New Mexico RCSC Summary | advancingstates.org

<A NAME=\"NMRC\"></A> <P ALIGN=\"RIGHT\"><EM>Real Choice Systems Change</EM></P> <H2 ALIGN=\"CENTER\">NEW MEXICO</H2> <H3>Identified Problems with the State's Long-Term Care System</H3> <P> <UL> <LI>High turnover among community service and health care workers.</LI> <LI>Lack of affordable housing.</LI> <LI>Lack of transportation for elderly and disabled persons.</LI> <LI>Lack of consumer-directed services in the HCBS program.</LI> <LI>Long waiting lists and difficulty providing services in remote areas.</LI> <LI>Underdeveloped outreach to nursing facility residents regarding community service options.</LI> <LI>Persons who need long-term care services must navigate a disjointed system of acute, long-term care and social services that are managed and provided through an extensive list of state and federal government programs, private and non-profit providers, and charitable groups.</LI> <LI>Information available from those entities is inconsistent in quality and scope and is not available in an organized or centralized manner.</LI> </UL> </P> <H3>Perceived Strengths</H3> <P> <UL> <LI>The Medicaid Personal Care Option Program offers personal assistance options and consumer-directed services.</LI> <LI>Medicaid buy-in provides health insurance for disabled persons who want to work.</LI> <LI>HUD Access Housing 2000 Initiative vouchers have been awarded to New Mexico.</LI> <LI>Existing collaborative relationship between the State Department of Human Services and Albuquerque Housing Services.</LI> <LI>The Medical Assistance Division (MAD) recently implemented a long-term care centralized intake and screening system, called LTC Link<FONT SIZE=\"-1\"><SUP>nm</SUP></FONT> to establish a standard method of gathering individual information for program and service planning. It facilitates accurate and in-depth assessment of individual needs, eliminates unnecessary duplication of assessments and promotes sharing of information across programs and agencies.</LI> <LI>MAD has submitted a conceptual paper to CMS for a Medicaid 1115 Global Funding waiver to demonstrate that combining Medicaid funding for nursing home services and Medicaid home and community-based services for persons who are elderly or disabled will facilitate provision of services in the most integrated setting.</LI> </UL> </P> <H3>Primary Focus of Grant Activities</H3> <P> <UL> <LI>Assist consumers, caregivers, and providers to maximize utilization of social support services in combination with medical services.</LI> <LI>Empower consumers to become systems change advocates.</LI> </UL> </P> <H3>Goals, Objectives, and Activities</H3> <P><STRONG>Overall Goal.</STRONG> Provide individuals with resources, information and training on how to access services and make choices about their living environment and their provider of services, and provide an advocacy and leadership training program for individuals with disabilities to lead systems change.</P> <P><STRONG>Goal</STRONG>. Establish a statewide Service Delivery Options Training Program (SDOTP) to provide individuals with resources and information on how to access services and make meaningful choices about their living environment and their provider of services.</P> <P><STRONG><EM>Objectives/Activities</EM></STRONG> <UL> <LI>Conduct a review of the literature and analyze the results of any needs assessment previously conducted to determine information and training needs of consumers, caregivers, and providers.</LI> <LI>Plan, conduct and analyze any additional needs assessments necessary to fill the gaps of knowledge as identified by the first activity.</LI> <LI>Develop training curricula based on input and assistance from the various task force members and other state agencies involved in long-term care.</LI> <LI>Recruit participants for the train the trainers initial training from a broad range of consumers, caregivers, and advocates. These trainers will reflect the demographic, disability, cultural, and geographic make-up of the state.</LI> <LI>Prepare new materials to meet the needs of trainers and participants and incorporate existing material as appropriate. Training materials will be bilingual, screened for cultural sensitivity, and available in alternate formats as needed to allow individuals with disabilities to fully participate in the training.</LI> <LI>Each step of the SDOTP will include an evaluation component to assess the quality of the training materials and trainers' skills, knowledge gained by participants, and consumer satisfaction on the overall success of the training.</LI> </UL> </P> <P><STRONG>Goal.</STRONG> Establish a statewide Network for Long-Term Care Policy Change (NLTCPC) program to provide consumers, family members and other advocates with the skills necessary to help create and sustain systems change through a training program.</P> <P><STRONG><EM>Objectives/Activities</EM></STRONG> <UL> <LI>Recruit at least one team with five members from each of the five regions in New Mexico to form regional NLTCPC Development Teams comprising consumers, family members and advocates from various disability populations.</LI> <LI>Develop curriculum to include History and Philosophy of Disability, Public Policy (including the philosophical underpinnings of self-directed and community supports), State Policy Systems (including the State Legislature), Current Service Delivery and Available Resources, and Community Development and Organizing Strategies.</LI> <LI>Teams will participate in a 1week Train the Trainers Academy, using the developed curriculum, and will conduct a community assessment to determine available resources in their communities.</LI> <LI>Each team will participate in a 3day statewide meeting to practice training in preparation for conducting regional training, and to report on community assessments, discuss lessons learned in community assessments, prioritize each team's regional issues and develop a regional training and continuation plan.</LI> <LI>Each team will begin implementation of the plan to recruit regional support and build Policy Partners' capacity through regional training to consumers, family members and advocates.</LI> <LI>Each team, under the guidance of the contractor, will provide written reports concerning the number of trainings or presentations, the number of persons trained, the number of persons in the regional Policy Partners, and regional support for continuation efforts.