Supporting People with Disabilities
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Program Highlights
El Valor received an “Exemplary Status” designation from the International Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities for its high quality programs for persons with disabilities.
El Valor works with more than 1,000 individuals with disabilities and their families from diverse communities
The goal of the Adult Programs is to provide opportunities and choices for people with disabilities and their families; to be a part of a community that embraces diversity and supports individuals to reach their full potential.
SUPPORTING ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES PROGRAMS
EMPLOYMENT PLACEMENT PROGRAMS help individuals with special needs by training and assisting them with many employment opportunities.
RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY HOUSING encourages independent living for individuals with disabilities. Through this program, they learn the necessary life skills that will help them grow and participate in community life.
ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY PROGRAMS work with individuals who have experienced a traumatic brain injury through specialized case management services and links them to critically needed support services.
RESPITE PROGRAMS provide home services to allow the caregiver time to address additional responsibilities. 275 families rely on this program; 200 more are on the waiting list.
DEVELOPMENTAL TRAINING is for adults that live with more severe physical and developmental challenges providing training in communication, socialization, life-enrichment, recreational and vocational skills.
ENTREPRENUERIAL SKILLS are developed as participants create beautiful pieces of art often displayed at mainstream business and events such as Barney's of New York and El Valor's Don Quixote Dinner.
For further information, please contact Hector Izaguirre at hector.izaguirre@elvalor.net or at 312.997.2030 xt231.
Fact:
In the United States, Latinos with disabilities are not participating in vocational rehabilitation
programs at levels proportionate to their representation in the population overall. Scholars
have attributed this to a number of factors including differing attitudes and beliefs about
concepts such as “disability,” “independence” and “success.” Researchers also have explained
disabled Latinos’ lower levels of successful vocational outcomes by pointing to a rehabilitation
system that does not fit the realities of many people from marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds. TRUE INCLUSION needs to be increased.
As more baby-boomers age, the greater need there will be to increase home-based care services.
Supporting PEOPLE with Disabilities:
Intake and Referral
Comprehensive Vocational Evaluation
Vocational Development
Supported Employment
Job Placement
Lifestyle Enrichment - Art, Horticulture, Food & Nutrition, Sports & Recreation
Community Residence Services
Acquired Brain Injury Initiative
Advocacy & Public Policy
Family Support & Respite Care
Home-Based Care
Self-Advocacy
Contact:
For more information about our Programs for People with Disabilities, please call or visit El Valor's main office:
El Valor
1850 W. 21st Street
Chicago, IL 60608
Phone: (312) 666-4511
TDD: (312) 666-3361
Fax: (312) 666-6677
For El Valor visit: http://www.elvalor.org/
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Illinois : Beginning Sept. 1 2011 : Seniors, People with Disabilities Can Apply for LIHEAP Program
August 25, 2011
State Announces Start of Home Heating Assistance Enrollment
Seniors, People with Disabilities Can Apply for LIHEAP Program Beginning Sept. 1
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's Office of Energy Assistance today announced that seniors and people with disabilities can begin applying for winter heating assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) beginning Sept. 1.
For the first time, some LIHEAP clients will have the option of choosing between the traditional Direct Vendor Payment (DVP) plan or the new Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP). The PIPP is available to eligible LIHEAP clients who are customers of Ameren Illinois, ComEd, Nicor Gas and Peoples Gas/North Shore Gas. Under PIPP, the eligible client will pay a percentage of their income, receive a monthly benefit towards their utility bill, and receive a reduction in overdue payments for every on-time payment they make by the bill due date. The traditional DVP plan is a one-time payment.
Due to the start-up of PIPP, LIHEAP clients may experience longer wait times when applying for assistance, but should ultimately receive better service delivery. Clients must bring all required documentation when applying for assistance including:
• Proof of gross income from all household members for the 30-day period prior to the application date.
• A copy of their current heat and electric bills issued within the last 30 days (if they pay for their energy directly).
• A copy of their rental agreement (if they are renting) showing that utilities are included, the monthly rental amount and landlord contact information.
• Proof of Social Security numbers for all household members.
• Proof that their household received TANF or other benefits, such as Medical Eligibility or SNAP, if receiving assistance from the Illinois Department of Human Services.
LIHEAP is a state and federally funded energy assistance program for low income families, in which heating bill payments are made on behalf of households.
A single-person household can qualify with a monthly income of up to $1,361; a two-person household up to $1,839; a family of three can earn up to $2,316; and a family of four can earn up to $2,794. Benefits are paid directly to utilities on behalf of eligible households. The exception is households whose heating costs are included in their rent.
LIHEAP applications are processed through a network of 35 local administering agencies around the state. These agencies will begin accepting applications on a first-come, first served basis from the elderly and people with disabilities on Sept. 1.
Households with children under the age of five can begin applying for LIHEAP assistance beginning Oct. 1. Individuals not eligible for priority enrollment can apply beginning Nov. 1.
Customers will be served on a first-come first-served basis until funding is exhausted.
For a complete listing of LIHEAP’s local administering agencies and additional information about the program, go to LiheapIllinois.com, or call the toll-free hotline at 1 877 411-WARM.
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The below information is from the Illinois LIHEAP website
Welcome to LIHEAP!
For many Illinois households, energy costs place a severe and continuing stress on a family’s budget. In some instances, the household is forced to make painful decisions regarding which bills to pay and which necessities to survive without. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is designed to help eligible low income households pay for winter energy service.
Program Year 2012 Home Heating (Winter) Program: Download FY2012 LIHEAP Brochure.
PY 2012: New Option Available to Customers of Ameren Illinois, ComEd, Nicor Gas or Peoples Gas/North Shore Gas
For the first time, LIHEAP clients with the listed utility providers will have the option of choosing between the traditional Direct Vendor Payment (DVP) plan or the new Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP). Under PIPP, the eligible client will pay a percentage of their income, receive a monthly benefit towards their utility bill, and lower their overdue bills for every on-time payment they make by the bill due date. The traditional DVP plan is a one-time payment. The choices will be explained to LIHEAP clients during their application visit.
PY 2012 Plan Ahead and Bring Proper Documentation
Because of the new PIPP program, LIHEAP clients should plan for up to 30-45 minute wait times during their application visit. Do not forget to bring all required documentation at that time including:
· Proof of gross income from all household members for the 30-day period prior to the application date.
· A copy of current heat and electric bills issued within the last 30 days (if energy directly paid for).
· A copy of rental agreement (if renting) showing that utilities are included, the monthly rental amount and landlord contact information.
· Proof of Social Security numbers for all household members.
· Proof that household received TANF or other benefits, such as Medical Eligibility or SNAP, if receiving assistance from the Illinois Department of Human Services.
PY 2012 Application Schedule
Beginning September 1, 2011 Seniors, People with Disabilities
Beginning October 1, 2011 Households with children under age 5
Beginning November 1, 2011 All other eligible households
Am I Eligible?
If your household’s combined income for the 30 days prior to application is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level as shown in the chart below, you may be eligible to receive assistance. If you rent, and your heat and/or electric is included in the rent, your rent must be greater than 30% of your income in order to be eligible to receive assistance.
How Do I Apply?
Contact your local Community Action Agency to make an appointment to apply for LIHEAP. Locate the Community Action Agency nearest you.
Frequently Asked Questions
LIHEAP Success Stories
Draft 2012 LIHEAP State Plan and Program Integrity Supplement -- NOW AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AND COMMENTS>
For additional assistance, please feel free to call the
Energy Assistance Hotline at (877) 411-9276
# For Illinois LIHEAP visit: http://www.ildceo.net/dceo/Bureaus/Energy+Assistance/Illinois+LIHEAP/
Illinois Gov Quinn Signs New law to safely get rid of unused medication
CHICAGO – August 24, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today signed House Bill 2056 and 3090 to improve and enhance pharmaceutical collection and disposal programs.
House Bill 2056, sponsored by Rep. Joann Osmond (R-Antioch) and Sen. Suzi Schmidt (R-Lake Villa), creates a pharmaceutical collection and disposal program to ensure safe disposal of excess prescription medication. The legislation began as an initiative of students from Pontiac and Antioch High Schools, both of which have been active in efforts to collect and properly dispose of unused pharmaceuticals. The program is designed as a collaborative effort between communities, local pharmacies, police departments, hospitals, city officials and students to educate the public about the misuse and abuse of pharmaceuticals, as well as discarded pharmaceuticals’ impact on the environment. Numerous studies have shown that residue from many pharmaceuticals can be found in both drinking water sources and in finished drinking water.
