Pennsylvania

In light of this major change and assuming that states may want to learn more about Cash & Counseling, this publication offers an in-depth description of the option, a discussion of key findings from the three-state demonstration, and preliminary information about the program’s expansion into 12 more states. At the end is a list of resources—both Web sites and published materials—for further information. Stories about consumers who have first-hand experience appear throughout this publication.

The Compendium contains basic information about each of the Real Choice Systems Change Grant awards in FY03–FY04 plus the Family to Family and Systems Transformation Grantees awarded in FY05 and FY06. The Compendium will help Grantees identify others with similar goals and activities. Learn more about how the grants will be used to allow more people of all ages with a disability or long term illness to live and participate in their communities. The sixth edition replaces all previous editions.

One objective of the Texas’s QA/QI grant was to develop a uniform and automated critical incident reporting process. Information was collected on critical incidents reported most often by other states to be used with the Quality Assurance and Improvement (QAI) Data Mart. The QA/QI task force reviewed and used this information to develop a list of critical incident definitions and recommendations.

A new database showcases the efforts of many of the TA providers serving CMS’ grantees. The database allows users to see the wide range of activities that support and enrich the grantees under the New Freedom Initiative. The database contains important information regarding existing and upcoming research products, conferences, and significant meetings as well as a wide variety of toolkits, surveys, and policy briefs, intended to be of interested to the disability and long-term care community.

This is the latest newsletter of the National Core Indicators (NCI) program. The publication is designed to keep you abreast of developments and best practices in performance and outcome measurement as exemplified in initiatives among NCI participants. Issue 1, Volume 4 is a special issue dedicated to Member Profiles. Review the summaries for twenty-three states plus the Regional Center of Orange County in California.

Recognizing the importance of measuring progress toward rebalancing, CMS contracted with Thomson Medstat to develop a model profile of one state and a companion technical assistance guide that other states can readily use to replicate and adapt the profile. Review Pennsylvania’s profile based upon their long-term support system across all disability and age groups. The technical assistance guide illustrates what a profile can provide and discusses the methods for development.

This letter announces the availability of a new technical assistance tool for use by States who wish to assess the current state of their long-term care systems, including their progress towards rebalancing. \"A Model State Profile for Assessing a State Long-Term Care System\", along with a \"Technical Assistance Guide to Assessing a State Long-Term Care System\" are now available on the CMS website.

Certainly, stigma is one of the more formidable obstacles to a transformed mental health system. This resource kit is intended to raise awareness of mental health and help counter the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental illnesses. Users are invited to use the kit with event planning, partnership development, outreach to schools and businesses, mental health resources, marketing to the general public, and grassroots outreach.

HCBS.org News CLIPS highlights the important work of Real Choice Systems Change Grantees. In each issue, we examine a topic related to home and community-based care by providing an overview of recent papers and publications. The Fall issues provides an overview of the reports available on Money Follows the Person, a program that allows states to rebalance their long-term care support systems to support people in community-based alternatives rather than institutional settings.

A public voice for caregivers, the Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) offers information education, services, research and advocacy programs to support and sustain the vital work of families caring for loved ones. The website offers fact sheets, audio archives, referrals, newsletters, issue briefs and reports. A newly updated resource map called Caregiving Across the States allows state administrators, policy makers, and caregivers to access state-by-state data from an interactive database.