Policy & Practice articles from December 2004

Policy & Practice archives from December 2004

APHSA on the move.(director's memo)(American Public Human Services Association )
December 1, 2004... By the time this issue reaches your doorstep, the nation's human service leaders--state CEOs, local council representatives, and affiliate leaders--will have convened in Dallas for a major policy summit. This is the second undertaking of this...

Inside story.
December 1, 2004... As APHSA is gearing up for the its 75th anniversary, Policy & Practice is continuing to improve its editorial content to meet the changing needs of public human service professionals. In our last issue, we promised livelier design, more...

NAPCWA looks to chartering for the future.(first things first)(National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators)
December 1, 2004... The National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators (NAPCWA) has begun using chartering to create a clear direction over the next year. "The NAPCWA's leadership and membership has always been very focused on child safety,...

Community activist helps break flipping scheme.(first things first)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... A community action activist helped discover flipping--buying and quickly reselling properties, often for substantial profits--while tracking minority home sales in Allentown, Pa. Alan Jennings, executive director of the Community Action...

America's Second Harvest conducting hunger survey.(first things first)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... America's Second Harvest, the Nation's Food Bank Network, is embarking on its fourth quadrennial study of hunger, Hunger in America 2005. The study, the largest of its kind, is being conducted by Mathematica Policy Research Inc., and will...

As teen births drop, experts are asking why.(first things first)
December 1, 2004... The birth rate among young adolescents aged 10 to 14 has fallen to the lowest level since 1946, according to a recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "We are encouraged by our continued progress in...

HHS announces awards to states to tell low-income beneficiaries about 2006 drug benefit.(first things first)(Health and Human Services)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... On Oct. 28, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced $62.5 million in grants to 21 states for fiscal year 2005 to help educate low-income Medicare beneficiaries about the new Medicare drug benefit coming in 2006. Another...

States move forward in 2004 with new initiatives for employment of disabled.(first things first)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... State governments are pursuing a variety of new policies and programs regarding the employment of people with disabilities, and a common approach among them seems to be a trend toward holistically enabling participation in society, according to...

HHS approves Maryland plan to allow disabled to direct own care.(first things first)
December 1, 2004... HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on Nov. 8 approved a Maryland demonstration plan to make it easier for individuals with disabilities to remain in their homes by giving them greater control over Medicaid services. The Maryland waiver, to be...

Study suggests early intervention to curb adolescent inhalant abuse.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Programs aimed at reducing inhalant abuse among American adolescents should target elementary school-age children, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and Columbia University. The study, funded by the National...

Tran-Ling Tham.(staff spotlight)(Brief Article)(Interview)
December 1, 2004... Name... Tran-Ling Tham [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Time at APHSA... 29 years and four months Title... Accounting Assistant Place of Birth... Saigon, Vietnam A Typical Day Starts With... exercise...

Technology: the wave of the future.
December 1, 2004... Health and human service (HHS) agencies today face a swiftly changing landscape. Citizens are demanding more timely, accurate, and convenient services; policymakers are insisting on greater accountability and results; and an aging and...

The importance of assessment in child welfare.
December 1, 2004... For the past three years, California has been working with a broad base of stakeholders committed to redesigning child welfare services. The goal was to create a flexible system made up of public and private partnerships. This system should...

2004 APHSA fall meeting.
December 1, 2004... Left, Mark McClellan, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, addresses the fall 2004 annual meeting of the National Association of State Medicaid Directors (NASMD), held Nov. 17-19 at the Renaissance Hotel in...

Child witness, star witness.
December 1, 2004... Despite our natural, gut-level response to the thoughts of such violence and the horror for the children involved, our systems are designed to serve adult victims of domestic violence. The potentially devastating emotional and physical effects...

A change at the top.(legal notes)
December 1, 2004... The political landscape has shifted dramatically. Coupled with an uncertain economy, a sideways stock market, and uncertainty over domestic security and international affairs, the state human service landscape will continue to shift. With the...

Strategic return-on-investment: putting the horse before the cart.(making things happen)
December 1, 2004... Public human service agency training directors are trying to find ways to improve their organizations' work with the communities they serve. Many are unhappy with programs that got high evaluation scores but produced few practical results. ...

Thompson resigns as HHS secretary.(newsmakers)(Tommy Thompson)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... On December 3, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson announced his resignation. In a letter to HHS employees, Thompson said, "It was a difficult decision and one I did not make easily. But after nearly 40 years of public...

Social and Rehabilitation Services.(newsmakers)(Janet Schalansky retired as secretary of Social and Rehabilitation Services)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Janet Schalansky, Kansas secretary of Social and Rehabilitation Services, announced her retirement after nearly 30 years of service. She has served as the chairperson of the American Public Human Services Association's National Council of State...