House Bill 3090, sponsored by Rep. Luis Arroyo, (D-Chicago) and Sen. William Delgado (D-Chicago), allows a city, village, or municipality to authorize the use of its city hall or police department to display containers suitable for use as a receptacles for used, expired or unwanted pharmaceuticals.
"Every year families are left with excess prescription drugs that could be harmful if they are accessible to children who may accidentally swallow them or youths who may use the drugs to get high," Senator Delgado, Chairman of the Senate Public Health Committee said. "This legislation will allow for additional locations where people can safely dispose of prescription drugs that have expired or are not needed. This initiative addresses a vital public health and safety issue."
House Bills 2056 and 3090 take effect Jan. 1, 2012.
House Bill 2056, sponsored by Rep. Joann Osmond (R-Antioch) and Sen. Suzi Schmidt (R-Lake Villa), creates a pharmaceutical collection and disposal program to ensure safe disposal of excess prescription medication. The legislation began as an initiative of students from Pontiac and Antioch High Schools, both of which have been active in efforts to collect and properly dispose of unused pharmaceuticals. The program is designed as a collaborative effort between communities, local pharmacies, police departments, hospitals, city officials and students to educate the public about the misuse and abuse of pharmaceuticals, as well as discarded pharmaceuticals’ impact on the environment. Numerous studies have shown that residue from many pharmaceuticals can be found in both drinking water sources and in finished drinking water.
House Bill 3090, sponsored by Rep. Luis Arroyo, (D-Chicago) and Sen. William Delgado (D-Chicago), allows a city, village, or municipality to authorize the use of its city hall or police department to display containers suitable for use as a receptacles for used, expired or unwanted pharmaceuticals.
"Every year families are left with excess prescription drugs that could be harmful if they are accessible to children who may accidentally swallow them or youths who may use the drugs to get high," Senator Delgado, Chairman of the Senate Public Health Committee said. "This legislation will allow for additional locations where people can safely dispose of prescription drugs that have expired or are not needed. This initiative addresses a vital public health and safety issue."
House Bills 2056 and 3090 take effect Jan. 1, 2012.
HHS awards $137 million to states to boost prevention and public health : Press Release Aug 25, 2011
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2011
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
HHS awards $137 million to states to boost prevention and public health
Affordable Care Act funds will create jobs and target health improvement, local capacity building
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today awarded up to $137 million, partly supported by the Affordable Care Act, to states to strengthen the public health infrastructure and provide jobs in core areas of public health. Awarded in nearly every state, the grants enhance state, tribal, local and territorial efforts to provide tobacco cessation services, strengthen public health laboratory and immunization services, prevent healthcare-associated infections, and provide comprehensive substance abuse prevention and treatment.
“More than ever, it is important to help states fight disease and protect public health,” said Secretary Sebelius. “These awards are an important investment and will enable states and communities to help Americans quit smoking, get immunized and prevent disease and illness before they start.”
The grants will fund key state and local public health programs supported through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Most of these grant dollars come from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act. Additional SAMHSA dollars supplement this investment.
“CDC supports state and local public health departments which are key to keeping America safe from threats to health, safety, and security from this country or anywhere in the world,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden. “With these funds, CDC is strengthening our ability to prevent and combat diseases and keep Americans safe against expensive and dangerous health threats.”
“These funds will allow us to bolster public health services to communities and build on successful programs that have helped people lead healthier lives. Today’s investments will help us prevent future health care costs from problems such as tobacco-related illness and substance abuse,” said Pamela Hyde, administrator of SAMHSA.
The awards include:
•$1 million to further enhance the nations’ public health laboratories by hiring and preparing scientists for careers in public health laboratories, providing training for scientists, and supporting public health initiatives related to infectious disease research.
•Nearly $5 million to help states and territories enhance and expand the national network of tobacco cessation quitlines to increase the number of tobacco users who quit. Quitlines are the toll-free numbers people can call to obtain smoking cessation treatments and services.
•More than $42 million to support: improvements to the Immunization Information Systems (registries) and other immunization information technologies; development of systems to improve billing for immunization services; planning and implementation of adult immunization programs; enhancement of vaccination capacity located in schools; and evaluations of the impact on disease of recent vaccine recommendations for children and adolescents.
•$2.6 million to the Emerging Infections Programs around the country to continue improvement in disease monitoring, professional development and training, information technology development, and laboratory capacity.
•$9.2 million to eight national non-profit professional public health organizations to assist state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments in adopting effective practices that strengthen their core public health systems and service delivery. They will also enhance the workforce by providing jobs in critical disciplines of epidemiology and informatics, thus attracting new talent to public health.
•$1.5 million to evaluate and prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia to reduce cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and protect Americans from healthcare-associated infectious diseases.
•Up to $75 million to fund nine Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment programs over the next five years. These programs will allow communities throughout the nation to provide more comprehensive substance abuse screening, secondary prevention, early intervention and referrals to treatment for people at higher risk for substance abuse. The actual award amounts may vary, depending on the availability of funds and the performance of the grantees.
Today’s announcement is another part of the Obama Administration’s broader effort to improve the health and well-being of our communities through initiatives such as the President’s Childhood Obesity Task Force, the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign, the National Quality Strategy, and the National Prevention Strategy. Similar to the Obama Administration’s Partnership for Patients which aims to make hospitals safer, more reliable and less costly, today’s announcement is also an important step in improving the quality of health care for all Americans.
A full list of grantees is available at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/08/state_prevention_grants.html.
###
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last revised: August 25, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2011
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
HHS awards $137 million to states to boost prevention and public health
Affordable Care Act funds will create jobs and target health improvement, local capacity building
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today awarded up to $137 million, partly supported by the Affordable Care Act, to states to strengthen the public health infrastructure and provide jobs in core areas of public health. Awarded in nearly every state, the grants enhance state, tribal, local and territorial efforts to provide tobacco cessation services, strengthen public health laboratory and immunization services, prevent healthcare-associated infections, and provide comprehensive substance abuse prevention and treatment.
“More than ever, it is important to help states fight disease and protect public health,” said Secretary Sebelius. “These awards are an important investment and will enable states and communities to help Americans quit smoking, get immunized and prevent disease and illness before they start.”
The grants will fund key state and local public health programs supported through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Most of these grant dollars come from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act. Additional SAMHSA dollars supplement this investment.
“CDC supports state and local public health departments which are key to keeping America safe from threats to health, safety, and security from this country or anywhere in the world,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden. “With these funds, CDC is strengthening our ability to prevent and combat diseases and keep Americans safe against expensive and dangerous health threats.”
“These funds will allow us to bolster public health services to communities and build on successful programs that have helped people lead healthier lives. Today’s investments will help us prevent future health care costs from problems such as tobacco-related illness and substance abuse,” said Pamela Hyde, administrator of SAMHSA.
The awards include:
•$1 million to further enhance the nations’ public health laboratories by hiring and preparing scientists for careers in public health laboratories, providing training for scientists, and supporting public health initiatives related to infectious disease research.
•Nearly $5 million to help states and territories enhance and expand the national network of tobacco cessation quitlines to increase the number of tobacco users who quit. Quitlines are the toll-free numbers people can call to obtain smoking cessation treatments and services.
•More than $42 million to support: improvements to the Immunization Information Systems (registries) and other immunization information technologies; development of systems to improve billing for immunization services; planning and implementation of adult immunization programs; enhancement of vaccination capacity located in schools; and evaluations of the impact on disease of recent vaccine recommendations for children and adolescents.
•$2.6 million to the Emerging Infections Programs around the country to continue improvement in disease monitoring, professional development and training, information technology development, and laboratory capacity.
•$9.2 million to eight national non-profit professional public health organizations to assist state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments in adopting effective practices that strengthen their core public health systems and service delivery. They will also enhance the workforce by providing jobs in critical disciplines of epidemiology and informatics, thus attracting new talent to public health.
