Celebrate National Adult Day Services Week 2010
"Adult Day Services: A Smart Choice"
National Adult Day Services Week is September 19-25, 2010. The third complete week of September is set aside to raise awareness of the availability and accessibility of adult day programs nationwide. The National Adult Day Services Association is delighted to sponsor this special week of celebration as over 4,600 adult day centers nationwide unite to celebrate "Adult Day Services: A Smart Choice."
Order a "smart" poster from the NADSA website to promote the valuable community resources of adult day services in your community. The press coverage expected for the national survey findings later this year will reinforce how cost effective and resourceful adult day services are. Make sure your community knows that your center exists, all the services it offers, and what a smart choice it will be to support adult day services!
Check out these online resources and start planning ways to celebrate!
- Key Points for Conducting a Media Campaign
- Activity Ideas
- Original Proclamation of National Adult Day Care Center Week 1983
- Sample Governor's/Mayor's Proclamation
- Sample Photo/Video/Text Release
- Sample Press Release
- Sample Public Service Announcement
- Printable File of National Adult Day Services Week poster (PDF)
SAVE $$ on Shipping! National Adult Day Services Week posters will also be available for sale on-site at the National Conference, packaged in the mailing tube for easy travel if you prefer to save $ on shipping.
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Get Smart: Strategies for Success in 2010 & Beyond
Attend the National Adult Day Services Conference in Raleigh, NC, the smartest place to be on August 19-21, 2010. Learn about national trends, hear from the experts, network with colleagues and discover new friends.
For more information about the NADSA conference, visit http://www.nadsa.org.
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Teresa Johnson, National Adult Day Services Association
http://www.nadsa.org
June 28, 2010
ADCAT QUARTERLY MEETING and Adult Day Care Stakeholder Meeting July 9 Register Now!
The next ADCAT quarterly meeting and DADS Adult Day Care Stakeholder meeting is Friday, July 9. The stakeholder meeting is from 10 a.m. to noon in the John H. Winters Complex Public Hearing Room (Room 125), 701 W. 51st. St., Austin Texas. The ADCAT meeting will be immediately after at the Texas Land and Cattle in Austin.
Invitation to participate in HB 1574
Services to Adults with Autism Stakeholder Survey
Hello,
Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) wants your opinions on services for adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Texas.
DADS has contracted with Burns & Associates, Inc. (B&A) to study the costs and benefits of initiating a pilot project in Texas to provide services to adults with an ASD and other related disabilities with similar support needs. The study will include at least three options for potential pilot projects to increase support services.
To ensure that these pilot program options reflect the needs of the community, B&A is gathering feedback from stakeholders in focus groups, individual interviews, and written comments. In addition, we have created an online survey designed for providers, consumers, families, and other interested parties in Texas to comment on a range of issues related to this project. Your participation in this survey will help shape the recommendations for delivering services to adults with an ASD.
The link below will take you to the survey. It should take 10-30 minutes to complete, depending on the level of detail you choose to include in your responses. The survey will be available online through June 30th. Participation in this survey is optional. Information provided by you will be held confidential by the project team and all data collected will be reported in aggregate.
If you have any questions, please contact Stephen Pawlowski with B&A at (602) 241-8519. If you would like information about this project from DADS, you may contact Katy Bourgeois at (512)891-8330 or Kathryn.bourgeois@dads.state.tx.us.
Link to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VRDLK8Q
Thank you!
Katy Bourgeois
Center for Policy and Innovation
Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services
Tel: 512.891.8330
Kathyrn.bourgeois@dads.state.tx.us
June 21, 2010
D.A.D.S Region 6 Home and Community Support Services Agencies Providers Meeting
You are invited to attend the HCSSA Providers meeting presented by The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, Regulatory Services Division, Regional staff. The objective of this meeting is to Encourage open communication between DADS staff and you, the providers. A panel of DADS staff will address questions that are submitted by you.
This meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 from 10:30am-11:30am at the United Way of Greater Houston, Auditorium, 50 Waugh Drive, Houston, TX 77007. Registration will begin at 8:00am.
D.A.D.S. Region 6 Assisted Living Facilities and Adult Day Care Providers Meeting
You are invited to attend the Assisted Living Facilities and Adult day Care Providers meeting presented by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, Regulatory Services Division, Regional staff. The objective of this meeting is to encourage open communication between DADS staff and you, the providers. A panel of DADS staff will address questions that are submitted by you.
This meeting will be held on Thursday, September 16, 2010 from 3:00pm-4:00pm at the United Way of Greater Houston, Auditorium, 50 Waugh Drive, Houston, TX 77007. Registration will begin at 12:30pm.
