BARC DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES "TO SERVE AND ADVOCATE FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND AUTISM" HOME ABOUT SERVICES CAREERS UPCOMING EVENTS NEWS MAKE A DONATION CONTACT US BOARD OF DIRECTORS LOGIN HOME Vision Statement: BARC Developmental Services will assist and support individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism to reach their fullest potential, lead happy lives and contribute to their community. Please see below for up to date information for the agencies response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Please note we are experiencing some technical difficulties with our phone systems at some of our sites. Please use the following phone numbers if you need to call one of our locations: BARC Production Services Warminster215-672-6010, 6011, 6012, 7088. Warminster Residential 215-672-0827, 8270, 8271 BARC Production Services Quakertown 215-529-0299, 2963, 4040, 4423 Quakertown Residential 215-536-2097, 2902, 6791, 6981 Due to concerns over the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) and in consideration of the health and safety of participants and staff members, we have decided to postpone the 2021 Fall Designer Handbag Bingo event. We are looking forward to the Spring of 2022 for hosting this event. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and kindly ask for your understanding On Thursday, July 29th, Chuck Baxter, member of the Kistler Tiffany Foundation Board of Directors, visited BPSQ to present a $5,000 grant designated to the renovation of the main workshop men and women’s bathrooms. Mr. Baxter had the opportunity to tour the workshop facility, including the bathrooms which are hoped to begin construction this fall. The Kistler Tiffany Foundation was founded in 1985 and has provided over $3 million dollars in grants to organizations in the tri-state area who offer supports to individuals or groups who are mentally or physically challenged, suffering from abuse, or unable to experience life’s pleasures due to circumstances beyond their control. The Kistler Tiffany Foundation has been a generous supporter of BARC since 2017. TO: Individuals, Family Members, & Residential Providers FROM: Scott Kulp, Director of Vocational Services & Development Friday, July 2nd, 2021 I wanted to offer an update about the status of our day programs at BARC Production Services Quakertown (BPSQ) and Warminster (BPSW). Both our day programs re-opened on a limited basis on Monday, May 10th, 2021. Since then, the weekly positivity rate in Bucks County has continued to drop. Today the rate is .6%, which is the lowest in months. The good news is we no longer have to close our day programs if the positivity rate again exceeds 10% in Bucks County as long as 70% of the individuals attending our programs are fully vaccinated. On Monday, June 28th, 2021, Governor Wolf lifted the masking mandate for the state of Pennsylvania. There were exceptions to lifting this masking mandate, however. One of those exceptions is that individuals and staff at health care facilities are still expected to wear masks at all times when indoors. BPSQ and BPSW are considered health care facilities, which means everyone who comes to our programs must be able to wear a mask, except when eating. We understand this exception may be confusing, as well as disappointing for those folks who hoped they would now be able to return to their day program. At this time, we do not know if or when folks who cannot wear a mask might be able to return to their day program. As we receive updates about this situation, we will share that information with you. I send best wishes to you for a fun and relaxing 4th of July holiday! Sincerely, Scott Kulp Director of vocational Services & Development BARC Developmental Services A Message from ODP: The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has partnered with Rite Aid to provide COVID-19 vaccines to individuals with an intellectual disability or autism and their caregivers at Rite Aid stores across the Commonwealth. We also secured a call center to support scheduling efforts. At this time, we have requested assistance from Supports Coordinators to recontact individuals and their caregivers who may have been unable to take advantage of prior clinic opportunities, who were still evaluating whether they wanted to get vaccinated or previously said they did not want to be vaccinated to check if they may have changed their mind. ODP is not scheduling any additional closed clinics for the ODP population only, rather, moving to a model where individuals and their caregivers will receive assistance to schedule at a Rite Aid store near them during typical store hours. As indicated on the instructions, registration for vaccination appointments is easy, the person just needs to call our call center at 1-800-424-4345 and answer some brief intake questions. The hours of operation are 7 AM to 7 PM, Monday through Friday. The call center will provide representatives from Rite Aid with the individual’s information and Rite Aid will call them directly to schedule vaccination appointments. If you have any questions about this process, please reach out to your Supports Coordinator. Date: March 3, 2021 To: Individuals, Families, Team Members, Residential Workers, Therapists and Supports Coordinators From: Eric Macklin, Residential Director Re: Updates and Changes to COVID Precautions I would like to take this opportunity to express my continued gratitude to all of the people who this letter is being sent. COVID has