•$1.5 million to evaluate and prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia to reduce cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and protect Americans from healthcare-associated infectious diseases.
•Up to $75 million to fund nine Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment programs over the next five years. These programs will allow communities throughout the nation to provide more comprehensive substance abuse screening, secondary prevention, early intervention and referrals to treatment for people at higher risk for substance abuse. The actual award amounts may vary, depending on the availability of funds and the performance of the grantees.
Today’s announcement is another part of the Obama Administration’s broader effort to improve the health and well-being of our communities through initiatives such as the President’s Childhood Obesity Task Force, the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign, the National Quality Strategy, and the National Prevention Strategy. Similar to the Obama Administration’s Partnership for Patients which aims to make hospitals safer, more reliable and less costly, today’s announcement is also an important step in improving the quality of health care for all Americans.
A full list of grantees is available at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/08/state_prevention_grants.html.
###
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last revised: August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
HHS sponsors contest for Facebook personal preparedness applications, from personal medical emergencies to natural or man-made disasters : August 22, 2011
RELEASE
August 22, 2011
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
HHS sponsors contest for Facebook personal preparedness applications
Federal officials are challenging software application developers to design new Facebook applications to help people prepare for emergencies and get support from friends and family after an emergency strikes – from personal medical emergencies to natural or man-made disasters.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) issued the ASPR Lifeline Facebook Application Developer Challenge in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a health-focused online community of developers, designers, patients, providers, health care organizations that promotes health technology innovation.
The online challenge runs throughout National Preparedness Month in September and the remainder of the 2011 hurricane season, closing Nov. 4.
“After disasters, a tremendous number of people use Facebook to post and share information,” said Assistant Secretary Nicole Lurie, M.D., a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. “We’re challenging our country’s most innovative developers to create apps that help people use Facebook not only to reach out to friends and family for any kind of help they may need after emergency but also to become better prepared in the first place.”
The person or team developing the best application will receive $10,000 from HHS and free admission from Health 2.0 to the 2012 Health 2.0 conference, and will be invited to an HHS event with Dr. Lurie. Second place will be awarded $5,000, and third place will receive $1,000.
While most tools take months or years to roll out, the first place challenge winner will work with the U.S. government and Facebook immediately to get the application into use just weeks after selection.
Submissions will be judged on the application’s ability to enhance community connections and improve individual preparedness. The goal is an app that enables a Facebook user to invite three Facebook friends to become lifelines, points of contact who agree to act as a source of support during disasters such as providing transportation, a place to stay or anything else the Facebook friend may need.
The ideal application includes a way for users to identify lifelines, to create and share a personal preparedness plan including health considerations with these lifelines, and to encourage others to use the application. Additional considerations include being easy to use on basic mobile devices, incorporating Geographic Information System (GIS) locating or tagging, and connecting with other social media and emergency relief technologies.
All submissions will be reviewed by judges from Facebook, ASPR, FEMA, and the New Orleans Health Commissioner.
To register as a participant in the ASPR Lifeline Facebook Application Developer Challenge, visit http://challenge.gov/challenges/220, or http://www.health2challenge.org/2011/07/12/the-aspr-lifeline-facebook-application-challenge/.
Federal employees, federal contractors, and recipients of federal grants may not participate in the challenge using time paid by federal funds. Winners must be U.S. citizens, permanent U.S. residents or businesses incorporated in and maintaining their primary place of business in the United States.
The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response coordinates the federal public health and medical response to disasters, leading the nation in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. ASPR focuses on preparedness planning as well as response; building federal emergency medical operational capabilities; countermeasures research, advance development, and procurement; and grants to strengthen the capabilities of hospitals and health care systems in public health emergencies and medical disasters.
To learn more about ASPR, visit www.phe.gov.
Prize
First place: $10,000
Plus a chance to attend an event with the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.
Plus free passes to the Spring Health 2.0 Conference
Second place: $5,000
Third place: $1,000
Winners will have the opportunity to work with the US Government and Facebook to get their app in the hands of citizens in time for next year’s hurricane season
For more details, Please visit: http://challenge.gov/challenges/220
August 22, 2011
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
HHS sponsors contest for Facebook personal preparedness applications
Federal officials are challenging software application developers to design new Facebook applications to help people prepare for emergencies and get support from friends and family after an emergency strikes – from personal medical emergencies to natural or man-made disasters.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) issued the ASPR Lifeline Facebook Application Developer Challenge in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a health-focused online community of developers, designers, patients, providers, health care organizations that promotes health technology innovation.
The online challenge runs throughout National Preparedness Month in September and the remainder of the 2011 hurricane season, closing Nov. 4.
“After disasters, a tremendous number of people use Facebook to post and share information,” said Assistant Secretary Nicole Lurie, M.D., a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. “We’re challenging our country’s most innovative developers to create apps that help people use Facebook not only to reach out to friends and family for any kind of help they may need after emergency but also to become better prepared in the first place.”
The person or team developing the best application will receive $10,000 from HHS and free admission from Health 2.0 to the 2012 Health 2.0 conference, and will be invited to an HHS event with Dr. Lurie. Second place will be awarded $5,000, and third place will receive $1,000.
While most tools take months or years to roll out, the first place challenge winner will work with the U.S. government and Facebook immediately to get the application into use just weeks after selection.
Submissions will be judged on the application’s ability to enhance community connections and improve individual preparedness. The goal is an app that enables a Facebook user to invite three Facebook friends to become lifelines, points of contact who agree to act as a source of support during disasters such as providing transportation, a place to stay or anything else the Facebook friend may need.
The ideal application includes a way for users to identify lifelines, to create and share a personal preparedness plan including health considerations with these lifelines, and to encourage others to use the application. Additional considerations include being easy to use on basic mobile devices, incorporating Geographic Information System (GIS) locating or tagging, and connecting with other social media and emergency relief technologies.
All submissions will be reviewed by judges from Facebook, ASPR, FEMA, and the New Orleans Health Commissioner.
To register as a participant in the ASPR Lifeline Facebook Application Developer Challenge, visit http://challenge.gov/challenges/220, or http://www.health2challenge.org/2011/07/12/the-aspr-lifeline-facebook-application-challenge/.
Federal employees, federal contractors, and recipients of federal grants may not participate in the challenge using time paid by federal funds. Winners must be U.S. citizens, permanent U.S. residents or businesses incorporated in and maintaining their primary place of business in the United States.
The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response coordinates the federal public health and medical response to disasters, leading the nation in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. ASPR focuses on preparedness planning as well as response; building federal emergency medical operational capabilities; countermeasures research, advance development, and procurement; and grants to strengthen the capabilities of hospitals and health care systems in public health emergencies and medical disasters.
To learn more about ASPR, visit www.phe.gov.
Prize
First place: $10,000
Plus a chance to attend an event with the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.
Plus free passes to the Spring Health 2.0 Conference
Second place: $5,000
Third place: $1,000
Winners will have the opportunity to work with the US Government and Facebook to get their app in the hands of citizens in time for next year’s hurricane season
For more details, Please visit: http://challenge.gov/challenges/220
Non-federal members named to HHS advisory council on Alzheimer’s : Press Release August 23, 2011
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 23, 2011
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
Non-federal members named to HHS advisory council on Alzheimer’s
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced 12 individuals to serve on the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services. The 12 non-federal members are Alzheimer's disease patient advocates, caregivers, health care providers and others with Alzheimer's disease-related expertise who will advise the Secretary on federal programs that impact people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
“We are pleased to have this group of experts and advocates assisting HHS in developing a national plan for Alzheimer’s disease," said Secretary Sebelius. "We received an overwhelming number of nominations, demonstrating not only the impact of this debilitating condition but the widespread commitment to address it.”
The full Advisory Council, established May 23, also includes federal members and will meet quarterly to assist in the development of a national plan by HHS, Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation to address the disease. The Advisory Council is required by the National Alzheimer’s Project Act and its members will serve for overlapping four-year terms.
"We are reviewing and coordinating our efforts to address the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,” said Donald Moulds, deputy assistant secretary for planning and evaluation. “With the input of the Advisory Council, we will create a national plan to help reduce financial and care impacts faced by people with the disease as well as promote research toward its prevention and treatment.”
