Policy & Practice articles from June 2007

Policy & Practice archives from June 2007

ICPC: consider the children first.(director's memo)(Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children)(Law overview)
June 1, 2007... One of the key questions facing member associations is whether their role is to lead or represent. APHSA faces this dilemma almost daily and relies on the guidance from our leadership to clarify staff roles and responsibilities. There is always...

ICPC and long-term care.(editor's note)(Editorial)
June 1, 2007... The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children, or ICPC, has been in existence since 1960. But changing times, new laws and technology have made the compact obsolete. APHSA has been working to have a new ICPC adopted by states. In his...

A call to public service in the 21st century.(my turn)
June 1, 2007... When President John F. Kennedy urged Americans to "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," millions of young people answered the call by joining Peace Corps, VISTA and government service. The influx of...

State budgets post modest gains in FY 2007.(first things first)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Robust revenue performance and stable spending levels mean states' budgets continue to be strong, although sales and use tax collections are causing some concerns, according to a new report by the National Conference of State Legislatures. ...

SAMHSA new Mental Health and Substance Abuse web page for vets and families.(first things first)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... A new section of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's web site at http:// www.samhsa.gov has been launched for veterans and their families. The web site provides critical information on prevention, treatment and...

Oregon Governor's food stamp challenge raises awareness.(first things first)(Ted Kulongoski)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski's recent week of living on an average food stamp allotment of $21/week as part of the Oregon "food stamp challenge" raised attention to the plight of the working poor. Hundreds of people sent e-mail messages to...

Governors urge congress to act on SCHIP to help children of working poor.(first things first)(State Children's Health Insurance Program)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Summer may prove hazardous to the health of the children of more than 60,000 Mississippi working families because this summer they could lose their public health insurance. In February, the threat to Mississippi's State Children's Health...

Long-term care program for dual eligible seniors.(MINNESOTA'S)
June 1, 2007... In 1995, Minnesota sponsored a Medicare demonstration for dually eligible seniors, which facilitated integration of Medicare and Medicaid service delivery across primary, acute and long-term care. This Minnesota Senior Health Options program...

Managing care for adults with chronic conditions: the VNS CHOICE model.
June 1, 2007... Mr. S is a 78-year-old widower who lives alone in a second-floor walk-up apartment. He suffers from several clinical conditions, including hypertension, hypothyroidism and osteoarthritis of the knees and hips. He has always been described as...

Medicaid and long-term care: how will rising costs affect services for an aging population?
June 1, 2007... By mid-century, the nation will be spending more on Medicaid, the joint state/federal health program for the poor, than it currently spends on national defense. Much of this projected growth will be generated by the rapidly expanding demand for...

North Carolina a model for other states?
June 1, 2007... The number of Americanswho will need long-term care is projected to double from 13 million in 2000 to 27 million in 2050. In the past,families could provide much of the caregiving needs. However, the pool of available family caregivers has...

Keep clients away from predatory lending.(legal notes)
June 1, 2007... Social Service professionals should educate themselves and their clients on potentially predatory lending practices. One branch of the lending industry that has enjoyed tremendous growth while having the potential to wreak havoc on clients is...

Florida shines with document management system.(technology speaks)
June 1, 2007... State human service agencies are all abuzz about what the Florida Department of Children and Families has implemented with the re-engineering process called Automated Community Connection to Economic Self-Sufficiency, more commonly referred to...

Elaine Ryan brings youthful energy to AARP.(focus)(American Association of Retired Persons)
June 1, 2007... What do Mario Cuomo, Sid Johnson, Bill Waldman and Jerry Friedman have in common? "They are all men." True, but wrong answer. "They all have made this a better world." Right answer, but not necessarily true. True and right answer:...

Indiana ties minimum wage to U.S. rate.(state and local news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... INDIANAPOLIS--Indiana's minimum wage will increase whenever Congress boosts the federal rate under a bill Gov. Mitch Daniels signed into law May 4, 2007. Currently, Indiana's rate is $5.15 an hour, the same as the federal rate. ...

Michigan officials press for maintenance of Food Stamp Program in 2007 farm bill.(state and local news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... LANSING, Mich.--Michigan officials are worried about President Bush's proposed cuts in nutrition assistance programs. The administration's proposed 2008 federal budget and the 2007 farm bill both include cuts to the Food Stamp Program. ...

Ohio governor promotes Benefit Bank.(state and local news)(Ted Strickland)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... COLUMBUS, Ohio--State officials say about $1.5 billion in public benefits, from tax credits to food stamps, goes unclaimed by eligible Ohioans every year. Ralph Gildehaus, director of the Ohio Benefit Bank, said many people aren't aware...

Texas County students rely on free and reduced-price school meals.(state and local news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... EL PASO, Texas--In El Paso County, more than 100,000 students qualify for free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches. According to Adel Balesh, the director of nutrition services for the Canutillo Independent School District, "The vast...

Washington laws help ex-foster children.(state and local news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... OLYMPIA, Wash.--Gov. Chris Gregoire in May signed laws that broaden medical coverage, rent assistance and college scholarships for young adults who leave foster care. Advocates said the measures, expected to cost the state nearly $5.3...

