Health and Human Services Focus Group 2015 January 2015
Group Members Kathy Frank, Chair Genesee Co. Youth Bureau Esther Leadley Advocate John Bennett GCASA William Joyce Genesee Co. Veteran s Services Paul Pettit Genesee Co. Health Department Ruth Spink Genesee Co. OFA Ellery Reaves Genesee Co. Mental Health John Demske Citizen Dan Greene Catholic Charities Mary Beth Bowen UMMC Donna Saskowski Genesee ARC Ken Oakley LPCCN Beverly Mancuso CCE Jerry Moran DSS Scott Gage Genesee Co. Job Development Charlotte Crawford LPCCN Rae Frank Independent Living Acronyms ACCES-VR Adult Career and Continuing Edu. Serv.-Vocational Rehab ASME - American Society of Mechanical Engineers CCE - Cornell Cooperative Extension CGR - Center for Governmental Research CCSI - Coordinated Children s Services Initiative CJAC - Criminal Justice Advisory Committee DCJS - Department of Criminal Justice Services DSS - Department of Social Services FAP - Financial Assistance Programs FQHC - Federally Qualified Health Center GCASA - Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse GCNH - Genesee County Nursing Home GLOW - Genesee Livingston Orleans Wyoming HSCG - Human Services Coordinating Group ILGR - Independent Living of Genesee Region LCCP - LeRoy Christian Project LPCCN - Lake Plains Care Network LTCTF - Long Term Care Task Force OCFS - Office of Children and Family Services OFA - Office for the Aging PWiDD - Persons with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities RAP - Regional Action Phone RFP - Request for Proposals RGRTA - Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority RSVP - Retired and Senior Volunteer Program SPOA - Single Point of Accountability UMMC - United Memorial Medical Center USDA - United States Department of Agriculture VA US Veteran s Administration
2014 Results The Genesee Co. Office for the Aging (OFA) subcontracts with Job Development to operate the Senior Service Employment Program in Genesee County. The allocation was $36,874 and served 4 trainees. Job Development secured occupational skill training for 49 individuals, providing $122,662 in financial aid for tuition and books. Job Development also assisted 15 businesses to train 15 new hires, providing $17,256 in skill training reimbursements. Job Development participated in 83 on-site employer recruitments and helped place 1,919 job seekers from the Career Center. 46 youth were employed in the Summer Youth Program earning $39,493 in wages, with another 11 youth being placed in unsubsidized jobs for a total of 57 youth employed. The Get Fit! Initiative provided nutrition and fitness education to 28 families in 2014. Three ten-week sessions were held. 118% increase in attendance at OFA for Medicare Open Enrollment/Health Insurance Information Vendor Fairs, including Affordable Care Act changes. 32 Gen. Co. agencies/health care providers have committed to participation with Finger Lakes Performing Provider System DSRIP (Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment program-a Medicaid Redesign initiative to reduce avoidable hospitalizations). Links for OFA and NY Connects on the Genesee County Website include an exhaustive directory of local HHS resources. Falls Prevention activities expanded from professional and public education, home safety assessments, Otago exercise to include EMS Personnel training and Tai Chi Exercise. Transitioned to Affordable Care Act health insurance access. RSVP and AmeriCorps partnered with the Alzheimer s Association and the YMCA to offer Help Others, Help Yourself, a workshop that provided information on the warning signs of Alzheimer s and stress relief through Tai Chi. Consolidation and closure of local Red Cross office occurred in 2014. Medical Answering Service took over as provider for medical transportation services. Homelessness in Genesee County being studied by several organizations. RSVP Priority Focuses: Aging in Place (Meals-on-Wheels, Medical Transportation, Companionship, Financial Management), Food Pantries, Income Tax Assistance, Veterans Support, Environmental Stewardship, Disaster Preparedness, and Blood Drive Support. RSVP of Genesee County engaged 340 adults ages 55-98 who provided over 41,000 hours of service to over 6,000 individuals through 35 nonprofit agencies, schools, health care facilities. and government agencies. Genesee County AmeriCorps placed 29 members at 18 host site locations. Collectively, the members served over 13,500 hours and earned more than $43,000 in Education Awards.
2015 Issues Promote financial independence, sufficient to maintain families (including seniors) at home through education, encouragement, and assistance where needed. Agency resources (funds and staffing) to offer outreach, skill training, job development, and education are limited, thereby affecting access and assistance to vulnerable individuals (including seniors). Need improved Public Education regarding employment of people with disabilities and associated wage inequality. Without implementing infrastructure laid out by DSRIP, providers will see loss of funding after five years. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act requires certain accessibility and program resources be available. Medicaid Managed Long Term Care enrollment will become mandatory sometime in 2015 and is intended to provide significant community based services to chronically ill Medicaid eligibles. Non Medicaid persons will see no change. Medicare grant for Care Transitions Intervention, to assist with transition from the hospital to home, ended in June 2014. Currently, no funding available. Youth average age for mental health issues is seven-years-old. County agency staff resources are limited forcing departments to struggle with prioritization and determining how to continue to meet service needs. Emergency management planning for the safety of every person in the community during and following a disaster, taking into consideration populations historically considered vulnerable, at risk, or special needs. The growing population of 60+ residents and lack of affordablemiddle income housing, workforce, and community based services to meet the growing needs. The Corporation for National and Service, which funds both AmeriCorps and RSVP, continues to narrow the focus of national service funding. This makes it difficult to continue to provide services that meet a wide range of local needs and to offer a variety of service opportunities to our citizens. Need to examine the availability of Emergency Housing for undocumented citizens. Tougher/More Narrow program eligibility requirements reduces the overall availability of services throughout the county. Failure rate in workforce drug tests still in 25-50% range. The growing population of residents with mental health issues is impacting community based services.
2015 Priorities Job Development provides career counseling, career assessment and temporary subsidized employment to assist low income seniors to return to unsubsidized employment in their community. Continue to develop / promote services and opportunities for individuals that will increase or develop their vocational skills to help increase their economic self-sufficiency. Balancing Incentive Program (BIP) funding to add emphasis on outreach, screening for eligibility, and linking to public benefits. With Balancing Incentive Program (BIP) Funds and DSRIP deliverables, cross train agencies to identify potentially eligible Medicaid citizens, screen for long term care needs, refer as appropriate for programs and services to reduce effects of chronic disease. Plan for the impact of the increase in population of senior citizens, younger disabled persons, and PWIDD by supporting their caregivers and the viability of Aging in Place and long term care in the community. Through education, assistance, referrals, and long term care options counseling, and systems integration, OFA/NY Connects is striving to address growing needs of vulnerable individuals and their caregivers, encouraging them to prepare for the future of those they care for as well as for their own futures. Continue planning to create A Livable -a place where all residents can live and participate in their community, no matter their age, health, or physical ability; where citizens can grow up and grow old with maximum independence, safety, and well-being. Continue public education on Livable Communities and related topics. Falls Prevention-Exercise, Home Safety Assessment, and Education. Be aware of or engage in discussion with planning activities for City of Batavia and other local municipalities. Assess the impact of increased mental health issues on community based services. The Youth Bureau was awarded AmeriCorps funding for another three-year cycle. Additional funding was received to recruit and place 18 disconnected youth members in AmeriCorps positions. This component will be conducted in collaboration with several other Youth Bureaus. OFA will continue to provide volunteer opportunities for people age 55 and older through RSVP 2. 1 Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 2 Retired and Senior Volunteer Program