Alzheimer’s disease currently affects 5.1 million Americans and is expected to affect more than 20 million by 2050. The National Alzheimer's Project Act, signed by President Obama in January, will help people and families across the country whose lives are touched by Alzheimer’s disease. The Act will help strengthen Alzheimer’s research, and health and long-term care services for affected individuals.
For more information on the Advisory Committee, please visit http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/napa/
NON-FEDERAL NAPA ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS
Chair -- Ronald Petersen, Ph.D., M.D.
Dr. Petersen is the Cadieux Director of the Mayo Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. He has authored over 400 peer-reviewed articles on memory disorders, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease and edited four books on related topics. His current research focuses on the study of normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Anita Albright, M.A.
Ms. Albright is the Director of the Office of Healthy Aging and Disability in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Laurel Coleman, M.D., FACP
Dr. Coleman is an attending physician at Maine Medical Center’s Geriatric Assessment Clinic and Central Maine Medical Center’s Palliative Care Team. She is actively involved in the Alzheimer’s Association, both as a past-president of the Maine Chapter and as a former member of the national Board of Directors. Currently, she is a Board Member of the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM).
Eric J. Hall
Mr. Hall is the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Inc. Under his leadership the Foundation has brought together over 1,600 member organizations, forged strategic partnerships with other national organizations, has established national initiatives including National Memory Screening day, formed a groundbreaking division for dementia care professionals and national standards for excellence in care at dementia care settings; introduced the nation’s first magazine for dementia caregivers; and introduced the nation’s first Alzheimer’s disease telethon, Together for Care, on December 4, 2010.
David P. Hoffman, M.Ed.
Mr. Hoffman is the Director of the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Long-Term Care Restructuring, and Partnership within the Office of Long Term Care in the New York State Department of Health. Mr. Hoffman oversees the development and implementation of the New York State Plan to address Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor at the University at Albany’s School of Public Health and serves as Chair of the National Policy Committee of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, Adjunct Professor at Maria College of Albany New York, and co-chair of the Research to Prevention (R2P) Coalition in Washington. Mr. Hoffman is also a recent graduate of the Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College.
Harry M. Johns
Mr. Johns is the President and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association, the world's leading nonprofit organization in Alzheimer research, care and support. With more than 70 chapters and nearly 300 offices, the Association provides nationwide support to individuals and families through community-based programs and a 24 hour a day / 365 days a year Help Line. Under Mr. Johns’ leadership, the Alzheimer's Association has undertaken a campaign to change the conversation about Alzheimer's in America through public education and has played a leading role in convening, supporting, and advancing Alzheimer's research as well as informing public policy.
Jennifer J. Manly, Ph.D.
Dr. Manly is an Associate Professor in the Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain and the G.H. Sergievsky Center, within the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center. Her research focuses on health disparities in dementia, and cultural and educational influences on the epidemiology, biomarkers, and neuropsychology of Alzheimer's disease.
Helen M. Matheny, M.S., A.P.R.
Ms. Matheny is the Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Outreach and Registry Program (AORP) at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute. Under her leadership, the Alzheimer’s DiseaseOutreach and Registry Program provides training and tools to physicians to assist with screening, diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The unique program also maintains the West Virginia Alzheimer’s Disease Registry, collecting information on Alzheimer's cases from physicians to create reports that are used for research and the development of policy to support the growing number of Alzheimer's cases in the state.
David Hyde Pierce
Mr. Pierce is best known as an actor. He lost his grandfather to Alzheimer's disease and shared caregiving duties with his brother and sisters when his father developed dementia. Mr. Pierce has served as a patient advocate, testified before Congress, and served on Congressional Panels on Alzheimer's disease.
Laura Trejo, M.S.G., M.P.A.
Ms. Trejo is the General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging. She is the founder of El Portal: Latino Alzheimer's project and a local provider of long-term services and supports, including Older Americans Act programs. Ms. Trejo was the California delegate to the White House Conferences on Aging in both 1995 and 2005.
George Vradenburg
Mr. Vradenburg chairs the national advocacy network USAgainstAlzheimer's and the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer's Initiative, and co-convenes the Alzheimer's-serving coalition Leaders Engaged in Alzheimer's Disease. Under his leadership, USAgainstAlzheimer's successfully advocated for a new dual-use Alzheimer's research program in the Department of Defense and has launched a national grassroots campaign to Stop Alzheimer's by 2020. Mr. Vradenburg has overseen Geoffrey Beene Foundation's major support for "HBO's The Alzheimer's Project" and launch of the national public service campaign "Rock Stars of Science". Alzheimer's advocacy has been a major focus of Mr. Vradenburg's civic and philanthropic work since his retirement in 2003 as a senior executive of AOL/Time Warner.
Geraldine Woolfolk
Ms. Woolfolk is a former teacher who served as a caregiver for both her mother and father, and has been caring for her husband for the past 11 years. She actively participates in support groups for caregivers and has advocated on Capitol Hill for research funding and community supports for caregivers. She assisted in the Alameda County plan for Alzheimer’s disease and is known in the area for her conference presentations and work on these issues.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last revised: August 23, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 23, 2011
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
Non-federal members named to HHS advisory council on Alzheimer’s
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced 12 individuals to serve on the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services. The 12 non-federal members are Alzheimer's disease patient advocates, caregivers, health care providers and others with Alzheimer's disease-related expertise who will advise the Secretary on federal programs that impact people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
“We are pleased to have this group of experts and advocates assisting HHS in developing a national plan for Alzheimer’s disease," said Secretary Sebelius. "We received an overwhelming number of nominations, demonstrating not only the impact of this debilitating condition but the widespread commitment to address it.”
The full Advisory Council, established May 23, also includes federal members and will meet quarterly to assist in the development of a national plan by HHS, Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation to address the disease. The Advisory Council is required by the National Alzheimer’s Project Act and its members will serve for overlapping four-year terms.
"We are reviewing and coordinating our efforts to address the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,” said Donald Moulds, deputy assistant secretary for planning and evaluation. “With the input of the Advisory Council, we will create a national plan to help reduce financial and care impacts faced by people with the disease as well as promote research toward its prevention and treatment.”
Alzheimer’s disease currently affects 5.1 million Americans and is expected to affect more than 20 million by 2050. The National Alzheimer's Project Act, signed by President Obama in January, will help people and families across the country whose lives are touched by Alzheimer’s disease. The Act will help strengthen Alzheimer’s research, and health and long-term care services for affected individuals.
For more information on the Advisory Committee, please visit http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/napa/
NON-FEDERAL NAPA ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS
Chair -- Ronald Petersen, Ph.D., M.D.
Dr. Petersen is the Cadieux Director of the Mayo Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. He has authored over 400 peer-reviewed articles on memory disorders, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease and edited four books on related topics. His current research focuses on the study of normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Anita Albright, M.A.
Ms. Albright is the Director of the Office of Healthy Aging and Disability in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Laurel Coleman, M.D., FACP
Dr. Coleman is an attending physician at Maine Medical Center’s Geriatric Assessment Clinic and Central Maine Medical Center’s Palliative Care Team. She is actively involved in the Alzheimer’s Association, both as a past-president of the Maine Chapter and as a former member of the national Board of Directors. Currently, she is a Board Member of the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM).
Eric J. Hall
Mr. Hall is the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Inc. Under his leadership the Foundation has brought together over 1,600 member organizations, forged strategic partnerships with other national organizations, has established national initiatives including National Memory Screening day, formed a groundbreaking division for dementia care professionals and national standards for excellence in care at dementia care settings; introduced the nation’s first magazine for dementia caregivers; and introduced the nation’s first Alzheimer’s disease telethon, Together for Care, on December 4, 2010.
David P. Hoffman, M.Ed.
Mr. Hoffman is the Director of the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Long-Term Care Restructuring, and Partnership within the Office of Long Term Care in the New York State Department of Health. Mr. Hoffman oversees the development and implementation of the New York State Plan to address Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor at the University at Albany’s School of Public Health and serves as Chair of the National Policy Committee of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, Adjunct Professor at Maria College of Albany New York, and co-chair of the Research to Prevention (R2P) Coalition in Washington. Mr. Hoffman is also a recent graduate of the Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College.