Lawyers in San Diego.(affiliates' corner)
June 1, 2007... San Diego welcomed the 2006 AAPWA National Continuing Education and Training Conference with sunny skies and gentle breezes. Held on Oct. 15-18, the conference was a huge success, with 210 attorneys from 40 states and the District of Columbia....

ISM releases Enterprise Architecture survey.(affiliates' corner)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Enterprise Architecture, as defined by Wikipedia, is the practice of applying a comprehensive and rigorous method for describing a current or future structure and behavior for an organization's processes, information systems, personnel and...

Medicaid Transformation projects get $103M.(affiliates' corner)
June 1, 2007... In January 2007, HHS Secretary Leavitt awarded grants totaling $103 million to state Medicaid programs to support Medicaid System Transformation projects. Two-thirds of the funding, $61 million, was awarded for Electronic Health Record and/or...

Development and Training professionals to hold meeting in Texas.(affiliates' corner)(National Staff Development and Training Association )(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... The National Staff Development and Training Association will hold its 20th annual Institute and Conference in Addison (Dallas), Texas, on Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2007. "Training Shines in the Lone Star State" serves as a forum for the advancement...

SCHIP reauthorization legislation takes center role in Congress.(the field works)(State Children's Health Insurance Program)
June 1, 2007... The reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program may be the most important federal health legislation for the current Congress. It is occurring at a time when the availability and affordability of employer-sponsored health...

John Wagner.(Newsmakers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... John Wagner, assistant secretary for children, youth and families for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, has been named director of the California Department of Social Services.

Elaine Ryan.(Newsmakers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Elaine Ryan, the association's deputy executive director for government affairs, has taken the position as director of state and intergovernmental affairs at AARP. Under Ryan's leadership, APHSA's influence in Washington and her portfolio of...

Kate Houston.(Newsmakers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Kate Houston has been named deputy undersecretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She joined the Food and Nutrition Service in October 2006.

William Kassler.(Newsmakers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... William Kassler of New Hampshire has been named chief medical officer for the Boston Regional Office of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He was an officer in the U.S. Public Health Service at the Centers for Disease Control and...

Jack Kalavritinos.(Newsmakers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Jack Kalavritinos has resigned as director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to pursue new opportunities.

Vivianne Chaumont.(Newsmakers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Vivianne Chaumont has been named the director of the Department of Health and Human Services Finance and Support in Nebraska. On July 1, she will become the Director of the Division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care within the newly created...

Carmen Hooker Odom.(Newsmakers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Carmen Hooker Odom, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is leaving in October to become president of the Milbank Memorial Fund, a New York-based foundation that conducts health policy research. ...

States of Transition: tackling government's Toughest Policy and Management Challenges.(Book review)
June 1, 2007... By William D. Eggers and Robert N. Campbell III / Paperback/355 pages Deloitte / First edition. 2006/ISBN:0-9790611-0-5 / List Price $12.95 Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge wrote in the foreword of this book: "State policy-makers hold...

Say what?
June 1, 2007... Since I often criticize new usages or vogue words that serve no apparent purpose other than to puff up the writer, it is only fair to note what is new and useful--or at least creative. For example, confusing the definitions of two practical...

Delivery of Benefits in an Emergency: Lessons From Hurricane Katrina.(noted studies)
June 1, 2007... Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and Rita a month later together were the most destructive natural disaster in American history. Virtually all relief systems were overtaxed by its sheer magnitude. According to a new report, "Delivery of...

Uninsured kids cost state economy more.(noted studies)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Medical care is expensive, especially without insurance. And the uninsured cost taxpayers--especially when it comes to kids, according to a new study by a Brigham Young University professor. The study in the journal Pediatrics tracked...

New tool helps families affected by substance use disorders.(noted studies)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Screening and Assessment for Family Engagement, Retention and Recovery, a new guidebook designed to help staff of public and private agencies respond to families in the child welfare system who are affected by substance use disorders, is now...

Impact of State Income Taxes on Low-Income Families in 2006.(noted studies)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... According to "The Impact of State Income Taxes on Low-Income Families in 2006," Jason Levitis, a policy analyst and counsel to State Fiscal Project at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, poor families in many states face substantial...

Your body guard.(communications corner)
June 1, 2007... The best agency communications strategy should begin way before a program begins at the conceptual stage, and continue long after it ends. Your communications officers often can help garner good publicity for the program. Good communications...

Catawba County excels in organizational effectiveness.(making things happen)
June 1, 2007... In 2003, social service and mental health senior managers in Catawba County, N.C., faced a decision. Mental health reform was sweeping across the state; and beginning in July 2004, Catawba's public mental health agency would limit itself to...

Numbers in the news.
June 1, 2007... * After rising from 6.1 million children in 1970 to 9.5 million children in 1994, the number of children living in families receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families payments fell to 3.9...

Our Do'ers Profile.(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... In Our Do'ers Profile, we highlight some of the hardworking and talented individuals in public human services. This issue features Bard Shollenberger, Director of Electronic Payment Services, ACS Government and Community Solutions. He is a...