The next Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services Council Meeting will be held Wednesday, June 24th,10:00am in the Winters Building Public Hearing Room. An agenda for this meeting can be found at http://www.dads.state.tx.us/news_info/council/index.html.
Persons with disabilities who plan to attend and who will need auxiliary aids or services are asked to call the Center for Consumer and External Affairs at (512) 438-4563, five business days prior to the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
May 19, 2010
SAVE the DATE!!! ADCAT ANNUAL CONFERENCE!
When: October 21-23 2010
Where: Port Royal Resort, Port Aransas, TX
May 18, 2010
ADCAT QUARTERLY MEETING and Adult Day Care Stakeholder Meeting July 9 Register Now!
The next ADCAT quarterly meeting and DADS Adult Day Care Stakeholder meeting is Friday, July 9. The stakeholder meeting is from 10 a.m. to noon in the John H. Winters Complex Public Hearing Room (Room 125), 701 W. 51st. St., Austin Texas. The ADCAT meeting will be immediately after at the Texas Land and Cattle in Austin.
Please submit topics for discussion and potential inclusion on the agenda by June 11. Agenda items may include identified action items from the March meeting and any new issues of concern or information to share.
May 17, 2010
Adult Day Services in The New York Times Again!
Support for Medicare Adult Day Services Act is Growing
Once again, the New York Times addresses adult day services in Paula Span's blog of the May 14 issue, "New Funding Proposed for Adult Day Centers," at http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/new-funding-proposed-for-adult-day-centers/. The follow-up issue to the March 31 blog about adult day services highlights information about HR 3043 Medicare Adult Day Services Act and how beneficial it would be for people to be able to choose adult day services as an option for post-acute care.
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The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) announces tentative contract awards for the “STAR+PLUS, Dallas and Tarrant Service Areas, Request for Proposal 529-10-0020” as follows:
Dallas Service Area
Molina Healthcare of Texas
Parkland Community Health Plan
Superior HealthPlan Inc
Tarrant Service Area
Amerigroup Texas Inc
Bravo Health
These awards are contingent upon the successful negotiation and execution of contracts. In the event negotiations are unsuccessful, HHSC may initiate negotiations with the next successful vendor or vendors.
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May 11, 2010 1:38 PM
BOMBSHELL: PITTS TELLS COMMITTEE LEGISLATURE FACING $18+ BILLION SHORTFALL In unusual move, Speaker lays out some ideas for writing budget without taxes
House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie) said today that he believes the budget shortfall facing lawmakers next session is around $18 billion and could possibly be even higher.
May 7, 2010 3:24 PM
TAB calls for allowing Medicaid managed care in the Valley; docs there agree that time may have arrived to allow managed care but they want a say in how change is implemented.
The health care delivery system in Texas is facing two big whammies – one in the short run and one in the long run. Most immediate is the upcoming legislative session where a budget shortfall estimated at somewhere between $11 billion and $15 billion will have lawmakers scrambling to find as many areas to save costs as possible. With health care one of the state’s largest budget drivers, it is only fair to expect that sector to be examined extraordinarily closely.
In the long run, the state’s health care system must also deal with the strains of adding in the neighborhood of 4 million newly insured Texans to the system because of federal health care reform and the dislocations that could cause in access to service and overall cost.
When looking for costs savings, one of the lowest of the low hanging fruit is the idea of extending Medicaid managed care into the Valley. HMO-style medicine is currently prohibited in the Valley courtesy of an amendment added to the massive HHSC consolidation bill of 2003 although a form of managed care currently exists there in the form of payments to primary care physicians who act as a medical home for Medicaid clients.
March 23, 2010
How Does Health Care Reform Bill Impact Adult Day Services?
- Community First Choice option- 6% additional federal funding to States for home and community-based services that provide personal care
- Extension of Money Follows the Person demonstration to 2016, and the residency eligibility is changed from 6 months to 3 months in a nursing home.
- Spousal Medicaid eligibility for Home and Community-based services are now the same as nursing home eligibility
- 1915 (i) eligibility increases to 300% of SSI over a 5 year period
- States will receive additional funding for the expansion of Medicaid to 133%
- Expands Aging and Disability Resource Centers to improve access to services
- Community Living Assistance and Support -CLASS Act provision establishes a national insurance trust that in five years will pay for services like adult day
- Demonstration projects on transitional care and hospital re-admissions that could involve adult day services.
February 22, 2010
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) is currently seeking stakeholder input for the agency's 2012-2013 Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR).
