Overflow seating into the hallways has been arranged as well.
-the department will continue to use email, telephone calls and robo call/robo text to communicate updates and changes to staff
-the department will continue to use email, social media, public media, telephone calls and robo call/robo text to communicate updates and changes to the public
-the department will continue to communicate and work with EOC HR and Health Department officials on testing, tracing, and any and all other needs of individuals who are positive or otherwise quarantined.
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Process
Screening
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Symptom Screening
Yes
The only point of entry to the Olean County Building is the main entrance. All other entry/exit points are 'exit only' and the ability to enter through other doors is disabled. This will facilitate all employees (and public) being temperature scanned by CCSO staff upon entry.
The only point of entry to the Olean County Building is the main entrance. All other entry/exit points are 'exit only' and the ability to enter through other doors is disabled. This will facilitate all employees (and public) being temperature scanned by CCSO staff upon entry.
All field staff who are working from home have been provided thermometers and have been advised to take their temperatures every 12 hours.
If their temperature is above 100 degrees or if they have any symptoms, they are to notify their supervisor and the EOC and follow up as directed.
PPE Request

Personal Protective Equipment, Social Distancing Markers, Signage, or Cleaning Products that you will need to reopen.

No
No
No
No
No
No
No