Policy & Practice articles from February 2009

Policy & Practice archives from February 2009

APHSA conferences and major meetings in 2009.(Calendar)
February 1, 2009... Information about upcoming conferences and meetings is posted, once available, on the APHSA web site at www.aphsa.org. Click on "Conferences and Events" on the home page. Please join us. April 3-5 National Association of...

Transition: in with the new.(director's memo)
February 1, 2009... Henry Ford once said, "The only change that people really like is the coins that jingle in their pockets." Given the fact that most people have a natural tendency to maintain the status quo, I have been struck by the level of enthusiasm and...

Historical happening at APHSA's Policy Summit.(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2009... Dear Editor: On a chilly Nashville Sunday afternoon this past December, APHSA convened the 2008 Policy Summit for State and Local Health and Human Service Administrators. This summit brought together human service and Medicaid...

For those we serve.(editor's note)
February 1, 2009... It was a chilly morning. But by 9 a.m. the line had already queued all the way around the building at the Community for Creative Non-Violence in Washington. The women who waited outside the adjacent shelter for women shuddered in the cold. The...

A case for federal-state partnership.(my turn)
February 1, 2009... I had the good fortune to participate in APHSA's December Policy Summit, organized to develop a human service agenda to present to the new federal administration. While a timely opportunity to focus on national policy and to network with...

Health provisions among public's top priorities for economic stimulus.(first things firsta)(Survey)
February 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- The public ranks action on health care highly as part of efforts to stem the impact of the economic recession. The public also viewed reforming health care as one of the top priorities for President Obama and Congress, according...

Informational KITs help promote evidence-based mental health practices.(first things first)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is offering a new Assertive Community Treatment Knowledge Informing Transformation packet as the first in a new series of Evidence-Based Practice Information Transformation packets....

CBO: U.S. to spend 27 percent more on food stamps in 2009.(first things first)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- The recession will drive the cost of the U.S. food stamp program, now called SNAP, which helps poor people buy food, to $50 billion this year, up 27 percent from 2008, congressional forecasters said in January. [ILLUSTRATION...

APHSA staffer shakes hands with Mrs. Obama.(first things first)(Michelle Obama and American Public Human Services Association's Melissa Kanaya)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... On Jan. 19, as part of the presidential inauguration festivities and to celebrate the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 's life, thousands of volunteers around the country engaged in service projects to strengthen communities. In Washington D.C.,...

Third-quarter weakness leads to 'dramatic worsening' in October, November.(first things first)(the weakening economy)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Albany, N.Y.--The weakening economy is creating a sharply larger drain on states' tax collections, according to preliminary fourth-quarter data in a report released by the Rockefeller Institute of Government. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Real earnings in December 2008.(first things first)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Real average weekly earnings rose by 0.6 percent from November to December 2008 after seasonal adjustment, according to preliminary data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. This gain stemmed from a...

Congress strengthens ADA, expands disability definition.(first things first)(Americans with Disabilities Act)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... In response to what many saw as a weakening of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by the courts, Congress has broadened the definition of disability as a means to provide greater protection against discrimination for employees and job...

CMS announces plan to identify protected classes of prescription drugs.(first things first)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Jan. 16 announced an interim final rule that makes sure that beneficiaries with conditions such as epilepsy, mental illness and depression will not be discouraged from enrolling in...

It's health care, not welfare.
February 1, 2009... Record numbers of uninsured Americans with little or no access to health care have pushed health care reform toward the top of the domestic policy agenda. As change has been slow to come at the federal level, Oklahoma has joined many other...

'Medical home': approach benefits Medicaid members, providers.
February 1, 2009... The right care, at the right place, at the right time. That's the philosophy behind the Oklahoma Health Care Authority's adoption of a "patient-centered medical home" approach to providing health care for the state's Medicaid members. ...

Creating a 21st century Medicaid health care coverage system.
February 1, 2009... In a nutshell, the U.S. health care system is broken. All you have to do is ask anyone who uses the health care system and you will get an earful about the dysfunctional way the system operates. At every level of the health care system there...

States' need for economic relief for Medicaid.
February 1, 2009... States are facing their largest economic crises since the great depression. These problems have a profound impact on state Medicaid programs, which are counter cyclical in nature with economic recessions, causing large increases in enrollment,...