Harry M. Johns
Mr. Johns is the President and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association, the world's leading nonprofit organization in Alzheimer research, care and support. With more than 70 chapters and nearly 300 offices, the Association provides nationwide support to individuals and families through community-based programs and a 24 hour a day / 365 days a year Help Line. Under Mr. Johns’ leadership, the Alzheimer's Association has undertaken a campaign to change the conversation about Alzheimer's in America through public education and has played a leading role in convening, supporting, and advancing Alzheimer's research as well as informing public policy.
Jennifer J. Manly, Ph.D.
Dr. Manly is an Associate Professor in the Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain and the G.H. Sergievsky Center, within the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center. Her research focuses on health disparities in dementia, and cultural and educational influences on the epidemiology, biomarkers, and neuropsychology of Alzheimer's disease.
Helen M. Matheny, M.S., A.P.R.
Ms. Matheny is the Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Outreach and Registry Program (AORP) at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute. Under her leadership, the Alzheimer’s DiseaseOutreach and Registry Program provides training and tools to physicians to assist with screening, diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The unique program also maintains the West Virginia Alzheimer’s Disease Registry, collecting information on Alzheimer's cases from physicians to create reports that are used for research and the development of policy to support the growing number of Alzheimer's cases in the state.
David Hyde Pierce
Mr. Pierce is best known as an actor. He lost his grandfather to Alzheimer's disease and shared caregiving duties with his brother and sisters when his father developed dementia. Mr. Pierce has served as a patient advocate, testified before Congress, and served on Congressional Panels on Alzheimer's disease.
Laura Trejo, M.S.G., M.P.A.
Ms. Trejo is the General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging. She is the founder of El Portal: Latino Alzheimer's project and a local provider of long-term services and supports, including Older Americans Act programs. Ms. Trejo was the California delegate to the White House Conferences on Aging in both 1995 and 2005.
George Vradenburg
Mr. Vradenburg chairs the national advocacy network USAgainstAlzheimer's and the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer's Initiative, and co-convenes the Alzheimer's-serving coalition Leaders Engaged in Alzheimer's Disease. Under his leadership, USAgainstAlzheimer's successfully advocated for a new dual-use Alzheimer's research program in the Department of Defense and has launched a national grassroots campaign to Stop Alzheimer's by 2020. Mr. Vradenburg has overseen Geoffrey Beene Foundation's major support for "HBO's The Alzheimer's Project" and launch of the national public service campaign "Rock Stars of Science". Alzheimer's advocacy has been a major focus of Mr. Vradenburg's civic and philanthropic work since his retirement in 2003 as a senior executive of AOL/Time Warner.
Geraldine Woolfolk
Ms. Woolfolk is a former teacher who served as a caregiver for both her mother and father, and has been caring for her husband for the past 11 years. She actively participates in support groups for caregivers and has advocated on Capitol Hill for research funding and community supports for caregivers. She assisted in the Alameda County plan for Alzheimer’s disease and is known in the area for her conference presentations and work on these issues.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last revised: August 23, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Sarah Cronk of The Sparkle Effect: creating cheerleading squads that include students with disabilities - VH1 Award winner
The Sparkle Effect co-founder Sarah Cronk took home the $100,000 grand prize at this year's VH1 Do Something Awards.
(A short video full of Sparkle Effect co-president Sarah Cronk's favorite moments with the Pleasant Valley Spartan Sparkles)
Sarah watched her older brother Charlie struggle to fit in during high school because of his disabilities. He was depressed and anxious, until the captain of the swim team invited him to join. Suddenly, the cool kids welcomed him, and he found a new group of friends. Inspired by Charlie, Sarah co-founded the first high school-based inclusive cheerleading squad in the nation. Today, The Sparkle Effect has generated 26 squads in 15 states and South Africa, encouraging a culture of acceptance in every community.
What is the Sparkle Effect?
This innovative student-run program encourages teens nationwide to include students with disabilities in high-school cheerleading programs. An on-line Quick-Start kit, grants for uniforms, and free on-site training makes starting a squad easy and fun! The result: students with disabilities experience true acceptance and gain confidence as high-school students inspire entire communities to embrace inclusion.
For The Sparkle Effect Visit: http://www.thesparkleeffect.org/
Sarah watched her older brother Charlie struggle to fit in during high school because of his disabilities. He was depressed and anxious, until the captain of the swim team invited him to join. Suddenly, the cool kids welcomed him, and he found a new group of friends. Inspired by Charlie, Sarah co-founded the first high school-based inclusive cheerleading squad in the nation. Today, The Sparkle Effect has generated 26 squads in 15 states and South Africa, encouraging a culture of acceptance in every community.
This innovative student-run program encourages teens nationwide to include students with disabilities in high-school cheerleading programs. An on-line Quick-Start kit, grants for uniforms, and free on-site training makes starting a squad easy and fun! The result: students with disabilities experience true acceptance and gain confidence as high-school students inspire entire communities to embrace inclusion.
For The Sparkle Effect Visit: http://www.thesparkleeffect.org/
Affordable Care Act initiative to lower costs, help doctors and hospitals coordinate care : Press Release DHHS Aug 23 2011
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Room 352-G
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201
Office of Media Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: HHS Press Office
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 (202) 690-6343
Affordable Care Act initiative to lower costs, help doctors and hospitals coordinate care
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced a new initiative to help improve care for patients while they are in the hospital and after they are discharged. Doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers can now apply to participate in a new program known as the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative (Bundled Payments initiative). Made possible by the Affordable Care Act, it will align payments for services delivered across an episode of care, such as heart bypass or hip replacement, rather than paying for services separately. Bundled payments will give doctors and hospitals new incentives to coordinate care, improve the quality of care and save money for Medicare.
“Patients don’t get care from just one person – it takes a team, and this initiative will help ensure the team is working together,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “The Bundled Payments initiative will encourage doctors, nurses and specialists to coordinate care. It is a key part of our efforts to give patients better health, better care, and lower costs.”
In Medicare currently, hospitals, physicians and other clinicians who provide care for beneficiaries bill and are paid separately for their services. This Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiative will bundle care for a package of services patients receive to treat a specific medical condition during a single hospital stay and/or recovery from that stay – this is known as an episode of care. By bundling payment across providers for multiple services, providers will have a greater incentive to coordinate and ensure continuity of care across settings, resulting in better care for patients. Better coordinated care can reduce unnecessary duplication of services, reduce preventable medical errors, help patients heal without harm, and lower costs.
The Bundled Payments initiative is being launched by the new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center), which was created by the Affordable Care Act to carry out the critical task of finding new and better ways to provide and pay for health care to a growing population of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
Released today, the Innovation Center’s Request for Applications (RFA) outlines four broad approaches to bundled payments. Providers will have flexibility to determine which episodes of care and which services will be bundled together. By giving providers the flexibility to determine which model of bundled payments works best for them, it will be easier for providers of different sizes and readiness to participate in this initiative.
“This Bundled Payment initiative responds to the overwhelming calls from the hospital and physician communities for a flexible approach to patient care improvement,” said CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, M.D. “All around the country, many of the leading health care institutions have already implemented these kinds of projects and seen positive results.”
The Bundled Payments initiative is based on research and previous demonstration projects that suggest this approach has tremendous potential. For example, a Medicare heart bypass surgery bundled payment demonstration saved the program $42.3 million, or roughly 10 percent of expected costs, and saved patients $7.9 million in coinsurance while improving care and lowering hospital mortality.
“From a patient perspective, bundled payments make sense. You want your doctors to collaborate more closely with your physical therapist, your pharmacist and your family caregivers. But that sort of common sense practice is hard to achieve without a payment system that supports coordination over fragmentation and fosters the kinds of relationships we expect our health care providers to have,” said Dr. Berwick.
Organizations interested in applying to the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) no later than September 22, 2011 for Model 1 and November 4, 2011 for Models 2, 3, and 4. For more information about the various models and the initiative itself, please see the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative web site at:
http://www.innovations.cms.gov/areas-of-focus/patient-care-models/bundled-payments-for-care-improvement.html.
Interested parties may obtain answers to specific questions by e-mailing CMS at: BundledPayments@cms.hhs.gov.
This initiative is part of a broader effort by the Obama Administration to improve health, improve care, and lower costs. A brief summary of other efforts, including those authorized by the Affordable Care Act, can be found at: www.HealthCare.gov/news/factsheets/deliverysystem07272011a.html
For more information about the CMS Innovation Center, please visit: http://www.innovations.cms.gov.
