Policy & Practice articles from June 2005

Policy & Practice archives from June 2005

Conferences and major meetings in 2005.(Calendar)
June 1, 2005... Where You Can Find APHSA During Our 75th Anniversary Year Information about upcoming 2005 conferences and meetings is posted, once available, on the APHSA web site at www.aphsa.org--click on "Conferences and Events." Please join us. ...

It's a small world.(director's memo)
June 1, 2005... The recent 75th anniversary celebration during APHSA's Spring Meeting created a wonderful opportunity to honor our past, examine the current state, and look toward the future. I want to thank the attendees, staff, and especially the presenters...

Inside story.
June 1, 2005... Even with the 75th anniversary conference of APHSA behind us, there is no letup on Policy & Practice in our efforts to continue to serve you with more relevant and better information that helps you do a better job. With this June issue, we have...

Social Enterprise Management: transforming government service delivery.
June 1, 2005... Citizen Service, long an oxymoron, is becoming an attainable goal. From New York to Utah and from Louisiana to British Columbia, forward-looking state and provincial governments are embracing a new Social Enterprise Management (SEM) business...

Bankruptcy bill becomes law, contains child support provisions.(first things first)
June 1, 2005... On April 14, the House approved the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, S. 256, by a roll-call vote. The Senate had approved the bill on March 10. On April 20, President Bush signed the bill into law as P.L....

Participation rates vary between entitlement and non-entitlement programs.(Government Accountability Office report)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report on 12 of the nearly 85 federal means-tested programs that provide benefits and services to low-income families and individuals. These 12 programs, including the Food Stamp...

USDA unveils new food pyramid.(first things first)
June 1, 2005... On April 19, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns unveiled the agency's new food guidance pyramid, called "My Pyramid, Steps to a Healthier You." My Pyramid is the new symbol and interactive food guidance system that replaces...

Leavitt and New York governor announce Medicaid reform.(first things first)
June 1, 2005... HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt and New York Gov. George Pataki (R) recently announced a new step toward Medicaid reform and modernization in the Empire State. Pataki proposed a Federal-State Health Reform Partnership (F-SHRP), which would...

Company promotes transitional job help program.(first things first)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The Transitional Work Corporation (TWC), which says it offers the country's largest urban transitional jobs program, has won national recognition as a leader in the field. Philadelphia-based TWC was founded in 1998 in response to the...

DOL offers new Prisoner Reentry grants.(first things first)(Department of Labor )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... On April 1, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced that some $20 million will be available in competitive grants to community groups for projects that carry out the president's Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI). The PRI is designed to help...

HHS announces $63 million health center grants.(first things first)(Health and Human Services)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced plans to award 105 new health center grants totaling more than $63 million. These grants will help an estimated 632,000 Americans, including many without health insurance, obtain comprehensive primary health...

CMS approves New Jersey nursing home tax.(first things first)
June 1, 2005... Federal regulators recently approved a nursing home tax proposed by New Jersey Medicaid officials that is expected to bring $95.5 million a year in additional federal matching funds under the Medicaid program. Under the plan, approved by CMS,...

Findings point to need to increase access to mental Health Services.(first things first)
June 1, 2005... A new study released recently by Casey Family Programs, Harvard Medical School, the State of Washington Office of Children's Administration Research, and the State of Oregon Department of Human Services, shows that rates of Post-Traumatic...

New guidance for Food Stamp Program Combined Application Projects.(first things first)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... On April 5 and 6, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) hosted its first Combined Application Project (CAP) Information Exchange Meeting. CAPs are demonstration projects that increase FSP participation among low-income seniors by combining the...

Working poor less likely to take sick leave.(first things first)
June 1, 2005... Working poor people are less likely to take sick days off the job than more prosperous employees, a Purdue University researcher said. The study, "Too Poor to Get Sick?" examined data on 2,490 African-American, Mexican-American, Puerto...

Carolyn Marshall.(staff spotlight)
June 1, 2005... Name... Carolyn Marshall Time at APHSA... 10 years [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Title... Administrative Assistant Place of Birth... Wren, Ga. A Typical Day Starts With... Up at 6:00 a.m., shower,...

Communications and sensitivity in Russia: key to implementing changes.
June 1, 2005... I arrived in Moscow in November 1999 to head a two-year (extended eventually to four and a half years) project for the Urban Institute (UI) in Washington, D.C. The project was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. ...

Britain: same language, different meaning.
June 1, 2005... In the autumn of 2000, my company, Electronic Data Systems, sent me to work with the British government on a national human service transformation program to modernize social welfare and benefits services and to improve the delivery of critical...

APHSA's 75th anniversary.(American Public Human Services Association)
June 1, 2005... National Spring Conference March 20-23, 2005 Washington 1. Jim Hine, left, APHSA board member and commissioner of the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, presents the Innovations in State Human Services Award to...

Bilingual and multicultural experience helps work back home.
June 1, 2005... In January 2003, I became the chief of party for the Jordan Poverty Alleviation Project (JPAP) after having served as the welfare director in Alaska and Utah. The two years I spent in Jordan have been the most fascinating experience in my...

Credibility fosters mutual respect and cooperation.
June 1, 2005... From 1981 to 1983, I served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, West Africa, with that country's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as an Agriculture Extension Agent. The Small Farmers Project, to which I was assigned, aimed to teach farmers...

