COVID-19: Health & Safety Guidelines

Last Updated: February 1, 2022

Steps Therapy’s first priority is the health, safety, and welfare of our employees and our clients. We are closely monitoring developments surrounding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), as well as all federal, state, and local regulations.

Steps Therapy is following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the San Francisco Department of Public Health. We encourage you to stay up-to-date as well. We will resume providing in-person services when the San Francisco Shelter-In-Place order is lifted and the data indicates it is safe to gradually reopen.

Steps Therapy has implemented new health and safety measures to further protect our employees and clients. We ask for full cooperation from our employees and our clients as we all work together to help prevent transmission by minimizing contact and maintaining a healthy and safe work environment.

This policy outlines the safeguards we are requiring all employees and clients to follow until further notice. If it comes to a client’s attention that a staff member on their team is not following any of the above procedures, the client must notify the supervising BCBA immediately. Additionally, if it comes to an employee’s attention that a client is not following any of the above procedures, the employee must notify Steps Therapy Human Resources immediately.

As the situation is continuously evolving, Steps Therapy reserves the right to revise our response and guidelines periodically or as deemed appropriate. The most up-to-date policy information can soon be found on the Steps Therapy website at www.stepstherapy.com.

I. Latest 2022 Update

Steps Therapy

  1. We are continuing to follow our general precautions (below). We are doing health and wellness checks prior to each session. When employees are clocking in and out, they are responding to a series of health and wellness questions prior to entering the home (see Mandatory Employee Questionnaires below). If anyone has symptoms related to COVID-19, they are instructed to not enter the home.
  2. Staff should be washing hands upon entry and exit.
  3. All staff providing services at Steps Therapy have been vaccinated.
  4. Steps Therapy is working to be in compliance with the February 1st, 2022 mandate for all healthcare and childcare providers to receive the COVID booster by February 1st (if eligible) or 15 days within being eligible based on vaccination dates.
  5. A positive test or development of symptoms of a Steps’ employee counts as Day 0. The exposed employee will test between Days 5-7, and will need a negative test to return to work.

Family Preferences

  1. You are welcome to request that staff wear an N95 or double mask in your home.
  2. You are welcome to request staff disinfect toys used in your home during the session.
  3. You are welcome to request virtual supervision (temporarily), depending on the rules of your funding source.
  4. Though the CDC does not mandate work restrictions for vaccinated individuals, who have been exposed to COVID-19 and remain symptom free, we understand that your family may want to exercise stricter guidelines in your home. If your family would prefer a default cancellation for 5 days following an exposure, you are welcome to let us know and we will make a note in your child’s file.

II. Limiting Contact

Social Distancing

Unvaccinated employees and unvaccinated members of a client’s household must practice physical distancing and stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from our therapists where possible. This excludes the client, as well as behavior escalations or other specific circumstances that may require additional support from a parent or guardian, which would be acknowledged and consented to by both parties beforehand. Unvaccinated employees and unvaccinated members of a client’s household are not permitted to use any type of physical greeting upon arrival and upon departure (i.e. no shaking hands, hugging, high fiving, etc.

Smart Scheduling

In an effort to minimize cross-town travel, we will do our best to schedule Behavior Technicians with clients near their respective neighborhoods where possible. Steps Therapy will also carefully consider the health and safety of employees, clients, and their household members who are within a vulnerable population (i.e. pregnant, over 60 years of age, immunocompromised, lung or respiratory disease, heart disease, etc.).

III. Personal Health

Cancellations

Sessions must be canceled if either an employee or a member of the client’s household is exhibiting any signs of illness, no matter how minor, or if under a quarantine recommendation by a physician. Please refer to Section E of this policy for further information on the protocol Steps Therapy will adhere to.