Additional information:
HHS fact sheet - http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/bundling08232011a.html
Federal Register Posting - http://www.ofr.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2011-21707_PI.pdf
###
CMS TECHNICAL FACT SHEET
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: CMS Media Relations Group
August 23, 2011 (202) 690-6145
Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative
OVERVIEW
The Affordable Care Act provides a number of new tools and resources to help improve health care and lower costs for all Americans. Bundling payment for services that patients receive across a single episode of care, such as heart bypass surgery or a hip replacement, is one way to encourage doctors, hospitals and other health care providers to work together to better coordinate care for patients both when they are in the hospital and after they are discharged. Such initiatives can help improve health, improve the quality of care, and lower costs.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working in partnership with providers to develop models of bundling payments through the Bundled Payments initiative. On August 23, 2011, CMS invited providers to apply to help test and develop four different models of bundling payments. Through the Bundled Payments initiative, providers have great flexibility in selecting conditions to bundle, developing the health care delivery structure, and determining how payments will be allocated among participating providers.
BACKGROUND
Medicare currently makes separate payments to providers for the services they furnish to beneficiaries for a single illness or course of treatment, leading to fragmented care with minimal coordination across providers and health care settings. Payment is based on how much a provider does, not how well the provider does in treating the patient. Under the Bundled Payment initiative, CMS would link payments for multiple services patients receive during an episode of care. For example, instead of a surgical procedure generating multiple claims from multiple providers, the entire team is compensated with a “bundled” payment that provides incentives to deliver health care services more efficiently while maintaining or improving quality of care. Providers will have flexibility to determine which episodes of care and which services would be bundled together.
Research has shown that bundled payments can align incentives for providers – hospitals, post acute care providers, doctors, and other practitioners– to partner closely across all specialties and settings that a patient may encounter to improve the patient’s experience of care during a hospital stay in an acute care hospital, and during post-discharge recovery.
The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative is one more step in an effort across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help all Americans enjoy better health, improve the quality of health care, and reduce costs by replacing fragmented care with care that is coordinated and that is guided by the patient’s needs and wishes. Other recent activities by CMS and HHS to promote improvement in the health care delivery system include:
· Creating user-friendly tools for patients and their caretakers to compare the quality of care offered by providers and suppliers in their communities. All quality information can now be found on the CMS Web site at:
http://www.medicare.gov/quality-care-finder/index.html;
· Launching the Partnership for Patients to encourage hospitals, physicians and other providers to partner with the Department to focus on improving patient safety across all health care settings. The Partnership is expected to save 60,000 lives and more than $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion in Medicare costs, over the next three years. In the first few months, more than 4,000 organizations, including more than 2,000 hospitals, have taken the Partnership for Patients pledge. More information can be found at:
http://www.healthcare.gov/center/programs/partnership/index.html; and
· Tying payment for services to the quality of care through Pay for Performance, starting with the payment systems for dialysis services and most recently for hospital inpatient care, and laying the groundwork for achieving similar results in other payment systems.
A brief summary of the Department’s activities, Lower Costs, Better Care: Reforming Our Health Care Delivery System, including information about new initiatives authorized by the Affordable Care Act can be found at:
http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/deliverysystem07272011a.html
BUNDLED PAYMENTS FOR CARE IMPROVEMENT
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working in partnership with providers to develop models of bundling payments through the Bundled Payments Initiative. The Bundled Payments initiative is seeking applications for four broadly defined models of care, three of which would involve a retrospective bundled payment arrangement, with a target price (target payment amount) for a defined episode of care.
Retrospective Payment Bundling
In these models, CMS and providers would set a target payment amount for a defined episode of care. Applicants would propose the target price, which would be set by applying a discount to total costs for a similar episode of care as determined from historical data. Participants in these models would be paid for their services under the Original Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) system, but at a negotiated discount. At the end of the episode, the total payments would be compared with the target price. Participating providers may then be able to share in those savings.
In Model 1, the episode of care would be defined as the inpatient stay in the general acute care hospital. Medicare will pay the hospital a discounted amount based on the payment rates established under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS). Medicare will pay physicians separately for their services under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Hospitals and physicians will be permitted to share gains arising from better coordination of care.
In Model 2, the episode of care would include the inpatient stay and post-acute care and would end, at the applicant’s option, either a minimum of 30 or 90 days after discharge, while in Model 3, the episode of care would begin at discharge from the inpatient stay and would end no sooner than 30 days after discharge. In both Models 2 and 3, the bundle would include physicians’ services, care by a post-acute provider, related readmissions, and other services proposed in the episode definition such as clinical laboratory services; durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS); and Part B drugs. The target price will be discounted from an amount based on the applicant’s historical fee-for-service payments for the episode. Payments will be made at the usual fee-for-service payment rates, after which the aggregate Medicare payment for the episode will be reconciled against the target price. Any reduction in expenditures beyond the discount reflected in the target price will be paid to the participants to share among the participating providers.
Prospective Payment Bundling
Under Model 4, CMS would make a single, prospectively determined bundled payment to the hospital that would encompass all services furnished during the inpatient stay by the hospital, physicians and other practitioners. Physicians and other practitioners would submit “no-pay” claims to Medicare and would be paid by the hospital out of the bundled payment.
A side-by-side comparison of key features of the four models can be found below.
Gainsharing Arrangements: In addition to streamlining care through the use of bundles, the proposals for this initiative may include gainsharing arrangements. Gainsharing refers to payments that may be made by hospitals and other providers to physicians and other practitioners as a result of collaborative efforts to improve quality and efficiency. These payments can further align incentives for health care providers to coordinate care, improve quality and efficiency of care, and partner in the improvement of care delivery.
Additional Information about Applying for the Bundle Payments for Care Improvement initiative: Organizations are welcome and encouraged to apply for and participate in one or more models. Providers participating in Accountable Care Organizations wishing to use this opportunity to improve care coordination and the quality of care are welcome to do so. For more information on applicant eligibility, please review the “Conditions of Participation” section of the RFA.
Applicants will be required to identify the clinical condition(s) through MS-DRGs, define the time period for the episode of care, and identify the services included in the bundled payment, among other criteria. Applicants will also be required to plan and implement quality assurance and improvement activities as a condition of participation in this initiative and participate in CMS quality monitoring by reporting appropriate quality measures. During the demonstration, CMS will carefully monitor the program to ensure improved clinical quality, patient experience, and outcomes of care throughout participation in the initiative. Applicants will be required to propose strong patient protections that preserve beneficiary choice in seeking care from the provider of their choice.
To help facilitate health care innovation, recognize the diversity of provider organizations, and cultivate strong provider partnerships, applicants are asked to submit their own episode definitions and bundled payment proposals. CMS will provide historical Medicare claims data to potential applicants planning to apply for Models 2-4. The data are intended to enable potential applicants to develop well-defined episodes and discount proposals based on the experience of providers in the applicant’s area. In order to be considered for receipt of data, applicants must submit a Research Study Protocol along with their letter of intent (LOI) and will later be expected to submit and comply with a Data Use Agreement (DUA). Both of these forms are available on the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement website.
Deadlines for Letters of Intent and Applications: Applicants for Model 1 must submit a nonbinding LOI by September 22, 2011 and a completed application by October 21, 2011. Applicants for Models 2-4, must submit a nonbinding LOI by November 4, 2011; applicants who wish to receive historical Medicare claims data must complete a Research Request Packet by November 4, 2011 as well. If approved to receive Medicare data, applicants must submit a DUA prior to receipt of data. Completed applications for Models 2-4 must be submitted by no later than by March 15, 2012.
For more information please refer to the RFA and application found at: www.innovations.cms.gov or email at BundledPayments@cms.hhs.gov.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Room 352-G
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201
Office of Media Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: HHS Press Office
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 (202) 690-6343
Affordable Care Act initiative to lower costs, help doctors and hospitals coordinate care
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced a new initiative to help improve care for patients while they are in the hospital and after they are discharged. Doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers can now apply to participate in a new program known as the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative (Bundled Payments initiative). Made possible by the Affordable Care Act, it will align payments for services delivered across an episode of care, such as heart bypass or hip replacement, rather than paying for services separately. Bundled payments will give doctors and hospitals new incentives to coordinate care, improve the quality of care and save money for Medicare.
