Ontario Government’s Announcement on Phase 1 of Re-Opening Ontario: What does it mean for Autism Services at Lake Ridge Community Support Services
Premier Doug Ford announcing plance for phase 1 of Ontario’s re-opening amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 15, 2020 - On Thursday May 14, 2020 Premier Ford announced the gradual re-opening of the province (watch the press conference below). Part of the initial opening plan includes gradually permitting services delivered by health professionals to resume as long as health and safety preconditions are met. As part of stage 1, regulated health professionals such as Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists, as well as Board Certified Behaviour Analysts (BCBAs), are considered health professionals. Services delivered by these professionals may resume if specified pre-conditions are met, and provided they operate in compliance with the advice, recommendations and instructions of public health officials.
Lake Ridge Community Support Services interrupted face to face services on March 16th, 2020 and has been offering telehealth services to families through telephone and virtual meetings. Based on the information released yesterday, the government is supporting agencies to continue providing telehealth services, where appropriate to maintain the safety and well being of all clients and our staff.
Although we are not able to safely resume face to face services at this time, the Lake Ridge team is developing plans for phasing in face-to-face services in the future. We are looking into innovative ways to engage with our clients, caregivers and the community in a safe and effective manner for everyone. We will continue to follow the guidance of the Durham Public Health department to ensure we are following guidelines and in compliance with health and safety precautions.
The resuming of in-person services will take time and careful attention. We want to ensure the continuance of safe and effective services for all of our clients and staff. As our schools remain closed and we do not have access to all of our sites we will be looking into potential alternate locations for service as required. Things will look different when we return and we will continue to communicate updates.
We appreciate your patience as we work towards a safe way to resume our services. Our staff will continue to reach out to all current clients via telehealth means until we have a plan that is safe for staff and clients to start resuming in-person services.