2002 Nursing Facility Transitions Grants

NEBRASKA

Grant Information

Name of Grantee
Department of Health and Human Services, Finance and Support
Title of Grant
Creating Systems Change in the Transition Process
Type of Grant
Nursing Facility Transitions, State Program
Amount of Grant
$600,000
Year Original Funding Received
2002

Contact Information

Mary Jo Iwan
402–471–9345
maryjo.iwan@hhss.state.ne.us

Mike Laughlin, Grant Coordinator
Deputy Administrator
Office of Aging and Disability Services
301 Centennial Mall South
PO Box 95044
Lincoln, NE 68509
402–471–9174
mike.laughlin@hhss.state.ne.us


Subcontractor(s)

(Year 1) Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, Lincoln Area Agency on Aging, and Northeast Nebraska Area Agency on Aging.

(Years 2 and 3) Aging Office of Western Nebraska; Blue Rivers Area Agency on Aging; Midland Area Agency on Aging; South Central Nebraska Area Agency on Aging; West Central Nebraska Area Agency on Aging; and Bailey Lauerman, communications and marketing firm.

Target Population(s)

Current Medicaid clients residing in nursing facilities who meet criteria for potential transition to home and community based settings.

Goals

Activities

Abstract

Nebraska's project will capitalize on momentum already building in the state around enhancing our long-term care system. A previous 1–year Nursing Facility Transition Grant has allowed us to conduct qualitative research which revealed weaknesses in both the message sent to consumers about long-term care options, as well as the mechanism through which we offer alternatives to nursing facility placement. As a result, we have developed marketing materials and strategies we believe will be effective with targeted audiences, and have also devised strategies to expand and better link our home and community based services into a more cohesive system.

This project has the potential for significant and sustainable impact on Nebraska's long-term care system, both lowering costs for our Medicaid program and, perhaps most importantly, creating greater awareness and better options for consumers.

To assure statewide acceptance of this revolutionary (for Nebraska) plan for cultural and systems shift in long-term care, the project is divided into two phases. In the first year, the Department of Health and Human Services, Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, Lincoln Area Agency on Aging, and Northeast Area Agency on Aging will operationalize the plan. During the second and third years, the project will expand statewide.