The deadline to submit our ideas is 5 p.m. March 17, 2010. Click here to read a letter from DADS Commissioner Chris Traylor about the LAR.
ADCAT will be submitting input. Please email members@adcat.org if you have any specific ideas on the ADCAT submission.
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February 17, 2010 4:57 PM
STATE MEDICAID PROGRAM MIGHT NEED AN ADDITIONAL $8B TO $10B NEXT SESSION
HHS Exec Commissioner Tom Suehs lays out the grim numbers spurred by lapse of federal stimulus money and double digit caseload growth rates.
As if lawmakers weren’t facing enough challenges in the upcoming legislative session, the head of the state’s social services agency said that budget writers might have to come up with an added $8 billion to $10 billion just to maintain current services in the state Medicaid program.
Log on to learn more
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Copyright February 17, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 8. 2010
HHSC Hearing on Budget Cuts
The State of Texas is facing a shortfall that could total $20 billion. State agencies, including HHSC and DADS, are being asked to cut 5% of their budgets. There will be a public hearing Thursday, Feb. 11, to receive comments on budget reduction options. The hearing will include presentations on each agency's options and an opportunity for public comment.
The meeting is in Austin, at 11 a.m. in the Brown-Heatly Building, 4900 N. Lamar, Austin. We want to have a strong showing from the Adult Day Care Industry. Please let us know if you can attend!
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February 5, 2010
PROVIDERS LIKELY TO TAKE MAJOR HIT AS HHS SEEKS TO FIND 5% IN CUTS
"...Those expenditures will leverage roughly $33.9 billion in federal funds. What that means is that for every dollar saved by a cut at HHS, the state actually saves less than a dollar because of the fewer federal dollars flowing into the state."
The leadership at the state agency in charge of administering Texas' social safety net is deep in the process of identifying 5 percent cuts in the current budget as part of an austerity exercise ordered by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and the House Speaker.
The list of spending cut options is due in to the Legislative Budget Board at mid-month. To meet a savings target of $300 million in general revenue, a spokeswoman at the Health and Human Services Commission tells QR that Executive Commissioner Tom Suehs is working hard "to do everything possible to find areas that can be trimmed without affecting client services."
"Given that our budget is overwhelming in services," Stephanie Goodman added, "that may be an impossible task."
Among the possible funding cut options include Medicaid provider rate cuts, Goodman said. Because Medicaid makes up 75 percent of HHSC's budget, she said that it would be difficult to make cuts without touching provider rates. Sparing provider rates would lead to possibly deeper cuts in other areas, such as mental health or protective services, she said.
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By John Reynolds
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Copyright February 05, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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January 4, 2010
2009 Cost Reports and Cost Report Training
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Rate Analysis Department (RAD) has posted information on their website regarding mandatory cost reporting and cost report training for 2009. To access the cost report and other rate-related information, please visit the HHSC RAD website at: http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/medicaid/programs/rad/LtcSvs.html or see Information Letter No. 09-179 Log on to learn more
December 15, 2009
Changes to rules regarding Attendant Compensation Reports and reinvestment of recouped funds Information Letter No. 09-180: Log on to learn more
December 18, 2009
Incident in Edinburg, TX at Pride and Joy Adult Day Care
Our hearts go out the families involved in the incident in Edinburg. This is a highly unusual incident for Adult Day Care. Adult Day Care remains a safe, viable, affordable and healthy solution to care for vulnerable adults. Client and staff safety are a priority and Adult Day Centers are licensed and regulated by the State of Texas with annual inspections.
ADCAT will continue to monitor the events of this week. We look forward to the authorities completing their investigation. If you have any questions you can contact ADCAT at members@adcat.org or 512-653-1018
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| ADCAT QUARTERLY MEETING MARCH 22 |
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Where:
Texas Land and Cattle
6007 North IH 35
Austin, TX 78723
When:
March 22, 2010 at 12:00 PM
Cost (includes lunch):
$35 Members
$60 Non Members
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Please join us for the ADCAT quarterly meeting in Austin March 22 after the DADS STAKEHOLDER MEETING.
TOPICS INCLUDE:
- Update on Managed Care and Rates
- Comments on the New Monitoring tool
- Legislative and Budget Information
- Medicaid and Medicare Information
- Up date on ADCAT Communications
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If you have any questions or would like to have any specific issues addressed at the quarterly meeting, please email members@adcat.org or call Troy Carter or Blanca Laborde at 512-653-1018!
Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you at the quarterly meeting!
Sincerely,
Adult Day Care Association
Adult Day Care Association of Texas
members@adcat.org
512 6531018
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