Mandatory Employee Questionnaires

Before beginning an in-person session, all employees are required to respond to a brief questionnaire pertaining to the current state of their health. Our Behavior Technicians will be asked the following screening questions via Steps Therapy’s telephony system:

  1. Are you or a member of your household currently exhibiting any signs of illness, including mild symptoms such as a runny nose or a slight cough?
    • If the answer is “no”, the Behavior Technician will proceed to the next question.
    • If the answer is “yes”, the scheduled session will not take place.
  2. Have you or a member of your household recently tested positive for COVID-19?
    • If the answer is “no”, the Behavior Technician will proceed to the next question.
    • If the answer is “yes”, the scheduled session will not take place.
  3. Have you or a member of your household been instructed to remain under quarantine or isolation by a professional healthcare provider?
    • If the answer is “no”, the Behavior Technician will proceed to the next question.
    • If the answer is “yes”, the scheduled session will not take place.

If a session is canceled due to an employee response provided in the questionnaire above, the Steps Therapy team will thoroughly review the cancellation on an individual basis to better determine the severity of the situation and to formulate a subsequent plan of action. Please refer to Section E of this policy for further information on the protocol Steps Therapy will adhere to.

All employees are instructed to review the questions above prior to the start of each scheduled session. If an employee already knows that he/she/they will be providing an answer which will result in a canceled session, he/she/they must notify the Steps Therapy office immediately; before arriving at the client’s home. This will help to prevent transmission and will keep other team members and clients safe.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Steps Therapy is providing all employees with PPE, as well as training for proper usage and disposal. Below is a list of the PPE items Steps Therapy will provide to all employees:

  1. Facemasks/Face Shields – All employees are required to put on their provided facemasks or face shields upon arrival at the client’s home, prior to entering, and must wear their facemasks for the entire duration of the session. Employees can remove their facemasks upon exiting the client’s home, once the session has been completed. All members of a client’s household must wear facemasks when in close contact with Steps Therapy employees.
    1. The CDC defines “close contact” as being within 6 feet of another individual for a total of 15 minutes or more. For the safety of all parties, we respectfully ask our clients and other individuals in the home to wear a mask if they will be within 6 feet of our staff members for a total of 15 minutes or more during a session.
  2. Disinfectant Wipes – All employees will use their provided disinfectant wipes to sanitize their personal belongings prior to the start of each session and after each session has been completed, as well as any ABA materials used during a session.
  3. Hand Sanitizer – In addition to washing their hands with soap and water at the start and end of each session, all employees may utilize their provided alcohol-based hand sanitizer as an additional measure to sanitize their hands.
    • Please Note: Employee accommodation requests regarding specific PPE alternatives (i.e. employee latex allergy) may be submitted to Steps Therapy Human Resources for consideration. Client accommodation requests regarding specific PPE alternatives (i.e. client latex allergy) may be submitted to the client’s supervising BCBA.

Hand Washing

Upon entering a client’s home, our employees are required to immediately use the client’s bathroom/kitchen to wash their hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds and to dry their hands with a paper towel/napkin. Employees will follow the same procedure at the end of each session and will refrain from touching any other objects or surfaces while exiting the client’s home.

IV. Personal Travel

Steps Therapy strongly encourages all employees and clients to closely evaluate international travel at this time. Communication with Steps Therapy prior to, during, and upon return from personal travel is critical to keeping our employees, our clients, and our community safe.

All employees must report international travel plans to Steps Therapy Human Resources. All clients must report international travel plans to their supervising BCBA. The Steps Therapy team will thoroughly review on an individual basis to better assess the risk level and formulate a subsequent plan of action.

V. COVID-19 Protocol for Close Contact, Symptoms and Testing Positive

COVID-19 Close Contact

Employees or clients who believe they or a member of their household have had close contact with another individual with COVID-19 should immediately contact their professional healthcare provider and get tested. Fully vaccinated people with no COVID-19 symptoms do not need to be tested following an exposure to someone with COVID-19. People who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and recovered do not need to get tested following an exposure, as long as they do not develop new symptoms.

The CDC recommends that anyone with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 get tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection. If you get tested because you have symptoms or were potentially exposed to the virus and are unvaccinated, you should stay away from others pending test results and follow the advice of your health care provider or a public health professional. All sessions will promptly cease for that particular employee or client. Sessions may resume for that particular employee or client upon receiving a negative test result, or when the individual has been symptom-free from the original symptoms for ten (10) days and without fever for 72 hours.

