- Background
- Summaries of Funded Proposals
On October 3, 2002, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning Evaluation, announced the award of approximately $2.5 million in grants to support innovative health and human services delivery. The goals of the initiative are twofold: to increase the effectiveness of health and human services by fostering innovative approaches to service delivery; and to share information gained through this program with other state agencies and interested parties so that they may learn about, and potentially replicate, innovative approaches. The grantees for the fifteen awards are the Arkansas Department of Human Services (2 grants), South Dakota Department of Human Services, South Carolina Department of Social Services, Delaware Health and Social Services Department, Maryland Department of Aging, Colorado Department of Human Services, Massachusetts Department of Social Services, District of Columbia Department of Health (2 grants), Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, Iowa Department of Human Services, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, and Arizona Department of Health Services.
Background
On May 24, 2002, ASPE announced the availability of funds and requested applications from States for innovation grants. The purpose of this competitive grant program was to allow selected States to design and/or demonstrate new models for delivering health care, long-term care, and/or human services to low-income adults, families, and children. There were two "tracks" under this announcement. Track 1 grantees are those state agencies that are ready to implement proposed innovations or expand existing innovative strategies. These grantees have innovative strategies developed and most or all aspects of the programs or services have been piloted, if not fully implemented. Track 2 grantees are those state agencies that have innovative ideas, but need time for further planning to fully develop or finalize operational plans.
Summaries of Funded Proposals
Disability, Aging, and Long-Term Care Track 1
Arkansas Department of Human Services ($410,557)
The Division of Aging and Adult Services will use the Cash and Counseling Demonstration program model to provide consumers with a new option to exchange Medicaid nursing home benefits for a daily cash allowance. Participants in the program, who are individuals living in a nursing home who prefer a non-institutional setting, may use the cash allowance to purchase the support services they require to live successfully in the community. This project will build on the established home and community-based services foundation and will offer participants additional options for consumer-directed care.
Jerry Berry 510-682-5448
Herb Sanderson 501-682-2441
South Dakota Department of Human Services ($99,000)
The Division of Developmental Disabilities will expand and enhance the current system of supports in South Dakota. Currently, the state's Adult Family Support Program offers a wide array of services and support to families who have a family member with a developmental disability under age 22 living in the home. This project will expand the availability of these services to families who have children over the age of 21 who live in more rural areas of South Dakota.
Brenda Tidball-Zeltinger 605-773-5990
Wanda Seiler 605-773-5990
Disability, Aging, and Long-Term Care Track 2
South Carolina Department of Social Services ($53,808)
The Division of Human Services will develop a community partnership to engage vulnerable adults, organizations, family members, and professional staff in a consensus building process that will culminate in the development of a protocol and a coordinated service delivery system based on a consumer-directed approach to home-based long term care. The goal is to develop community-based intervention and prevention services for vulnerable adults that will enable them to remain in their home and avoid more costly and less personal out-of-home care.
Thelma Graves 803-898-7465
Don Adams 803-898-7567
Delaware Health and Social Services Department ($45,000)
The Delaware Health and Social Services Department will plan to develop a consumer-directed approach to services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities living in their own homes or with their families. A goal of the project is to change the department's current Family Support Services Program to a more consumer-directed system.
Valerie Smith 302-744-4559
Arkansas Department of Human Services ($50,000)
The Arkansas Department of Human Services plans to analyze a pilot project developed at the Alexander Human Development Center for transitioning persons with disabilities from institutions to the community. A curriculum for training staff working in institutions, community providers and others will be developed; in addition, funding to cover the costs of transitions (estimated at $4,400 per person) will be explored.
Jerry Berry 510-682-5448
Herb Sanderson 501-682-2441
Maryland Department of Aging ($50,000)
The Maryland Department of Aging, in conjunction with the Housing Authority of Baltimore, other state agencies, the University of Maryland, and a local tenant's council, will convene an interagency steering committee to 1) discuss approaches to providing integrated services to older persons residing in state housing including the collection of information via a survey and compilation of other data, and 2) develop an intervention plan to implement integrated service delivery strategies.
Opiribo Jack 410-767-1100
Ilene Rosenthal 410-767-1100
Human Services Track 1
Colorado Department of Human Services ($500,000)
The Colorado Department of Human Services will develop an integrated approach for improving behavioral health at early childhood centers in Boulder and Denver Counties. The program is called KID CONNECTS and will support a series of pilot sites that will establish a technical assistance and support network for young children with mental and behavioral health challenges. Sites will be selected that have high poverty rates. Supporting resources will include mental health consultants placed at child care centers. With support and cross training by public health and mental health agencies, child care centers, and family child care homes, KID CONNECTS will coordinate a screening and assessment process for vision, hearing, dental, developmental and mental health behavior. KID CONNECTS will promote screening procedures that will help professionals identify young children with developmental delays and behavioral issues. Public and private partnerships will be created and a statewide review of local resources will be conducted to create a plan to change policies and improve system functioning.