Amended disabilities act widens protection.(legal notes)
February 1, 2009... When George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act on June 26, 1990, congressional findings stated that 43 million Americans had disabilities. Over the course of the next 18 years, it appeared that 43 million was a gross...

Preface.
February 1, 2009... Our nation has just witnessed the dramatic beginning of new national leadership, leadership that has pledged to meet and overcome the many challenges we face--particularly the economic problems that afflict steadily growing numbers of children...

Executive summary.
February 1, 2009... The United States faces its worst economic challenge in decades. APHSA's members, the nation's public health and human service administrators, share the widespread alarm over the difficult circumstances under which so many now suffer. As the...

Federal-state relationships.
February 1, 2009... Accomplishments States have partnered with the federal government since the public human service system began many decades ago. This partnership functions well when federal financial support and reasonable oversight are combined with state...

Health care.
February 1, 2009... Accomplishments. In the current political and fiscal environment, the state of America's health care has become an increasingly important topic of discussion. The number of uninsured individuals has risen significantly over the past...

Child welfare and well-being.
February 1, 2009... Accomplishments Children, Youth, and Families Served by Public Child Welfare The public child welfare system serves the nation's most vulnerable children and families. Those helped by America's child welfare system include children and...

Economic services and related issues.
February 1, 2009... TANF Accomplishments In 1996, Congress and the White House agreed to "end welfare as we know it" and passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. This landmark legislation transformed the long-time cash...

Child support.
February 1, 2009... Accomplishments From its beginnings in 1975, child support enforcement has flourished into a comprehensive and effective federal-state partnership. Authorized in Title IV, Part D of the Social Security Act, the program has grown to be a...

Child care.
February 1, 2009... Child care plays a central role in the success of working families across the nation. Through the federal Child Care and Development Fund, state agencies are able to provide low-income working families with subsidized child care. With limited...

Nutrition assistance.
February 1, 2009... Accomplishments Federal food assistance programs have long been critical to the success of the web of benefits and services that states administer. The ability to purchase adequate food and maintain a nutritious diet is essential to the...

Automated systems.
February 1, 2009... Improving the social and physical well-being of citizens should be the primary goal of all federal agencies that administer health and human services. Instead, it often seems that many of these agencies intend that state and local agencies must...

The spirit of life.(focus)(friendship and love)
February 1, 2009... I see couples, every day, walking and holding hands. People will never realize how this simple act has changed my life. When I met my future husband in 2000, I was unable to walk without crutches. I suffered a severe injury to my foot,...

The electronic days of chinos and skillets.(technology speaks)(electronic benefits transfer systems)
February 1, 2009... I hate shopping. I avoid going into stores at all costs--the exceptions being grocery stores and wine and spirit shops. When I need something, I usually buy it on-line, and I do appreciate it when the sites I frequent notify me they are having...

APHSA meets with Obama transition team.(Washington update)(Barack Obama and the American Public Human Services Association)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Members of President-elect Obama's transition team met with APHSA staff to discuss the association's priorities for the new administration. The meetings have covered Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and all other...

New administration pushes for stimulus plan: congress will not act until at least February.(Washington update)
February 1, 2009... President Barack Obama and his transition team have pushed for a stimulus plan that could total more than $775 billion, with some estimates ranging as high as $1.3 trillion. In a speech on Jan. 8, Obama warned of double-digit unemployment, $1...

Obama highlights health information technology.(Washington update)(Barack Obama)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... As part of his remarks in a speech on Jan. 8, President-elect Obama included commitments to increase the utilization of health information technology nationwide by investing to provide the technology necessary to ensure that all health records...

Daschle discusses health care before Senate help committee.(Washington update)
February 1, 2009... On Jan. 6, former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), President Obama's choice for secretary of Health and Human Services, appeared at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The panel, chaired by Sen....

111th Congress still awaits two appointments.(Washington update)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... At press time, the 111th Congress had convened with just 98 members sworn in and the fate of the two other seats unsettled. Uncertainty continues over the seating of Roland W. Burns, the choice of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) to fill...