Financial accountability of human service agencies.(legal notes)
June 1, 2005... "Government Is Criticized On Oversight of Head Start," March 18, 2005, The New York Times "D.C.'s Anti-Poverty Agency Is Under Federal Scrutiny; Possible Fiscal Irregularities Questioned," March 24, 2004, The Washington Post ...

Getting child support payments electronically.(technology speaks)
June 1, 2005... Leveraging technology to serve customers has always been one of the top goals for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Among the numerous technology projects the commonwealth is undertaking is the eDisbursements program, which began in September...

Washington state makes it easier to talk.(state and local news)
June 1, 2005... OLYMPIA, Wash. -- It is now easier these days for non-English-speaking callers to call the Washington state Department of Social and Health Services' toll-free number to report suspected abuse or neglect of children or vulnerable adults. ...

D.C. Initiative helps prepare fathers to make a difference.(state and local news)
June 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The D.C. Fatherhood Initiative, the brainchild of the District of Columbia Department of Human Services, was launched in May 2002 to help unemployed and low-income fathers maintain positive involvement in the lives of their...

Updated Medicaid program manages costs, fosters quality in Alabama.(state and local news)
June 1, 2005... MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Alabama government officials hope that a new and improved Patient 1st program will build on past successes while using state-of-the-art technology and experience to create an updated program that recognizes and rewards...

Iowa's child welfare system redesign helps kids and workers.(state and local news)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... DES MOINES, Iowa -- The redesign of Iowa's system that responds to child abuse has some nifty features. As part of the redesign, the state has created a Digital Dashboard, which allows staff to instantly check progress on each of the six...

Say what?(euphemisms)
June 1, 2005... Jack Welch, the longtime chief executive officer of General Electric, has written a new book titled "Winning." I'm not an avid reader of corporate self-help books, but a friend who is points out that the second of Welch's eight "rules" on...

Designed for success: a blueprint for group collaboration.(making things happen)
June 1, 2005... Successful collaboration goes beyond the right group of people being in the right place at the right time. It is the skill and dedication of each individual to the whole that empowers a group to create a product that can be adopted across...

Department of Social and Health Services.(newsmakers)(apointed Robin Arnold-Williams)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Robin Arnold-Williams has been appointed director of Department of Social and Health Services in the state of Washington. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Arnold-Williams served as executive director of Utah's Department of Human Services in...

Department of Labor and Industries.(newsmakers)(appointed Gary Weeks)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Also in Washington state, Gary Weeks has been named director of the Department of Labor and Industries. Weeks was director of the Oregon Department of Human Services and a former chairperson of the National Council of State Human Service...

Department of Health and Human Resources.(newsmakers)(appointed Martha Wa)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... In West Virginia, Martha Walker was named the new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources, replacing Paul Nusbaum.

Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).(newsmakers)(appointed Yvette Jackson )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Yvette Jackson recently became the mid-Atlantic regional administrator at the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As regional administrator based in Robbinsville, N.J., Jackson will provide leadership to...

Food Stamp Program.(newsmakers)(appointed Clarence Carter)(Food and Nutrition Service)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Meanwhile, Clarence Carter was appointed as deputy administrator for the Food Stamp Program at FNS. He was director of the Office of Community Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Carter served as commissioner of...

Department of Social Services.(newsmakers)(appointed Gary Sherman and Michael Ditmore )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... In Missouri, Gary Sherman was appointed director of the Department of Social Services. Michael Ditmore has assumed the role of interim Medicaid director.

Jeanne LaBrecque.(newsmakers)(appointed )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Jeanne LaBrecque was recently named Medicaid director for the state of Indiana.

Medicaid.(newsmakers)(appointed Angie Payne)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Angie Payne has been appointed the acting Medicaid director for the state of Hawaii.

Virginia Department of Social Services.(newsmakers)(appointed Tony Conyers)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Tony Conyers has been named commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services. Conyers replaces Maurice Jones, who left to become vice president of Landmark Publishing Group in Norfolk, Va.

Thomas J. Blazusiak.(newsmakers)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
June 1, 2005... Thomas J. Blazusiak, president of the American Association of Public Welfare Attorneys and a senior assistant counsel with the Pennsylvania Governor's Office of General Counsel assigned to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, passed...

'Nurse First' logs long miles in Montana.(Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services)
June 1, 2005... Montana is known as the Big Sky Country for its picturesque vistas, mountain ranges and never-ending blue skies. For Medicaid clients, those never-ending blue skies can represent the distance that often separates them from a doctor in this...

Key in dealing with reporters: don't lie, don't hide.(words on words)
June 1, 2005... The best media communications policy for human service agencies is a policy of speedy and candid response, according to some veteran agency public information officers and journalists from some of the country's largest news media. Such was...

Social Work Visions From Around the Globe: Citizens, Methods and Approaches.(Book Review)
June 1, 2005... Social Work Visions From Around the Globe: Citizens, Methods and Approaches By Anna Metteri, Teppo Kroger, Anneli Pohjola, Pirkko-Liisa Rauhala. Softcover/477 pages/The Haworth Press, first edition. 2004/ISBN 0-7890-2367-9 List Price...

Numbers in the news.
June 1, 2005... Food Stamp participation dipped in January 2005 to 25,458,113, an over-the-month decline of 29,290, but an over-the-year increase of nearly 2 million people -- The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) The number of people participating in...

Our do'ers profile.
June 1, 2005... In Our Do'ers Profile, we highlight some of the hardworking and talented individuals in public human services. This issue features Jim Hine, commissioner of the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...