MINNESOTA
Grant Information
- Name of Grantee
- Department of Human Services
Continuing Care for Persons with Disabilities
- Title of Grant
- Pathways to Choice: Minnesota's System Change Initiative Grant
- Type of Grant
- Real Choice Systems Change
- Amount of Grant
- $2,300,000
- Year Original Funding Received
- 2001
Contact Information
Karen Langenfeld, Project Team Leader
6515821941
karen.langenfeld@state.mn.us
Lesli Kerkhoff, Project Consultant
6516342281
lesli.kerkhoff@state.mn.us
444 Lafayette Road
Saint Paul, MN 551553872
Subcontractor(s)
Options Interstate Resource Center for Independent Living
Judy Moen, Project Coordinator
318 Third Street NW
East Grand Forks, MN 56721
2187736100 v/tty
2187737119 fax
options@rrv.net
Target Population(s)
People with disabilities and chronic illnesses of all ages who are underserved such as people from communities of color, people who are low income, people with severe disabilities, and people from tribal nations.
Goals
- Develop a model for consumerdesigned and driven quality assurance and improvement functions to be implemented within the longterm care delivery system in Minnesota.
- Assure that consumers have access to timely, consistent, accurate information that supports selfdetermination and informed choices.
- Consumerdriven quality assurance and improvement functions will be integrated into every aspect of the project to assure that frequent and accurate customer feedback and information are obtained and used effectively to correct or prevent problems as they are identified, and that quality improvement is assured.
Activities
- Recruit and convene a 15member quality design commission comprising 51 percent primary consumers.
- Develop a model for consumerdriven quality assurance and quality improvement.
- Develop a model for information, referral, and assistance (IR&A) and create three regional IR&A networks to provide service to target populations.
- Develop training materials to be used for and with the IR&A networks.
- Develop an automated consumer feedback system to evaluate and measure consumer satisfaction with the service delivery system and consumer quality of life outcomes.
Abstract
Minnesota intends to create an exemplary delivery system of services for people of all ages with disabilities or longterm illnesses. The state has a comprehensive set of traditional, prescriptive services, and in recent years has built a partial patchwork of consumercentered service options. To transform Minnesota's services array into a replication model for other states, a fundamental change in thinking is needed. Minnesota proposes a strategy that uses new sources of leadership, new forms of service organizations, and new methods of training to instill a consumercentered philosophy throughout the system network. The strategy includes:
Quality assurance and improvement. The state will create a quality assurance and improvement model that is consumer designed, directed, and evaluated. A consumer quality commission will be an ongoing element and will provide continual design, direction, and evaluation of the other project strategies. This quality commission will be used to provide direction for many of DHS' quality assurance ideas.
Information, referral, and assistance. The state will develop a central information system with accurate and consistent information with outreach tailored to underserved populations. Features include updating the state's web site so that consumers, advocates, providers, and agencies receive the same information in a useful, easily understood manner; organizing countylevel information networks with localized, detailed information and assistance; and initiating a 1800 number system that ties together state and local information and connects people needing additional help with advocates and providers.
Since the grants have been awarded, DHS is moving forward with implementing a 211 system. The grants will be used to support this system. The grants will also be used to initiate some local networks to provide more intensive oneonone assistance and advocacy effortsin partnerships with counties, consumers, and private/public strategies.