Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Feds ask N.J. to refund $30M over faulty Medicaid claims for mental health services

Excerpt from NJ.com: (click for entire article)

Federal officials are asking for a $30 million refund from New Jersey after an audit found that adult mental health services providers in the state did not make Medicaid claims in accordance with state and federal standards.

The report from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department's inspector general was released Thursday.

The report, which examined services provided in group homes, supervised apartments and family care homes, was based on 100 random claims sampled by investigators. It found 64 did not comply with standards, and 24 had more than one deficiency.

Finding Services

Excerpt from National Clearinghouse for Long Time Care Information: (click for entire article)

There are several databases available to you to locate services in your state.
Aging and Disability Resource Centers

Where available, each state links to a long-term care resource database maintained by that state for its Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC). ADRCs serve as single points of entry into the long-term supports and services system for older adults and people with disabilities.

Mental Health First Aid Receives Support in Recognition of May is Mental Health Month

Excerpt from National Council Press Release: (click for entire article)

The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (National Council) is grateful to Qualifacts Systems, Inc. for their donation of $9,550 to Mental Health First Aid in 2012.

In just 4 years, more than 50,000 people in the U.S. have been trained in Mental Health First Aid through a nationwide network of 2,000+ certified instructors.

Mental Health First Aid is a public education program designed to give ordinary people the skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Participants learn how to interact with a person in crisis and how to connect the person with professional, peer, or other help. The training uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to recognize and respond to the warning signs of specific illnesses like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and substance use disorders.

Text of Response to Dr. Phil Segment 'Deadly Consequences' with List of National, State and Local Signons

Excerpt from Not Dead Yet: (click for entire article)

The undersigned organizations are sending this letter in response to the April 13, 2012 segment of the Dr. Phil Show which presented the idea that parents should be able to euthanize their children who have intellectual disabilities. This outrageous proposal was portrayed in such an extremely unbalanced manner as to amount to a promotion of such a deadly proposition.

More Young US Vets Seek Disability

Excerpt from NBC San Diego: (click for entire article)

The newer generation of veterans are applying for disability benefits in historic numbers.

Almost 50-percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are seeking claims.

That is more than double the rate of those who filed for benefits after the Gulf War in the 90s.

Finding The Words To Talk About Disability

Excerpt from The Huffington Post: (click for entire article)

William came home from school a few weeks back and he said, "Mom." He said it as a sentence, the way he does when he has something important to tell me. And then again, "Mom. My friend Ashley is not good at listening. And she screams."

William is three. He attends a local public preschool, and he's in an "integrated" classroom, which is to say, a classroom where typically developing children learn and play alongside children with special needs. Three years ago, William's older sister Penny was in the same classroom, but she entered it with an "I.E.P.," an Individualized Education Plan. Penny has Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome, and that third chromosome impacts nearly every aspect of her development. She wears braces to support her flat feet and weak ankles. When she was in preschool, she relied on sign language in addition to spoken words to communicate. She received Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Physical Therapy as a part of her classroom experience.

Efforts mount to cut improper use of antipsychotics for seniors

Excerpt from Bradenton Herald: (click for entire article)

A prescription for the wrong medicine, or too much of the right one, can cause dullness, danger or even death for older people.

That's the word from a growing group of family members, as well as medical, government and nonprofit groups working on medication issues involving older patients nationally.

Many people who have placed older relatives in long-term care tell the same story: a frail but communicative person goes into a facility and within a day or so their normal demeanor has changed so drastically as to be unrecognizable. Experts on aging, as well as government and business leaders, attribute such changes to widespread use of behavior-modifying medications, including strong antipsychotics such as Zypresa.

Affordable Care Act supports families of children with special health care needs

Excerpt from HHS.gov: (click for entire article)

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $4.9 million in Affordable Care Act funding to support Family-to-Family Health Information Centers, primarily non-profit organizations run by and for families with children with special health care needs.

“These centers provide the information that families need to make health care decisions that are right for their children,” Secretary Sebelius said. “Family-to-Family Health Information Centers are a good investment, and have a measurable and positive impact on families, and communities.”

Created in 2005, the centers are state-wide, family-led organizations that provide information, education, training, outreach, and peer support to families of children and youth with special health care needs and the professionals who serve them.

20 Important Tips to Good Advocacy

Excerpt from KPS 4 Parents: (click for entire article)

I’ve recently had to come to the terms with the reality that’s there is only one me, there are only 24 hours in a day, and each lifetime is a unique thing that will never happen again once it has ended. I realized that I had made so many personal sacrifices to single-handedly pursue KPS4Parents’s mission with very little hands-on support (though tons of emotional support, the value of which I truly appreciate) because of our limited resources, that I was going to eventually put myself in harm’s way if things didn’t change.

This organization was never meant to be a “one-man band.” It started out with two of us; our founder, Nyanza Cook, and me. However, in 2006, Nyanza became ill and I took over her caseload. She remained ill and I took over the organization. She’s okay now and remains the chair of our board of directors.

In 2006, I had 40 kids on my caseload and several of their cases went to due process and on to federal court appeals after that. My daughter was in 5th grade and I was involved with Girl Scouts. I have no idea how I survived the 2006-07 school year. My pace was frenetic at the time, something I just can’t do anymore.

Vote for United Cerebral Palsy of Metro Detroit In the Art Van Charity Challenge

Excerpt from UCP: (click for entire article)

Support United Cerebral Palsy of Metro Detroit by voting for us in the Art Van Million Dollar Challenge.
 The top three charities with the most votes will win grants of $25,000, $15,000, or $10,000.
 
It's a very simple process, just click on the link below, register and vote!
 artvancharitychallenge.com