affected us in many ways and we have each developed our own personal coping techniques while adapting our daily routines in many ways. What I am thankful for is what each of you has done for the individuals that BARC Developmental Services supports residentially. I am very proud of how incredibly well you have helped the individuals adapt to the changes in their lives and remain as safe and healthy as possible. The role each of you plays has allowed the end result to occur. Lastly, I would like to thank the individuals for their patience, understanding, flexibility and courage during the past year. As of today, all individuals, with the exception of two who were not cleared medically, have been fully vaccinated. Many workers also elected to be vaccinated. Additionally, the Bucks County COVID rate has been under 10% for the past three weeks. We have worked hard to maintain high standards of screening for COVID symptoms upon arrival at worksites, following cleaning protocols and testing for COVID when needed. For these reasons the following changes are effective now: Individuals’ outings into the community can occur to locations where social distancing can take place. The individual must be able to wear a mask and social distance for the full length of the outing. Dining out is not being reinstated for individuals and remains prohibited. Drive thru and delivery food is permitted at this time with full precautions in place including washing of hands and the use of hand sanitizer before and after the handling of bags, etc. Medical appointments of all kinds will resume for individuals. This includes office visits and in-home therapies. Telehealth appointments will continue if desired by the medical professional. Schedules for office staff are being reviewed again to continue to balance the number of staff in the office together each day of the week. This will increase the number of staff in the office each day going forward. Certain in-person trainings for associates are resuming while virtual trainings will continue for the majority of courses. Visits for families with individuals will be resuming effective immediately either at the residential offices or outside of the residential homes depending on the weather. Contact the House Manager or Program Manager / Coordinator to schedule the visit and to learn about the precautions that are in place. PCR Positivity Rate Portal Info ODP UPDATE COVIDDownload Additional Covid Updates Thank you to our incredible staff and contractors for their supports to our children and adults over the past several months. A true example of dedication, compassion and resilience. 4/9/2020 A video message from BARC Executive Director, Mary Sautter. EARLY INTERVENTION UPDATE: Parents are offered the services according to their child’s Individualized Family Service Plan by teleintervention. Early Intervention team members are providing support and strategies to each family via a convenient platform. Families that prefer not to participate in teleintervention services are on hold until face to face service is allowed. As we work closely with our government entities regarding the ever changing information regarding COVID-19, we ask that you please check our Facebook page and website (barcprograms.org) frequently for the most up to date information regarding our services. We appreciate your patience as we navigate this rapidly changing situation. COVID-19-MemoDownload Coronavirus-Memo-3-9-2020_1_2Download Coronavirus-Memo-to-Family-Members_1Download cor19Download For more up to date information on Coronavirus 19 please visit the Centers for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov as well as the World Health Organization http://www.who.int websites. WHO WE ARE We are people with disabilities and the members, parents, and staff who support them…We are guided by a volunteer board of directors. We were founded in 1951 by parents of children with developmental delays. These parents sought growth and achievement opportunities for their children. Today we serve over 700 individuals from birth through retirement. EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS We help infants and toddlers develop a variety of skills through our Early Intervention Program. The family is central in planning supports for their child. RESIDENTIAL SERVICES We support individuals in their homes through our Residential Program. The supports we provide are as varied as the dreams of the people we serve. VOCATIONAL SERVICES We help develop work skills needed by individuals to earn wages through our Vocational Services Program and our Production Services Program. The JOBS Program offers community based employment services for disabled adults; for more information on JOBS Click Here CAREERS Those who choose to work within BARC Developmental Services do so in a multi-faceted environment that allows each associate to perform, grow and succeed. Because we are a growth-oriented, creative agency we seek associates with wide ranging skills and backgrounds to join our team. Many of our employees feel strongly about what we do here at BARC, to read some of their testimonies, click the link to be redirected to our careers page. Read More IMPORTANT INFORMATION 2021/2022 Capital Campaign: Fire Evacuation Sidewalks for BARC Production Services, Warminster Employment First Initiative Information Fix the Direct Support Professionals (DSP) Wage Crisis MERCEDES RAFFLE HOLIDAY CARDS Click above to see our card selection AMAZON SMILE FOR FAMILIES ABOUT BARC DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES