	Administrative and Service Environment

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

PA-ASE 8: Special Health Precautions*

The agency maintains a safe and hygenic environment.

PA-ASE 8.01

The agency complies with applicable legal and regulatory requirements regarding risk of exposure to contagious and infectious disease.

Update: Revised Standard, Revised Interpretation, Added NA - 06/01/10

PA-ASE 8.01 Original Standard and Interpretation:

The agency minimizes the risk of exposure to contagious and infectious disease by:

adhering to CDC and OSHA guidelines;
consulting with the local health department or an individual qualified to provide such information; and
annually training program personnel on universal precautions.

Interpretation: This standard applies to all agencies regardless of the types of services they provide or the populations they serve. All agencies, even those that do not serve persons in their offices, may have in their employ persons who have been exposed to airborne or blood-borne pathogens. As such, agencies must comply with health standards. The agency should retain medical records related to exposure to contagious and infectious diseases.

Interpretation: COA recommends that agencies consult with local health authorities or a qualified professional about how to minimize the risk of contagious and infectious diseases to the agency's personnel and persons served, which may include voluntary adherence to CDC guidelines and training program staff on the use of universal precautions.

NA The agency is not governed by any legal or regulatory requirements associated with risk of exposure to contagious and infectious disease.

PA-ASE 8.02

The agency implements a targeted tuberculosis testing program of direct service personnel as appropriate given the identified service population and as required by law or regulation.

Interpretation: Local and state public health authorities should be an agency's primary source of information when determining if there is a need to implement a targeted testing program among its staff. Local public health authorities have access to epidemiological data analysis, guidance from national authorities, and local rates of TB infection, which will help agencies assess the risk for TB. Agencies should consult annually with their local health department for any new information or changes in the local population that might affect the risk of TB.

Research Note: According to the American Thoracic Society and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, populations at high risk of TB infection include individuals with HIV, the homeless, drug users, the incarcerated, or individuals who have traveled or emigrated from a country with a high rate of infection. The CDC discourages TB testing among individuals with a low risk for developing tuberculosis because it utilizes resources that should be maintained for populations at greater risk of infection and increases the prevalence of false positives. Mandated skin-testing programs should be avoided unless a large percentage of the identified service population is defined as “high risk” by local authorities.

NA The agency does not serve high risk groups and is not required by law to conduct TB testing.

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	PURPOSE: The agency’s administrative and service environments are respectful, caring, safe, and accessible, and contribute to agency productivity and effective service delivery.

RELATED FILES


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	PROGRAM A system of services offered by an organization. For example, an organization providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programs to different populations, e.g., a mental health program for adolescent teens. The word "program" can be used interchangeably with the word "service" or to describe specific programs.


	PERSONNEL The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organization's tasks under the organization's administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards


	SERVICE POPULATION A group or target population that the organization's services are designed to serve in accord with its mission, and which includes the organization's service recipients. An organization's service population may be defined by geographic location, specific problems or needs, religion, ethnicity, culture, or other factors.


	PREVENTION Actions taken to minimize and/or eliminate social, psychological, or other conditions. Prevention can occur at the individual, group, community, and societal levels and enhances opportunities to achieve positive fulfillment.