Computer Sciences gets N.C. Medicaid contract.(business news)
February 1, 2009... Computer Sciences Corp. will install and operate Medicaid payment systems for the state of North Carolina under a $265 million contract, according to state officials. The state selected CSC over a competing bid submitted by Electronic Data...

Deloitte: $530B savings opportunity for health care reform over 10 years.(business news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... As the White House changes guard, a new series of reports released by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions identifies $530 billion in opportunities to reduce costs while improving the U.S. health care system over the next 10 years. The...

EDS signs infrastructure services pact with Phoenix companies.(business news)
February 1, 2009... PLANO, Texas--EDS, an HP company, and The Phoenix Companies Inc. on Jan. 15 announced an agreement under which EDS will continue managing technology infrastructure and software applications for Phoenix Life Insurance Co., a wholly owned...

Crowe Horwath and Grobstein, Horwath & Co. announce transaction.(business news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... OAK BROOK, Ill.--Crowe Horwath LLP signed an agreement to acquire certain assets of California-based Grobstein, Horwath & Co. LLP. Crowe Horwath LLP is one of the largest public accounting and consulting firms in the U.S. Crowe Horwath LLP...

IBM launches initiative for business partners to grow revenue in mid-market.(business news)
February 1, 2009... ARMONK, N.Y.--IBM on Jan. 14 introduced a new initiative designed to help business partners increase their revenue and grow customer relationships in the mid-market space. The IBM Business Partner Software Mid-Market Value Initiative...

Lagan unveils Human Services Call Center solution for North American market.(business news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Lagan today announced a new Lagan Human Services Call Center solution designed for health and human service agencies in North America. The new solution is an efficient and cost-effective way for agencies to handle a range of functions depending...

MAXIMUS awarded special ed case management system contract for NYC schools.(business news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... RESTON, Va.--MAXIMUS announced on Jan. 15 that the New York City Department of Education has chosen its TIENET special education case management system for district wide implementation. The contract is valued at $54.9 million over five years,...

Don't miss ISM's 2009 conference in Chicago.(ISM)
February 1, 2009... The ISM Agenda Committee met on Jan. 13-15 in Chicago at the Marriott Magnificent Mile, site of the 2009 conference to be held Aug. 30-Sept. 2, to begin crafting what they expect will be the best agenda ever for an ISM conference. Twenty-five...

Staking a claim in performance measurement.(NAPIPM)(National Association for Program Information and Performance Measurement conference)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Plans are under way for the 30th annual National Association for Program Information and Performance Measurement professional development conference, to be held Aug. 16-19, 2009, in Sparks, Nev. The theme for the upcoming event is "Staking a...

The National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators.(NAPCWA)
February 1, 2009... NAPCWA is working on an initiative to assist states with meeting the federal requirements for the National Youth in Transition Database. NAPCWA, in partnership with the Chapin Hall Center for Children and with support from the Jim Casey Youth...

Child care development is a key issue.(NASCCA)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The National Association of State Child Care Administrators has been spending a considerable amount of time in recent months developing messages for Congress and the new administration on the dual purposes of child care that need to be...

CMS releases final rules.(NASMD)
February 1, 2009... On Nov. 7, 2008, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a final rule intended to clarify the definition of outpatient hospital services under Medicaid. The rule narrows the definition and scope of covered Medicaid outpatient...

Calif. official steps down to save employee jobs.(state and local news)(Carroll Ragland)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... WILLOWS, Calif.--In a time when some citizens say executives should cut their high salaries to improve the economy, a Glenn County official went a step further--she stepped down. The move by Child Support Services Director Carroll Ragland...

Colorado child support program helps collection.(state and local news)
February 1, 2009... STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo.--The Routt County Child Support Enforcement Program has a few new collection tools in its arsenal, but without an enforcement case, payments aren't going to come in on their own. Assisted by computer programs and...

Delaware Aging-out youth face grim future.(state and local news)('Our Children: Aging-out of Foster Care in Delaware')(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... WILMINGTON, Del.--Most of the youth who age out of the Delaware foster care system are left homeless and without educational opportunities or skills necessary to find and retain jobs, according to a new report that examines what happens to...