</LI> <LI>Training materials will be bilingual, screened for cultural sensitivity, and available in alternate formats as needed to allow individuals with disabilities to fully participate in the training.</LI> <LI>Each step of the NLTCPC will include an evaluation component to assess the quality of the training materials and trainers' skills, the knowledge gained by participants, consumer satisfaction on the overall success of the training, and the changes made in state policy, regulation, or statute initiated by Policy Partners.</LI> </UL> </P> <H3>Key Activities and Products</H3> <P> <UL> <LI>Develop training curriculum to help consumers, caregivers and providers to maximize utilization of social support services in combination with medical services.</LI> <LI>Create a train-the-trainers model with core curriculum that includes information on current systems and processes as well as new models of service delivery.</LI> <LI>Train individuals on self-directed care and management of providers and services.</LI> <LI>Develop a curriculum to train consumers, families, and other advocates throughout the state with skills to help create and sustain systems change.</LI> <LI>Conduct outreach activities and identify participants for the program.</LI> <LI>Conduct program evaluation.</LI> </UL> </P> <H3>Consumer Partners</H3> <P>The Individual Choices Task Force includes individuals with disabilities or long-term illnesses, state agencies and the following consumer and advocate entities: <UL> <LI>Challenge New MexicoServing the Mentally and Physically Challenged.</LI> <LI>American Association of Retired Persons.</LI> <LI>Consumer and Family Volunteers.</LI> <LI>The ARC of New Mexico.</LI> <LI>Independent Living Centers (ILCs).</LI> </UL> </P> <H3>Consumer Partners and Consumer Involvement in Planning Activities</H3> <P>The Individual Choices Task Force was created as part of the planning process for the Real Choice Grant project. The Task Force participated in planning meetings, assisted with the development of project goals and activities, and reviewed drafts of the original grant application. They also helped to write the reprioritized grant and worked out the budget.</P> <H3>Consumer Partners and Consumer Involvement in Implementation Activities</H3> <P> <UL> <LI>The Individual Choices Task Force will monitor the progress of grant activities, conduct evaluations, and assist in the development of training, leadership, and advocacy programs.</LI> <LI>The train the trainer program will be implemented through the project staff and the Task Force. They will identify trainees who will conduct the local training programs in communities selected by the Task Force, to include of all geographical areas of the state.</LI> </UL> </P> <H3>Public Partners</H3> <P> <UL> <LI>State Agency on Aging.</LI> <LI>The Governor's Commission on Concerns of the Handicapped.</LI> <LI>Division of Vocation Rehabilitation.</LI> <LI>Developmentally Disabled Planning Committee.</LI> <LI>Albuquerque Housing Authority.</LI> <LI>Public Transit.</LI> </UL> </P> <H3>Private Partners and Subcontractors</H3> <P> <UL> <LI>Independent Living Resource Center.</LI> <LI>San Juan Center for Independent Living.</LI> <LI>The Arc of New Mexico.</LI> <LI>People First.</LI> <LI>AARP.</LI> <LI>Project Succeed.</LI> <LI>Protection and Advocacy.</LI> <LI>Parents Reaching Out.</LI> <LI>Center for Development and Disability.</LI> <LI>Service Provider Associations.</LI> <LI>The program will be implemented through one or more contracts with an organization or individual with expertise in consumer training.</LI> </UL> </P> <H3>Public and Private Partnership Development/Involvement in the Planning Phase</H3> <P><STRONG>Public</STRONG></P> <P>The Governor's Commission on Concerns of the Handicapped, the State Agency on Aging, and the Developmentally Disabled Planning Committee are members of the Task Force and were involved in all aspects of planning the Real Choice Grant project (see Consumers Involvement in Planning).</P> <P><STRONG>Private</STRONG></P> <P>ILCs, the Arc of New Mexico, Challenge New Mexico, and AARP are members of the Task Force and were involved in all aspects of planning the Real Choice Grant project (see Consumers Involvement in Planning).</P> <H3>Public and Private Partnership Development/Involvement in Implementation</H3> <P>The public and private partners listed above, and other similar organizations, will provide input and expertise and/or assist in conducting the training for the SDOTP and the NLTCPC Development Teams.</P> <H3>Oversight/Advisory Committee</H3> <P>The Individual Choices Task Force will monitor the progress of grant activities and conduct evaluations. They will also assist in various other quality assurance and improvement activities.</P> <H3>Formative Learning and Evaluation Activities</H3> <P> <UL> <LI>Evaluation of the project's stated goals and objectives, to be conducted by a professional evaluator, will allow for appropriate modification and continuous refinement.</LI> <LI>The NLTCPC contractor will organize two statewide meetings during the second year of the grant. The first meeting will be to report on progress of the regional plans, including areas of concerns and development of best practices. The second meeting will be to provide additional opportunity to exchange knowledge gained, receive technical assistance and make adjustments in the regional plans for the upcoming year's activities.</LI> </UL> </P> <H3>Evidence of Enduring Change/Sustainability</H3> <P> <UL> <LI>Each region will form an organizational structure, based on the support of regional organizations and businesses, to develop resources (dollars and other resources) that will assure the continuation of the NLTCPC regional Policy Partners program.</LI> <LI>The NLTCPC project will dovetail with the SDOTP and incorporate the training of consumers, caregivers, and advocates into the activities of the NLTCPC Development Teams, to be supported by regional organizations and businesses.</LI> <LI>Each team will carry out regional and state-level activities with policy makers and the legislature to impact identified policies and regulations.</LI> <LI>Recruitment activities and regional trainings will strengthen and expand the regional Policy Partners network.</LI> <LI>Training curricula and materials for both initiatives will be used after the grant period ends.</LI> </UL> </P> <H3>Geographic Focus</H3> <P>Statewide.</P>