Real
Choice Systems Change
MISSOURI
Grant
Information
Name of Grantee
Department
of Social Services
Title of Grant
Flexible
Choices for Independence
Type of Grant
Real
Choice Systems Change
Amount of Grant
$2,000,000
Year Original Funding
Received
2001
Completed
Contact
Information
Sherl Taylor, Medicaid Manager
Division of Medical Services
615 Howerton
Court, PO Box 6500
Jefferson City, MO
65102-6500
573-751-9290
sherl.taylor@dss.mo.gov
Subcontractor(s)
University of
Missouri-Kansas City
Dr. Christine Rinck
816-235-1760
Target
Population(s)
Consumers of all ages who have a
disability or long-term illness.
Goals
- Streamline the system to
assure easy and quick access to needed services and supports.
- Assure that the
infrastructure and process reflects consumer choice and consumer input.
- Foster interagency
coordination and collaboration.
- Assure informed choices
at all stages of care so that consumers can make good decisions about
their lives.
- Enhance linkages at
critical points to assure successful transitions to community living.
- Conduct research on
small demonstration projects to identify best practices and projects that
should be replicated.
- Establish a quality
assurance mechanism that relies on consumer input and is data driven.
Activities
- Develop resources for
training on informed choices for a wide audience.
- Train consumers on how
to discuss informed choice with other individuals with a disability or
long-term illness.
- Identify perceptions of
consumers, providers, service coordinators, and agency staff.
- Examine length of
hospital stays and the number of persons transferred from hospitals to
nursing homes who stay longer than anticipated
and conduct a pilot that attempts to address each of the factors found in
the study to determine what strategies are most successful in facilitating
living in community settings.
- Develop and pilot a
quality assurance process that can be used for all participating agencies.
- Develop and pilot a
standardized application process and referral system.
- Develop a guidebook on
available housing assistance programs within Missouri.
- Conduct a financial
analysis to examine the multiple funding streams and their pathways across
multiple child-service agencies in order to create a comprehensive picture
of the child mental health system.
- Implement and pilot
training and tracking systems for the prevention of alcohol and drug use
among students in grades 8 to 12 in three school districts.
- Develop a state
children's data warehouse system to assist in the administrative
management of funding, insure quality care, and provide clinically
meaningful information.
- Sponsor 16 staff from
state health-related agencies to attend a conference for training in the
new 1915c waiver application process.
- Sponsor self-advocates
for participation in a national conference intended to enhance knowledge
of partnership collaboration practices to be used between consumers,
families, providers, direct support professionals, and state disability
organizations.
- Sponsor the purchase of
a 3-year license agreement with the College of Direct Support on behalf of
the Missouri Department of Mental Health to help train, support, and
increase the number of direct care professionals through a Web-based learning
process.
- Host a statewide retreat
for adults with developmental disabilities to build their capacity to
participate in local and statewide changes to the current disability
systems.
Abstract
The objective of Flexible Choices for Independence is to enhance the lives of
people with a disability or long-term illness through systems change to allow
them to live in the most integrated community setting, exercise meaningful
choices about their lives, and obtain quality services. The outcome of the activities
of this grant will be that people with a disability or long-term illness will
have a significant voice in choices about their life and be able to shape the
services that they receive. In addition, services will be more consumer-driven
and better serve people with a disability or long-term illness.