Employees must notify Steps Therapy Human Resources and clients must notify their supervising BCBA as soon as possible. The Steps Therapy team will continue to remain in contact with this individual to better develop a subsequent plan of action for return and will communicate with all necessary parties accordingly.

Exhibiting COVID-19 Symptoms

Employees or clients who believe they or a member of their household are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 should immediately contact their professional healthcare provider, stay home, closely monitor their symptoms, and follow instructions from their professional healthcare provider. Employees must also notify Steps Therapy Human Resources and clients must notify their supervising BCBA as soon as possible.

All sessions will promptly cease for that particular employee or client. The CDC recommends that anyone with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 get tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection. If you get tested because you have symptoms or were potentially exposed to the virus and are unvaccinated, you should stay away from others pending test results and follow the advice of your health care provider or a public health professional.

Sessions may resume for that particular employee or client upon receiving a negative test result, or when the individual has been symptom-free from the original symptoms for ten (10) days, and without fever for 72 hours. The Steps Therapy team will continue to remain in contact with this individual to better develop a subsequent plan of action for return and will communicate with all necessary parties accordingly.

For more information on what you should do if you believe you or a member of your household is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, please review Coronavirus Symptoms and Coronavirus Testing.

Testing Positive for COVID-19

If an employee or a member of an employee’s household has tested positive for COVID-19, the employee must immediately notify Steps Therapy Human Resources. If a client or a member of a client’s household has tested positive for COVID-19, the client must immediately notify the supervising BCBA.

All sessions will promptly cease for that particular employee or client. Sessions may resume for that particular employee or client when the individual has been symptom-free from the original symptoms for ten (10) days, and without fever for 72 hours. The Steps Therapy team will continue to remain in contact with this individual to better develop a subsequent plan of action for return and will communicate with all necessary parties accordingly.

For more information on what you should do if you or a member of your household has tested positive for COVID-19, please review What To Do If You Are Sick.

Quarantine and Isolation

If an employee, client, or member of either household is under a professional healthcare provider’s direction to self-quarantine or isolate, all sessions will promptly cease for that particular employee or client. Sessions may resume for that particular employee or client when the individual has been symptom-free from the original symptoms for ten (10) days, and without fever for 72 hours. The Steps Therapy team will continue to remain in contact with this individual to better develop a subsequent plan of action for return and will communicate with all necessary parties accordingly.

For more information on what you should do if you or a member of your household is directed to quarantine or isolate, please review Quarantine and Isolation.

VI. Working Together

Stop the Spread of Germs

While we have implemented additional safeguards to further protect the health, safety and welfare of our employees and our clients, we respectfully ask everyone to do their part each day, regardless of whether or not a scheduled session is occurring, so we can all continue to prevent the spread of germs and contribute to a healthy and safe work environment.

  1. Physical Distancing: Maintain 6+ foot distance from people who are outside of your immediate household if you are unvaccinated (i.e. in public settings, such as the grocery store, bank, etc.).
  2. Stay Home When You Are Sick: When you are sick, stay home, get plenty of rest, hydrate, and check with a professional healthcare provider as needed.
  3. Wash Your Hands: Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20+ seconds. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily accessible.
  4. Clean Shared Surfaces: Use disinfectants to clean commonly touched items in your home, such as doorknobs, faucet handles, light switches, handrails, elevator buttons, doorbells, etc. Germs travel fast with multiple hands touching shared surfaces.
  5. Cover Your Mouth: Cough or sneeze into a tissue and immediately throw it away; use your arm or sleeve to cover your mouth if you do not have a tissue on-hand. Wear a facemask if you must be around individuals who are outside of your immediate household.
  6. Avoid Touching Your Face: Your eyes, nose and mouth are entryways for viruses to get into the human body, causing you to become infected or get sick. Make an effort to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, especially without properly washing your hands or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer first.

VII. Additional COVID-19 Resources and Infographics

  1. Protect Yourself and Others: COVID-19 Fact Sheet
  2. Stop the Spread of Germs: Health Tips
  3. Know the Symptoms: COVID-19 Symptoms Fact Sheet
  4. If You Are Sick: Prevent The Spread of COVID-19 If You Are Sick
  5. If COVID-19 Positive: Manage Your Symptoms