Special Incident Reports

June 25, 2001

To:  ALL SERVICE PROVIDERS OF REGIONAL CENTER OF ORANGE COUNTY

The Regional Center of Orange County (RCOC) is pleased to announce that effective July 1, 2001, a streamlined procedure for special incident reporting will be implemented. The purpose of this change is to more effectively carry out the mandates of Title 17, California Code of Regulations, that are meant to protect the safety and rights of people with developmental disabilities.

Enclosed with this letter is a checklist (or guideline) of the information that needs to be included in the Special Incident Report (SIR) and a sample of the revised SIR form that has been approved by the Department of Developmental Services for use by RCOC and its vendors. Please use this form when submitting SIRs via fax. Beginning August 1, 2001, this revised form may be downloaded from RCOC’s website, www.rcocdd.com.

Beginning July 1, 2001, all SIRs will be submitted to one central location at RCOC by phone or fax. Leslie Walker is the new SIR Coordinator who will be collecting and following up on all SIRs. Leslie’s telephone number for SIR reporting is (714) 796-5335. The SIR fax number is (714) 796-0600. Please make appropriate changes to any programmed speed dial numbers, automated fax numbers, etc. Please note that as of July 1, 2001, any SIRs submitted to RCOC Area offices or any other location will be redirected to the SIR Coordinator.

This new system will actually be more convenient for you since there will be a single point of contact. Leslie will ensure that all involved parties, including the consumer’s Service Coordinator and Area Manager, receive a copy of the SIR.

Creating a single point of contact for special incident reporting will allow us to better coordinate any follow-up required and prevent certain events from recurring. It will also ensure more consistent record-keeping and assist us in identifying trends that will help us better improve services. In this way, RCOC will be a more active partner with service providers in serving the needs of people with developmental disabilities.

Beginning August 1, 2001, you may view sample SIRs on the RCOC web site at www.rcocdd.com. If you do not have access to the internet, or would like copies of sample SIRs, please contact Leslie Walker at (714) 796-5335.

We at RCOC look forward to an improved tracking system for special incidents and appreciate the diligence of our service partners in appropriately reporting and documenting such episodes when they occur. If you have questions after reviewing the new SIR procedures, please feel free to contact Leslie Walker.

Sincerely,

Bill Bowman