Idaho parents to get child support on debit card.(state and local news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... BOISE, Idaho--About 21,000 Idaho parents were scheduled to receive a new debit card in the mail beginning in mid-January, as the Idaho Child Support Program converts child support payments to the new Idaho Family Support Card. The new VISA...

Michigan's 2008 Voices for Action Poverty Summit.(state and local news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... DETROIT--Jobs, education, training and safe homes were among the top priorities participants at the 2008 Voices for Action Poverty Summit committed to address after the Nov. 13 event. The 2008 Voices for Action Poverty Summit was Michigan's...

Minnesota granted food stamp waiver.(state and local news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... MINNEAPOLIS--Now that Minnesota's unemployment rate hasrisen to 6.4 percent--which means there are at least 200,000 unemployed Minnesotans seeking work--the USDA Food and Nutrition Service has granted the state a waiver of time limits for SNAP,...

Mississippi ranks no. 1 in teen pregnancies.(state and local news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... JACKSON, Miss.--Mississippi's first again--in terms of the state with the highest teen birthrate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the state's birthrate was more than 60 percent higher than the national average in 2006....

Thousands of Nebraskans apply for welfare online.(state and local news)(http://www.ACCESSNebraska.ne.gov)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... LINCOLN, Neb.--The state Department of Health and Human Services says more than 6,400 Nebraskans have applied for welfare and other benefits on the Internet using a new tool that went online in September. Through ACCESSNebraska, low-income...

Pa., Ohio need billions for social services.(state and local news)(Pennsylvania)
February 1, 2009... As the recession's toll mounts in such Rust Belt cities as Pittsburgh and Cleveland, charities are turning to Washington for help to ease the pain for the growing number of people in need. Pennsylvania and Ohio will need $3.3 billion over...

Vermont food stamp program gets a new name.(state and local news)(3 Squares VT)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Last year food stamps help feed thousands of families across Vermont. This year, the program has got a new name. It's now called "3 Squares VT." It's the same program but more people will be eligible for free food. Renee Richardson, with...

Toolkit of resources on electronic health records.(state and local news)(www.ehealthwv.org)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... CHARLESTON, W.Va.--A wide range of new resources is available now to help West Virginians, including physicians, other health care providers and consumers, understand electronic health records, which are gradually replacing traditional paper...

Non-violent substance abuse offender policy options.(The field works.)
February 1, 2009... The link between welfare expenditures and public policies toward non-violent substance abuse offenders needs more attention. The need for public welfare is often caused by the absence of a spouse from the home due to incarceration, lack of...

Communicating the changing human service landscape.(Communications corner.)
February 1, 2009... How loud does a human service communication cry need to be in order to be effective in delivering messages about the concerns of the needy and vulnerable citizens in our communities, especially today? It's a question that communication...

Most common writing mistakes, part 2.(Words on words.)
February 1, 2009... Most writing errors are a mixture of misspellings and grammatical errors, although these days there is an increasingly thin line between what is right and what is acceptable as proper usage, what is literate and what's colorful. Over my past 32...

Say what.(Central Pacific Railroad's Photographic History Museum through http://cprr.org/Museum/index.html)
February 1, 2009... There is a saying that some stories write themselves. I saw this site months ago, but wanted to ensure that it wasn't a joke. The Central Pacific Railroad has an interesting "Photographic History Museum," which you can find at...

National certification for child and youth workers.(making things happen)
February 1, 2009... It has long been known that the quality of care received by children and youth in educational, community-based and out-of-home care settings is largely a result of the competence of those providing the care. Yet the knowledge and skill level of...

Ludwig and Miller.(numbers in the news)(Ludwig and Miller are two the many children that Head Start program have served)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Our society receives nearly $9 in benefits for every $1 dollar invested in children who attend Head Start programs. Substantial research demonstrates that children enrolled in Head Start experience increased achievement test scores and...

Population estimates.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The number of females in the United States as of Oct. 1, 2008, was 154.7 million. The number of males was 150.6 million. At 85 and older, there were more than twice as many women as men--Population Estimates

2007 American Community Survey.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The median annual earnings of women 16 or older who worked year-round, full time, in 2007, was $34,278, up from $33,648 in 2006 (after adjusting for inflation). Women earned 77.5 cents for every $1 earned by men--2007 American Community Survey

Population estimates.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The number of states with an estimated black population on July 1, 2007, of at least 1 million, was 18. New York, with 3.5 million, led the way. The 17 other states on the list were Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois,...

Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The annual median income of single-race black households in 2007 was $33,916, up from $32,876 (in 2007 constant dollars) in 2006. The percentage of single-race blacks lacking health insurance in 2007 was 19.5 percent, down from 20.5 percent...

U.S. Census Bureau.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Medicaid continued to be the largest source of funding for nursing and residential care facilities in 2007 at $59 billion. Overall, health care and social assistance revenue increased 6.8 percent in 2007 to $1.66 trillion, up from $1.56...

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Nonfarm payroll employment declined sharply in December and the unemployment rate rose from 6.8 percent to 7.2 percent. Payroll employment fell by 524,000 over the month and by 1.9 million over the last four months of 2008--U.S. Bureau of...

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons has grown by 3.6 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by 2.3 percentage points. The unemployment rates for adult men (7.2 percent), adult women...

The Urban Institute.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Between increased Medicaid caseloads, rising indigent care costs, and Medicaid's share of state revenue losses, an economic downturn in the next two and a half years could impose between $74 billion and $118 billion in extra financial burdens...

The Urban Institute.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... New data indicate that just 4.6 percent of all Medicaid-eligible uninsured children and 15.9 percent of all SCHIP-eligible uninsured children have a parent with ESI coverage, suggesting that premium assistance programs may not make a...

The Urban Institute.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Employed immigrants are twice as likely to be poor as employed natives. Forty-three percent of non-citizen workers have jobs that pay less than $7.50 an hour, compared with 27.9 percent of all workers. Even though only 7.1 percent of all...

The Center for Law and Social Policy.(numbers in the news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The child support program collects $4.73 in support payments for every public dollar spent. Families spend child support income quickly. State and bank data suggest that 97 percent of child support funds dispensed to family debit cards are...

The Center for Law and Social Policy.(numbers in the news)(on child support)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Child support is 30 percent of family income for poor families that receive it. The average child support payment received by low wage families is nearly $4,000 per year. When families do not receive this money, they are more likely to need...

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.(Book review)
February 1, 2009... Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High By Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler and Stephen * R. Covey/Paperback/240 pages * McGraw Hill/First edition. 2002 * ISBN 0-07-140194-6 * List Price...

Rockefeller in Retrospect: The Governor's New York Legacy.(Book review)
February 1, 2009... Rockefeller in Retrospect: The Governor's New York Legacy Edited by Gerald Benjamin and T. Norman Hurd/Hardcover/309 pages * The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government * First edition. 1984 * ISBN 0-91 4341-01-04/List Price $8.98...

Health and Human Services.(news makers)
February 1, 2009... In Texas, Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Albert Hawkins has named Joanne Molina as his new deputy executive commissioner for social services.

Anne Heiligenstein.(news makers)(Joanne Molina replaces Anne Heiligenstein for her new role in HHSC's Offices of Eligibility Services and Family Services )(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Molina previously served as associate commissioner of the Office of Family Services at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and has more than 30 years of experience in eligibility services. In her new role, Molina will be in charge of...

In North Carolina, Lanier M. Cansler has been named secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.(news makers)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... In North Carolina, Lanier M. Cansler has been named secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. He replaces Dempsey Benton. In April 2001, Cansler was appointed deputy secretary, responsible for the management, oversight and...

Anne Murphy, chief of staff of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, has been named secretary.(news makers)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Anne Murphy, chief of staff of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, has been named secretary. She replaces Mitch Roob, who will become the state's secretary of commerce.

In Ohio, Doug Lumpkin, the head of Franklin County's Department of Job and Family Services.(news makers)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... In Ohio, Doug Lumpkin, the head of Franklin County's Department of Job and Family Services, is the new director of the state Job and Family Services agency, replacing Helen Jones-Kelley, who resigned. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Anna Whiting Sorrell.(news makers)(Anna Whiting Sorrell will head the Department of Public Health and Human Services)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... In Montana, Anna Whiting Sorrell will head the Department of Public Health and Human Services. Whiting Sorrell has served as the policy adviser on Families in the Governor's Office since 2005.