Minnesota Medicaid.(newsmakers)(Mary Kennedy resigned as Minnesota Medicaid director )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Mary Kennedy, Minnesota Medicaid director since 1997, left her position in October. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] During her nearly 30 years of public service, Kennedy held numerous leadership positions in state government, including as...

Kennedy.(newsmakers)(Christine Bronson appointed as director of Minnesota Department of Human Services)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Christine Bronson has been named as Kennedy's successor. Bronson was director of policy development at the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

James Davy.(newsmakers)(to continue his job as human service commissioner)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... James Davy, New Jersey human service commissioner, said he decided to stay on the job after Senate President Richard Codey became acting governor in November. Davy said he had met with Codey and was asked to continue to lead the state's largest...

Mercer County Board of Social Services.(newsmakers)(Dennis Micai joins ARC/Mercer)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Meanwhile also in New Jersey, Dennis Micai has retired as the director of welfare for the Mercer County Board of Social Services and accepted a position as executive director of the ARC/Mercer, a nonprofit organization that provides services to...

Florida Department of Children and Families.(newsmakers)(Jerry Regier resigned as secretary )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Jerry Regier has resigned as secretary of Florida Department of Children and Families. Lucy Hadi has been named interim secretary of the Department of Children and Families.

Steve Roling.(newsmakers)(appointed as director social services in Missouri)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Steve Roling, director of social services in Missouri, resigned in August.

Carmen Weisner.(newsmakers)(quits Office of Community Services, Department of Social Services)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Carmen Weisner retired as the assistant secretary at the Office of Community Services, Department of Social Services, Baton Rouge, La. She served on the APHSA board of directors as an individual member representative. She also served on the...

Jim Beougher.(newsmakers)(appointed as child welfare director )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Jim Beougher has been appointed child welfare director in Maine.

Iowa Department of Human Services.(newsmakers)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Mary Nelson, administrator of behavioral, developmental, and protective services for families, adults, and children at the Iowa Department of Human Services, has stepped down as the president of the National Association of Public Child Welfare...

National Association for Program Information and Performance Measurement.(newsmakers)(Barbara Bucsko appointed as president)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Barbara Bucsko of Washington was elected president of the National Association for Program Information and Performance Measurement at the affiliate's conference in August. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.(newsmakers)(Thomas Blazusiak appointed as president of American Association of Public Welfare Attorneys)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Thomas Blazusiak, senior attorney at the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, has been elected president of American Association of Public Welfare Attorneys at the group's conference in September.

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.(newsmakers)(Tom Hayes resigned as director)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Tom Hayes has resigned as director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Barbara Riley is his successor.

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.(newsmakers)(Carey Cockerell appointed as commissioner)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Carey Cockerell has been appointed commissioner of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, replacing Thomas Chapmond. Cockerell is currently director of juvenile services in Tarrant County, Texas.

Department of Finance and Support.(newsmakers)(Dick Nelson appointed as director)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... In Nebraska Dick Nelson has been named director of the Department of Finance and Support, replacing Steve Curtiss. Richard Raymond is now director of the Nebraska Department of Regulation and Licensure and chief medical officer. Also, Bob...

Speaking in codes.(words on words)
December 1, 2004... A professor on interstate adoption and orphanages recently wrote, "In the current policy and legal climate which focuses on permanency for children and youth in foster care, there are few facilities that openly state that they do not seek to...

On Their Own: What Happens to Kids When They Age Out of the Foster Care System.(Young Adult Review)
December 1, 2004... On Their Own: What Happens to Kids When They Age Out of the Foster Care System By Martha Shirk and Gary Stangler. Hardcover/305 Pages/Westview Press/2004/0813341809 List Price $24.95 What does it mean to be 18 and on your own,...

Getting attention for your program--and never having to say you're sorry.(the field works)
December 1, 2004... Like a few other great cultural centers, the Louvre has an imposing collection of art and cultural objects spanning all of human history and every civilization. The institution's appeal, obviously, is visual. And so is its strategy for gaining...

Lillian B. Koller.(our do'ers profile)(Director, State of Hawaii, Department of Human Services )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... In Our Do'ers Profile, we highlight some of the hardworking and talented individuals in public human services. This issue features Lillian B. Koller, director of the Department of Human Services in Hawaii. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Name:...

Say what?(Editorial)
December 1, 2004... In my last column I mentioned the problems that HR had in defining what is and is not appropriate at work, i.e., where do you draw the line on dress or behavior? It is a commentary on how weird the problems are that HR staff can face that the...