Leo Jaramillo 303-866-3619
Claudia Zundel 303-866-7528
Massachusetts Department of Social Services ($487,827)
The Massachusetts Teen Living Program (TLP) Network works to provide a safe, supportive environment for homeless young women and their children. While TLPs have been successful in working with teen mothers and their children, the network has been unable to provide sufficient outreach to fathers. The Father's Project will provide enhanced services to fathers of children living in TLPs. TLP outreach workers will assist fathers with accessing education, job training, and employment, as well as teaching them parenting and life skills with goals to improve their financial stability, increase involvement with their children, reduce domestic violence, and reduce repeat pregnancies.
Ellen Finnegan 617-748-2000
Lisa Gualdoni 617-748-2322
Human Services Track 2
District of Columbia Department of Health ($45,000)
The D.C. Department of Health will develop the Youth Violence Prevention Architects Initiative. The initiative will align community-based providers, faith-based institutions, policymakers, and other stakeholders around the creation of a youth-led violence prevention initiative based on common principles and standards. Youth Violence Prevention Architects will be a program based on youth development principles, in which young people will engage in experiential skill-building and youth/civic development program.
Marilyn Seabrooks Myrdal 202-442-5925
Colleen Whitmore 202-442-9395
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services ($50,000)
The Division of Public Health will develop a joint public and private action plan for the purpose of enhancing the social and emotional well-being of young children. The Division seeks to broaden responsibility beyond the governmental sector for public awareness, funding, and problem solving of mental health challenges in very young children. In addition, the initiative will inform the public that very young children can have mental health challenges and these challenges can impact their development. Through outreach efforts and joint public and private action plans, the Division desires to increase public knowledge of these issues and to garner support for an improved community response to mental health issues in very young children.
Jay Newgard 907-269-3400
Pamela Muth 907-269-3400
Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services ($46,356)
The Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services will build on community service initiatives and collaborative efforts that have taken place in Kansas to develop a wrap-around service delivery for child welfare. The department will assist the statewide Foster Care Coalition and county agencies in identifying services and community supports to match family needs or develop new community resources. The groups want to work together to avoid out-of-home or out-of-community placement of children and adolescents that come to the attention of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. They want to be more aggressive in identifying what is causing children and youth to come into out-of-home placement and reduce out-of-home placement. If out-of-home placement is absolutely necessary, they want to keep children and youth in their own community.
Don Jordan 785-368-8152
Mary Hillin 785-368-8194
Iowa Department of Human Services ($49,500)
The Bureau of Collections, Iowa's child support enforcement agency, will initiate a community-wide collaborative in Polk County to develop an innovative and comprehensive strategic plan to support strong and healthy families in which children do not need child support services. Iowa will bring together a planning group consisting of state and local government representatives, faith- and community-based organizations, and representatives from the education, business, health, and legal communities. The group will examine data and develop local goals, objectives, and broad-based strategies based on the needs of the community.
Jessie Rasmussen 515-281-5452
Nancy Thoma 515-281-5647
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services ($50,000)
The Office of Knowledge Management and Decision Support will undertake a formal planning process to establish the Granite State Data Archive (GSDA). The GSDA will be housed at the University of New Hampshire; this collaboration will enhance the collection, exchange, aggregation, and analysis of indicators of individual and community well being. The first step is the collection of data on adolescent health, which will overcome the limited accessibility to useful, valid data to assist in funding a program design for this population group.
Ann Mattice 603-271-4297
Stephen Norton 603-271-4297
Health Track 1
District of Columbia Department of Health ($450,000)
This project, which is a partnership including the D.C. Health Department, Children's National Medical Center and the Howard University School of Dentistry and College of Hygiene, will create two state-of-the-art dental clinics at schools which primarily enroll children with special health care needs. Telemedicine tools will be used to link patients with pediatric dentists and hygienists, expanding access to dental care outside clinic locations. The project will conduct outreach, education and home-based monitoring and coaching for parents and caregivers of children with special health care needs with dental problems. A core group of oral health professionals will be established who are certified in the specialized skills needed to serve children with special health care needs and will provide clinical educational opportunities to residents of local schools of dentistry.
Marilyn Seabrooks Myrdal 202-442-5952
Colleen Whitmore 202-442-9395
Health Track 2
Arizona Department of Health Services ($45,680)
The Arizona Department of Health Services will develop and implement a "Continuing Care Clinic" for uninsured patients with diabetes. The Continuing Care Clinic is a regularly scheduled time at a facility when the focus is on a cohort of patients with a common chronic condition. The approach increases patient compliance through education, counseling, staff assistance, mutual support and peer pressure. The project builds off recent efforts supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Community Health Center program to manage the health care of persons with chronic conditions. The program will focus on diabetes and be put in place in two pilot sites of the approximately 100 community health centers, clinics and other programs which now receive Tobacco Tax Primary Care Program funds from the State to subsidize health care for the uninsured. A steering committee and staff from the Arizona Department of Health Services will support the pilot sites. Lessons learned will be shared with other providers to develop "best practices" for strengthening self-management of patients with diabetes at all participating Tobacco Tax Primary Care sites.
Craig Dunlap 602-542-1034
Patricia Tarango 602-542-1219