Policy & Practice articles from June 2003

Policy & Practice archives from June 2003

Letter from the Executive Director.(Editorial)
June 1, 2003... I write this column with a heavy heart. On February 28, 2003, I received a tearful call from a coworker announcing the terrible news that Rosie Oreskovich had passed away. Rosie was assistant secretary of Children's Services in Washington...

Inside story.
June 1, 2003... It's nearly impossible to get through a day without hearing someone complain about budget cuts. "We have to do more with less" has become such a common mantra in public human services that it is new a cliche. Yet in this climate of budget...

APHSA staff spotlight.
June 1, 2003... Name... Daphne Richards Time at APHSA... 24 years Title... Chief of Staff to the Executive Director Place of Birth... Jamaica, West Indies A Typical Day Starts With... A cup of the best coffee in...

Study shows clinical pharmacy management programs can cut costs.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... State policymakers who are grappling with overwhelming budget deficits might find clinical pharmacy management programs a viable way to reduce Medicaid costs. According to a study by the Health Strategies Consultancy and the Center for Health...

The eight most common strategies states are using to deal with budget shortfalls.(News & Trends)
June 1, 2003... 1 Maximizing federal reimbursements 2 Soft hiring or restrictions 3 Travel freezes or restrictions 4 Scaling back programs or targeted service cuts 5 No or reduced staff pay raises 6 Canceling or renegotiating service...

Point your web browser to a new site.(News & Trends)
June 1, 2003... Gateway to State and Local Government Information (http://stateandlocalgateway.rockinst.org/) is the Rockefeller Institute's new web site. The Gateway is a clearinghouse of information on state and local government finances where data from many...

50 years old and still going.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. And much has changed since 1953, when then President Eisenhower created the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (whose name was later...

TANF participation rate in 2001.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... For the past year, there has been much debate about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Famalies (TANF) block grant work participation rates. A recent analysis by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) looks at the extent and nature of...

Health Insurance for the uninsured.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Despite ongoing state budget crises, the virtual elimination of children being uninsured is within reach, according to a report by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. In fact, with moderate changes and improved financing mechanisms,...

Receptionist offers outstanding service.(News & Trends)
June 1, 2003... Brita Skoog, head receptionist at Washington's Department of Social Health and Services, was recognized in the Olympian for her outstanding service. Skoog joined the department in 1973. Since then, she has worked for 13 department secretaries...

Maryland: Juvenile Justice name change signals reforms.(News Watch)
June 1, 2003... Capital news service In July, Maryland's Department of Juvenile Justice will officially change its name to the Department of Juvenile Services--a sign the new administration hopes will be part of greater things to come. Gov. Robert Ehrlich...

Mississippi: DHS seeks to raise 50 percent passing rate on social workers' licensing exam.(News Watch)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Associated Press The state's child welfare agency needs more than money to hire qualified social workers; it also needs licensed applicants, according to state officials. The state had a 50 percent passing rate on the basic licensing...

Nevada: assembly OKs opening child abuse hearings to public.(News Watch)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Nevada Appeal The Nevada Assembly unanimously approved a bill opening child abuse and neglect cases to the public. Proponents of the bill said public scrutiny of the cases will ultimately help children. Judges can, however, close the...

Pennsylvania: legislature looks at restoring welfare for drug convicts.(News Watch)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Philadelphia Inquirer For almost seven years, Pennsylvanians convicted of drug felonies have been banned from receiving food stamps and welfare benefits. That policy has kept women trying to overcome drug addictions from being reunited...

Washington, D.C.: Maine wins right to seek drug discounts.(News Watch)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Washington Post The U.S. Supreme Court gave Maine the go-ahead to pressure drugmakers for discounts on behalf of its citizens, a decision that opens the door to similar experimentation by other states. By a vote of 6 to 3, the court...

2003 spring council meeting.(Faces & Places)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... New and tenured state human service administrators met to discuss critical leadership, policy, program, and organizational issues. Ray Scheppach (shown second from the left, executive director of the National Governors Association, presented an...

Managing media in a crisis.
June 1, 2003... It's 6:30 p.m. on a Friday and you are running late for a special dinner with your family. Everyone else has left the office, and you're heading for the door when the telephone rings on the receptionist's desk. You hesitate but pick it up. It's...

Doing more with less.(A Conversation with Barbara Gradet)(Interview)
June 1, 2003... With states and localities nationwide facing budget gaps, many social service agencies are laying off staff, reducing their services, and cutting programs and services. POLICY & PRACTICE talked with Barbara Gradet of the Baltimore County...

How to overcome organizational indifference.
June 1, 2003... We hear the phrases every day: "That's not my job." "I can't help you; you need to go to another department for that service." "That's just how we do things around here." "Someone else was supposed to do that." Such are the warning signs of...

Linda Keefe is an expert on helping agencies overcome organizational indifference, communication problems, technological deficiencies, and other barriers to growth.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Linda Keefe is an expert on helping agencies overcome organizational indifference, communication problems, technological deficiencies, and other barriers to growth. As the chief executive officer of Shared Results, a business focused on helping...

Legal notes: representing recent immigrants.
June 1, 2003... Record-high immigration marked the 1990s, with more than 13 million people entering the United States. According to Census 2000, there were 31 million immigrants in the country, representing 11 percent of the population. Unfortunately, though,...

Family Independence Agency.(Comings & Goings)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Nannette M. Bowler has been named director of the Family Independence Agency in Lansing, Michigan. Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm appointed her in January. Prior to her appointment, Bowler was director of Michigan State University's Chance at...

Iowa's Department of Human Services.(Comings & Goings)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Kevin W. Concannon has been named director of Iowa's Department of Human Services. Prior to this appointment, he was commissioner of Maine's Department of Human Services for eight years. Concannon has overseen several major programs and...

Alaska's Department of Health and Social Services.(Comings & Goings)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Gov. Frank Murkowski appointed Joel Gilbertson commissioner of Alaska's Department of Health and Social Services. Gilbertson has worked in a variety of positions related to health care and welfare systems, focusing on the efficient delivery of...

Minnesota's Department of Human Services.(Comings & Goings)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Kevin Goodno is commissioner of Minnesota's Department of Human Services. Gov. Tire Pawlenty appointed him in January. Prior to joining the department, Goodno served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for six terms. He served as...

Human Services Department.(Comings & Goings)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Gov. Bill Richardson appointed Pamela Hyde secretary of the Human Services Department in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since 1996, Hyde has worked in Santa Fe as a senior consultant for the Technical Assistance Collaborative, a national nonprofit firm....

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.(Comings & Goings)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... In April, Jess McDonald resigned from his position as director of Illinois' Department of Children and Family Services. During his nine-year tenure, he made substantial contributions toward improving the state's child welfare system. Bryan...

Our Do'ers Profile.
June 1, 2003... In our Do'ers Profile, we highlight some of the hard-working and talented individuals in public human services. This issue features Christopher J. McCabe of the Maryland Department of Human Resources in Baltimore, Maryland. Name:...