Program Quality Assessment Guides
The below guides are newly released to help you consider which assessment tool would be the best for your program. Each describes the how, what, where, and when of the tool so that you can be better informed when assessing your program.
COVID-19 Update from PHMC
PHMC and ELRC 19 continues to monitor information on COVID-19/coronavirus. We are focused on quality care for all participants and ensuring organizational preparedness, including our employee’s health and wellness. We are continuing to provide services to our clients and are ensuring extra preventive and precautionary measures are in place based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. If you have a specific question about ELRC 19 services, please contact us.
COVID Alert PA
Earlier this week, Department of Health (DOH) released the COVID Alert PA exposure notification application. It is now live in the Google and Apple stores. If you choose to download this application, it is free.
Google play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.pa.covidtracker
Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/covid-alert-pennsylvania/id1527125511
The COVID Alert PA app uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology and the Exposure Notification System developed by Apple and Google:
• Interactive COVID-19 symptom checker
• Opt-in for alerts for potential exposures to the virus
• Updates on the latest public health data about COVID-19 in PA
• Advice for what to do if you have a potential exposure to COVID-19
COVID Alert PA protects both privacy and personal information. The app does not use GPS, location services, or any movement or geographical information. It will never collect, transmit, or store personal information. It is completely anonymous.
Existing traditional contact tracing processes rely on a positive individual to remember and name who they have been in contact with recently, and for how long. In many cases, positive COVID-19 individuals may not even know the people they were in close contact with, like if the contact happened on a bus or train, at a check-out line in a grocery store, a restaurant or some other public venue.
The app supplements traditional contact tracing processes by being able to identify strangers a positive app user came in contact with and help stop the rapid spread of COVID-19. If the app detects that you have been in close contact with another user who has tested positive for COVID-19, you will receive a push notification on your phone. This is called an exposure alert and will be followed by what you should do to monitor your own health. You can learn more about the app and how it works here.
The Department of Human Services is committed to supporting this effort and helping protect the people they serve, encouraging use of COVID Alert PA. This technology only works if others have downloaded the app, which is why we are asking all Pennsylvanians to unite against COVID and download the app.