Starting an AT Reutilization Program: Liability, Policies

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Starting an AT Reutilization Program Liability,
Policies Procedures

• Jessica Brodey
• September 16, 2009
• AT Conference on Reutilization

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Topics

• What is liability?
• How do I mitigate liability?
• Where do I start?
• Utilize Resources
• Insurance
• Policies and Procedures

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Liability

• Liability means legal responsibility for actions
  or activities (and any problems or injuries that
  arise from those actions or activities).
• Legal responsibility can result in expenses the
  costs for repairing or fixing, litigation, or
  damages.
• Affect reputation.
• Unhappy consumers claims of liability

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How do I mitigate liability?

• Insurance
• Develop organizational structure/staffing
• Identify reuse activities
• Create Policies and Procedures

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Insurance

• Who will you insure?
• For what activities?
• Activities must reflect/be consistent with your
  coverage
• Types of insurance
• Directors Officers
• Key Person Insurance
• Employees
• Volunteers
• Car/Driver
• Facilities
• Inventory
• Activities
• Property

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Organizational Structure/Staffing

• Determine appropriate organizational structure
  (corporation, sole proprietorship, 501(c)(3))
• Independent or affiliated?
• Identify staffing needs
• Employees
• Volunteers
• Contractors/Partners

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Identify Reuse Activities

• Exchange
• Reassign/Redistribute
• Refurbish
• Recycle
• Narrow the scope start small and build

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Policies and Procedures

• Topic Overview
• Define policies and procedures
• Why should we care about policies and procedures?
• Utilize resources
• Prioritize policies and procedures

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What are Policies and Procedures?

• Policies
• High-level guidelines.
• A policy is a plan of action to guide decisions
  and actions.
• Provide ground rules for effective interactions.
• Reflect high-risk areas of care.
• Policies are usually based upon accepted,
  well-defined norms/standards of practice.
  Norms/standards articulate what is done, who is
  served, and what resources are needed.

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What are Policies and Procedures?

• Procedures
• Procedures delineate the processes and activities
  necessary to implement policies in other words,
  the day-to-day operations.
• Procedures are usually based on professional
  guidelines when they are available.
• Procedures provide step-by-step guidance for
  basic organizational activities (e.g., client
  intake, santization, delivery of products).

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Why should we care about Policies and Procedures?

• Means to mitigate liability
• Provide a structure to ensure practices are
  performed appropriately
• Safeguard to avoid mistakes
• Guidelines for accountability
• Help with continuity
• Presumption that you did it right.

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Utilize resources!!

• Affiliated with a broader organization or an
  umbrella organization?
• University
• Government Agency
• 501(c)(3)
• Partner
• Board members

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Prioritizing

• Policies and procedures are constantly evolving
  and ongoing cannot ever get them perfect.
• Always room for improvement
• Always additional things to be added
• Programs are always growing and changing
• Identify which of the categories are most
  critical to the core operations of your program
• Identify which of the categories pose the most
  risk/exposure for your program

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Categories

• Organizational Structure 
• Governance Management
• Insurance
• Consumer Involvement
• Human Resources
• Finance and Accounting
• User Services
• Program Operations
• Marketing and Public Relations
• Outcomes
• Partners/Collaboration
• Sustainability
• Disaster Preparedness

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Tiered System for Prioritizing

• High Priority
• User Services
• Program Operations
• Insurance
• Moderate Priority
• Organizational Structure 
• Governance Management
• Consumer Involvement
• Human Resources
• Finance and Accounting
• Marketing and Public Relations
• Partners/Collaboration
• Sustainability
• Low Priority
• Outcomes
• Disaster Preparedness

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Break it Down Focus on YOUR reuse activities

• User Services
• Client Intake
• Equipment Matching
• Training
• Technical Assistance
• Delivery
• Follow Up
• Website Operations
• Program Operation
• Facilities
• Acquisitions/Donations
• Inventory Management
• Evaluation
• Repairing/Refurbishing
• Sanitization
• Storage
• Distribution/Transportation of Equipment
• Disposal/Recycling

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Roadmap to Success

• View Policies and Procedures as your road map to
  success
• Liability issues are a series of questions you
  need to answer What, When, How, Why, Where,
  Who.
• Addressing these questions will become your road
  map for operating your program.

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Summary

• Start slow it is better to delay providing
  services and get the planning and structure in
  place.
• Insurance coverage is critical.
• Address organizational structure/staffing.
• Focus on activities
• Pick one
• Break it down into parts think Who, What, When,
  Where, How and Why.
• Write it all out on paper.

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Contact

• Jessica Brodey
• JMB Policy Consulting
• [phone]
• jessica_at_passitoncenter.org