The unprecedented circumstances of the past few months have impacted virtually every aspect of park district management, and that includes the second year of the Risk Management Review (RMR).

 “We made good progress on the upgrade and build out of the infrastructure of the new RMR program,” notes Tim Lenac, PDRMA’s Risk Management Services Supervisor. “Working with our vendor partners, we prepared to roll out the prelaunch phase this year. But we re-evaluated our plans and timelines due to COVID-19 and its impact on members and PDRMA.”

The pandemic and the limitations of the Restore Illinois Plan have meant dramatic changes at every agency, affecting facilities, programs and people. In light of this situation, PDRMA modified the 2020 Risk Management Review as follows:

• We suspended the original RMR plan for 2020 and have a revised plan.
• We continue to build the program infrastructure with vendor partners.
• Risk Management Consultants will contact members to schedule phone and/or virtual meetings to discuss current operations, staffing levels and needs.
• Consultants and members will field test select risk management review forms.
• Consultants will assign Slip, Trip and Fall form to members.
• Risk Management Services will use information from re-engagement discussions to evaluate members’ ability to engage in pilot RMR activities.

“We recognize members are focused on implementing COVID-19 guidelines as they try to re-open facilities and programs,” adds Lenac. “During these times, it’s imperative that each agency thoughtfully manages the risks associated with programming and follows best-practices measures.