“Patients don’t get care from just one person – it takes a team, and this initiative will help ensure the team is working together,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “The Bundled Payments initiative will encourage doctors, nurses and specialists to coordinate care. It is a key part of our efforts to give patients better health, better care, and lower costs.”
In Medicare currently, hospitals, physicians and other clinicians who provide care for beneficiaries bill and are paid separately for their services. This Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiative will bundle care for a package of services patients receive to treat a specific medical condition during a single hospital stay and/or recovery from that stay – this is known as an episode of care. By bundling payment across providers for multiple services, providers will have a greater incentive to coordinate and ensure continuity of care across settings, resulting in better care for patients. Better coordinated care can reduce unnecessary duplication of services, reduce preventable medical errors, help patients heal without harm, and lower costs.
The Bundled Payments initiative is being launched by the new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center), which was created by the Affordable Care Act to carry out the critical task of finding new and better ways to provide and pay for health care to a growing population of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
Released today, the Innovation Center’s Request for Applications (RFA) outlines four broad approaches to bundled payments. Providers will have flexibility to determine which episodes of care and which services will be bundled together. By giving providers the flexibility to determine which model of bundled payments works best for them, it will be easier for providers of different sizes and readiness to participate in this initiative.
“This Bundled Payment initiative responds to the overwhelming calls from the hospital and physician communities for a flexible approach to patient care improvement,” said CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, M.D. “All around the country, many of the leading health care institutions have already implemented these kinds of projects and seen positive results.”
The Bundled Payments initiative is based on research and previous demonstration projects that suggest this approach has tremendous potential. For example, a Medicare heart bypass surgery bundled payment demonstration saved the program $42.3 million, or roughly 10 percent of expected costs, and saved patients $7.9 million in coinsurance while improving care and lowering hospital mortality.
“From a patient perspective, bundled payments make sense. You want your doctors to collaborate more closely with your physical therapist, your pharmacist and your family caregivers. But that sort of common sense practice is hard to achieve without a payment system that supports coordination over fragmentation and fosters the kinds of relationships we expect our health care providers to have,” said Dr. Berwick.
Organizations interested in applying to the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) no later than September 22, 2011 for Model 1 and November 4, 2011 for Models 2, 3, and 4. For more information about the various models and the initiative itself, please see the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative web site at:
http://www.innovations.cms.gov/areas-of-focus/patient-care-models/bundled-payments-for-care-improvement.html.
Interested parties may obtain answers to specific questions by e-mailing CMS at: BundledPayments@cms.hhs.gov.
This initiative is part of a broader effort by the Obama Administration to improve health, improve care, and lower costs. A brief summary of other efforts, including those authorized by the Affordable Care Act, can be found at: www.HealthCare.gov/news/factsheets/deliverysystem07272011a.html
For more information about the CMS Innovation Center, please visit: http://www.innovations.cms.gov.
Additional information:
HHS fact sheet - http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/bundling08232011a.html
Federal Register Posting - http://www.ofr.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2011-21707_PI.pdf
###
CMS TECHNICAL FACT SHEET
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: CMS Media Relations Group
August 23, 2011 (202) 690-6145
Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative
OVERVIEW
The Affordable Care Act provides a number of new tools and resources to help improve health care and lower costs for all Americans. Bundling payment for services that patients receive across a single episode of care, such as heart bypass surgery or a hip replacement, is one way to encourage doctors, hospitals and other health care providers to work together to better coordinate care for patients both when they are in the hospital and after they are discharged. Such initiatives can help improve health, improve the quality of care, and lower costs.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working in partnership with providers to develop models of bundling payments through the Bundled Payments initiative. On August 23, 2011, CMS invited providers to apply to help test and develop four different models of bundling payments. Through the Bundled Payments initiative, providers have great flexibility in selecting conditions to bundle, developing the health care delivery structure, and determining how payments will be allocated among participating providers.
BACKGROUND
Medicare currently makes separate payments to providers for the services they furnish to beneficiaries for a single illness or course of treatment, leading to fragmented care with minimal coordination across providers and health care settings. Payment is based on how much a provider does, not how well the provider does in treating the patient. Under the Bundled Payment initiative, CMS would link payments for multiple services patients receive during an episode of care. For example, instead of a surgical procedure generating multiple claims from multiple providers, the entire team is compensated with a “bundled” payment that provides incentives to deliver health care services more efficiently while maintaining or improving quality of care. Providers will have flexibility to determine which episodes of care and which services would be bundled together.
Research has shown that bundled payments can align incentives for providers – hospitals, post acute care providers, doctors, and other practitioners– to partner closely across all specialties and settings that a patient may encounter to improve the patient’s experience of care during a hospital stay in an acute care hospital, and during post-discharge recovery.
The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative is one more step in an effort across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help all Americans enjoy better health, improve the quality of health care, and reduce costs by replacing fragmented care with care that is coordinated and that is guided by the patient’s needs and wishes. Other recent activities by CMS and HHS to promote improvement in the health care delivery system include:
· Creating user-friendly tools for patients and their caretakers to compare the quality of care offered by providers and suppliers in their communities. All quality information can now be found on the CMS Web site at:
http://www.medicare.gov/quality-care-finder/index.html;
· Launching the Partnership for Patients to encourage hospitals, physicians and other providers to partner with the Department to focus on improving patient safety across all health care settings. The Partnership is expected to save 60,000 lives and more than $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion in Medicare costs, over the next three years. In the first few months, more than 4,000 organizations, including more than 2,000 hospitals, have taken the Partnership for Patients pledge. More information can be found at:
http://www.healthcare.gov/center/programs/partnership/index.html; and
· Tying payment for services to the quality of care through Pay for Performance, starting with the payment systems for dialysis services and most recently for hospital inpatient care, and laying the groundwork for achieving similar results in other payment systems.
A brief summary of the Department’s activities, Lower Costs, Better Care: Reforming Our Health Care Delivery System, including information about new initiatives authorized by the Affordable Care Act can be found at:
http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/deliverysystem07272011a.html
BUNDLED PAYMENTS FOR CARE IMPROVEMENT
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working in partnership with providers to develop models of bundling payments through the Bundled Payments Initiative. The Bundled Payments initiative is seeking applications for four broadly defined models of care, three of which would involve a retrospective bundled payment arrangement, with a target price (target payment amount) for a defined episode of care.
Retrospective Payment Bundling
In these models, CMS and providers would set a target payment amount for a defined episode of care. Applicants would propose the target price, which would be set by applying a discount to total costs for a similar episode of care as determined from historical data. Participants in these models would be paid for their services under the Original Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) system, but at a negotiated discount. At the end of the episode, the total payments would be compared with the target price. Participating providers may then be able to share in those savings.
In Model 1, the episode of care would be defined as the inpatient stay in the general acute care hospital. Medicare will pay the hospital a discounted amount based on the payment rates established under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS). Medicare will pay physicians separately for their services under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Hospitals and physicians will be permitted to share gains arising from better coordination of care.
In Model 2, the episode of care would include the inpatient stay and post-acute care and would end, at the applicant’s option, either a minimum of 30 or 90 days after discharge, while in Model 3, the episode of care would begin at discharge from the inpatient stay and would end no sooner than 30 days after discharge. In both Models 2 and 3, the bundle would include physicians’ services, care by a post-acute provider, related readmissions, and other services proposed in the episode definition such as clinical laboratory services; durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS); and Part B drugs. The target price will be discounted from an amount based on the applicant’s historical fee-for-service payments for the episode. Payments will be made at the usual fee-for-service payment rates, after which the aggregate Medicare payment for the episode will be reconciled against the target price. Any reduction in expenditures beyond the discount reflected in the target price will be paid to the participants to share among the participating providers.
Prospective Payment Bundling
Under Model 4, CMS would make a single, prospectively determined bundled payment to the hospital that would encompass all services furnished during the inpatient stay by the hospital, physicians and other practitioners. Physicians and other practitioners would submit “no-pay” claims to Medicare and would be paid by the hospital out of the bundled payment.
