Human Services

SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is currently sponsoring a national project to promote the widespread adoption of six evidence-based practices (EBPs)—treatments that have consistently proven to generate positive outcomes for adults with serious mental illness. Specifically, project teams are working to develop, test, revise, and disseminate comprehensive resource toolkits that will enable practitioners to replicate EBPs successfully and reap the benefits in community settings.

This report addresses the liability issues that may arise in government-sponsored consumer-directed personal assistance programs. The report focuses on Cash & Counseling Demonstration programs in AR, FL & NJ, In-Home Supportive Services Program in CA & Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program in NY. The reports purpose: first, identify circumstances where negligence could result in liability and what persons are likely to be liable; second, identify steps to reduce exposure to liability.

This document focuses on Sunrise Towers, a public housing complex for older people in Laconia, New Hampshire. This form of public housing is modeled after assisted living and provides meals and personal assistance to keep residents in the community. The document describes the program, the services the program offers, and funding sources.

This document describes the State of Washington’s many resources specifically designed to facilitate the transition of nursing facility residents to less restrictive, community settings. The state also offers four funding sources for transitional services people may need when leaving a nursing facility. The document notes the specific programs, their implementation and impact.

The Utah Family Council is a non-profit organization that provides support to all families of people with disabilities, regardless of whether they receive public funding. This document describes this program, which uses funding from the Self-Determination Grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to increase availability. The report describes the program and its implementation.

The National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce publishes a free e-mail newsletter called Quality Jobs/Quality Care. Published twice a month, the newsletter covers issues concerning direct-care workers in long-term care and provides reliable, up-to-date information related to the direct-care workforce nationwide. To subscribe, visit the Clearinghouse website at www.directcareclearinghouse.org and look for Free E-mail Alerts.

The Formative Evaluation of the Real Choice Systems Change Grants evaluates how the Systems Change grantees are progressing towards meeting their goals. The Formative Evaluation identifies problems faced by the grantees and ways that they deal with the problems. This document provides summary information about each of the FY2003 Grantees.

In fiscal year (FY) 2004, Congress appropriated approximately $40 million in funding for a new round of Real Choice Systems Change Grants. With this solicitation, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invites proposals for grants totaling approximately $31 million of these funds.

This presentation highlighted The Community Living Exchange Collaborative Web site and the various features available to a wide array of audiences, including states, policy makers, advocates, researchers, consumers, and other entities involved in building systems that provide services and supports that reflect the needs and preferences of individuals of all ages with disabilities.

How would a system of supports look if people with disabilities and their circle of friends, or network, were truly in charge of their own needs, if they truly achieved self-determination? This paper is a call to action and an illustration of the depth of change required if we are truly to become responsive to people with disabilities.