A side-by-side comparison of key features of the four models can be found below.
Gainsharing Arrangements: In addition to streamlining care through the use of bundles, the proposals for this initiative may include gainsharing arrangements. Gainsharing refers to payments that may be made by hospitals and other providers to physicians and other practitioners as a result of collaborative efforts to improve quality and efficiency. These payments can further align incentives for health care providers to coordinate care, improve quality and efficiency of care, and partner in the improvement of care delivery.
Additional Information about Applying for the Bundle Payments for Care Improvement initiative: Organizations are welcome and encouraged to apply for and participate in one or more models. Providers participating in Accountable Care Organizations wishing to use this opportunity to improve care coordination and the quality of care are welcome to do so. For more information on applicant eligibility, please review the “Conditions of Participation” section of the RFA.
Applicants will be required to identify the clinical condition(s) through MS-DRGs, define the time period for the episode of care, and identify the services included in the bundled payment, among other criteria. Applicants will also be required to plan and implement quality assurance and improvement activities as a condition of participation in this initiative and participate in CMS quality monitoring by reporting appropriate quality measures. During the demonstration, CMS will carefully monitor the program to ensure improved clinical quality, patient experience, and outcomes of care throughout participation in the initiative. Applicants will be required to propose strong patient protections that preserve beneficiary choice in seeking care from the provider of their choice.
To help facilitate health care innovation, recognize the diversity of provider organizations, and cultivate strong provider partnerships, applicants are asked to submit their own episode definitions and bundled payment proposals. CMS will provide historical Medicare claims data to potential applicants planning to apply for Models 2-4. The data are intended to enable potential applicants to develop well-defined episodes and discount proposals based on the experience of providers in the applicant’s area. In order to be considered for receipt of data, applicants must submit a Research Study Protocol along with their letter of intent (LOI) and will later be expected to submit and comply with a Data Use Agreement (DUA). Both of these forms are available on the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement website.
Deadlines for Letters of Intent and Applications: Applicants for Model 1 must submit a nonbinding LOI by September 22, 2011 and a completed application by October 21, 2011. Applicants for Models 2-4, must submit a nonbinding LOI by November 4, 2011; applicants who wish to receive historical Medicare claims data must complete a Research Request Packet by November 4, 2011 as well. If approved to receive Medicare data, applicants must submit a DUA prior to receipt of data. Completed applications for Models 2-4 must be submitted by no later than by March 15, 2012.
For more information please refer to the RFA and application found at: www.innovations.cms.gov or email at BundledPayments@cms.hhs.gov.
Neumann Family Services :in Chicago: integrating persons with disabilities into the community, enriching quality of life
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Uploaded by taxpayersforillinois on Oct 30, 2009
We are so proud to present this short documentary video about Neumann Family Services created and produced by Emmy Award winners Jon Siskel and Greg Jacobs of Siskel/Jacobs productions.
www.neumannfamilyservices.org
Our Mission
The mission of Neumann Family Services is to integrate persons with disabilities and other life issues into the community and enrich their quality of life with choice and independence.
Our Core Values
Innovation:
All services including residential, employment, transition, career and senior services are innovative and creative.
Empowerment:
Members of the Neumann family are taught to do for themselves to the greatest extent possible. Empowerment encompasses the principles of self-advocacy.
Person-centered support:
Personal dreams and life plans are established by the individual and/or their families, friends and champions, and supported by the staff.
Community based:
Supports are given in the natural community and settings, and includes the development of community-based relationships and friendships.
Inclusion:
Services directed toward community integration include persons with and without disabilities and benefit all participants. An array of services is available to many people with varying disabilities and ages.
Our services are designed with the dreams of each person in mind, and reflect the answers to the question, "Who are you?" We are members, residents, employees, trainees, artists, students, seniors, friends, advocates, clients and dreamers.
Some members of Neumann Family Services have a developmental or intellectual disability while others have mental health issues. Many of the people that receive services have both a developmental disability and a mental illness.
If you are interested in services or would like additional information, please contact the Intake Department at: (773) 506-3229 or intake@neumannfamilyservices.org. To be eligible, applicants must be 18 years of age or older and be diagnosed with a developmental disability, a mental illness, or both.
Neumann Family Services is proud to report outcome success rates of 119% for our Mental Heath Programs, 96% for our Developmental Disabilities Programs, and 107% for our Career Services Program!
Residential Services
Career Services
Day Services
Clinical Support
Medical Clinic
Case Management
For Neumann Family Services, please visit: http://vcna.org/
FLIPSWITCH podcast is dedicated to helping teens & 20s understand depression and bipolar disorder. Are YOU ready to connect?
Our Mission & Goals
Mission
The Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation improves the lives of families raising children and teens living with bipolar disorder and related conditions.
Public Health Goals
1.Increased funding for research on the causes, nature, and best treatment for early-onset bipolar disorder.
2.Public service announcements to inform the public about mood disorders in the young.
3.Access to appropriate evaluation and treatment for all children and adolescents with mood disorders.
4.Epidemiological studies on mood disorders in children and adolescents.
5.Education for school children about brain disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder, and screening for emerging brain disorders in children.
6.Non-discriminatory insurance coverage for bipolar and other brain disorders equal to coverage for other medical conditions.
7.Mandatory reporting by hospital and public safety personnel of anonymous statistical data on suicide attempts by children and adolescents.
8.Adherence by researchers to the highest ethical standards for drug trials of psychiatric medications in children and adolescents
Public Awareness Facts
1.Bipolar disorder can and does occur in childhood and adolescence.
2.Bipolar disorder resembles, or often co-occurs with, ADHD and other neurobiological conditions.
3.Qualified professionals can identify children at risk for early-onset bipolar disorder and diagnose bipolar disorder in children and adolescents.
4.Symptoms of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents can be reduced or managed with appropriate treatment.
5.Early diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents may prevent a worsening course of illness, school avoidance, substance abuse, and impulsive acts of aggression against loved ones, self, and others.
6.Medications commonly used to treat bipolar disorder in adults, such as lithium and other mood stabilizers, may be effective in many children, but more research on effective treatments is needed.
7.Children and adolescents with bipolar disorder often need, and are entitled to, flexible accommodations at school (including Individual Educational Plans) to meet their unique educational needs.
8.Children with bipolar disorder respond best to parenting and educational methods that take account of their neurobiological condition.
For Flipswitch podcast, upcoming and library of previous podcast, please visit: http://www.bpkids.org/flipswitch
Mission
The Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation improves the lives of families raising children and teens living with bipolar disorder and related conditions.
Public Health Goals
1.Increased funding for research on the causes, nature, and best treatment for early-onset bipolar disorder.
2.Public service announcements to inform the public about mood disorders in the young.
3.Access to appropriate evaluation and treatment for all children and adolescents with mood disorders.
4.Epidemiological studies on mood disorders in children and adolescents.
5.Education for school children about brain disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder, and screening for emerging brain disorders in children.
6.Non-discriminatory insurance coverage for bipolar and other brain disorders equal to coverage for other medical conditions.
7.Mandatory reporting by hospital and public safety personnel of anonymous statistical data on suicide attempts by children and adolescents.
8.Adherence by researchers to the highest ethical standards for drug trials of psychiatric medications in children and adolescents
Public Awareness Facts
1.Bipolar disorder can and does occur in childhood and adolescence.
2.Bipolar disorder resembles, or often co-occurs with, ADHD and other neurobiological conditions.
3.Qualified professionals can identify children at risk for early-onset bipolar disorder and diagnose bipolar disorder in children and adolescents.
4.Symptoms of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents can be reduced or managed with appropriate treatment.
5.Early diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents may prevent a worsening course of illness, school avoidance, substance abuse, and impulsive acts of aggression against loved ones, self, and others.
6.Medications commonly used to treat bipolar disorder in adults, such as lithium and other mood stabilizers, may be effective in many children, but more research on effective treatments is needed.
7.Children and adolescents with bipolar disorder often need, and are entitled to, flexible accommodations at school (including Individual Educational Plans) to meet their unique educational needs.
8.Children with bipolar disorder respond best to parenting and educational methods that take account of their neurobiological condition.
For Flipswitch podcast, upcoming and library of previous podcast, please visit: http://www.bpkids.org/flipswitch
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