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Nursing homes
throughout Minnesota will launch a variety of quality improvement efforts —
leading to outcomes such as better sleep, fewer falls, less depression and
lower staff turnover — with a total of $9.5 million more in funding through a
Minnesota Department of Human Services program. Under the Performance-based
Incentive Payment Program (PIPP), nursing homes sign contracts with DHS to earn
higher payments for implementing projects designed to make improvements in key
areas they identify themselves. More information is in a news release
about the program.
Over the past two
decades, deaths from drug overdose have been rising steadily and are the
leading cause of injury death in Minnesota. In response, and at the direction
of the governor and the Legislature, Minnesota Human Services Commissioner
Lucinda Jesson has formed an expert work group to address the wide availability
of prescription opioids and provide recommendations that will guide Minnesota’s
response to the crisis of opioid overuse and abuse. More information is in a news release
about the work group.
Minnesota’s
departments of Health and Human Services are calling for no co-sleeping with
infants and for infants to sleep without blankets and pillows as data mounts
that unsafe sleep environments account for nearly all unexpected infant deaths
in Minnesota. Parents, families,
hospitals and child-care providers can help reduce the risk of sleep related
infant deaths by following safe sleep practices. More information is in a news story
about safe sleep efforts.
A first-year
evaluation of the state’s Safe Harbor Program credits it with raising awareness
and understanding of the sexual exploitation of young men and women in
Minnesota and provides key information about the youth who are victims. The
Safe Harbor First Year Evaluation Overview, released by the Minnesota
departments of Health and Human Services, is the first report of its kind on
Safe Harbor, the new statewide system for helping sexually exploited youth
younger than age 18 years, which went into full effect in 2014. More
information is in a news story
about the report.
Due to changes in
2016 health plan options for many enrollees in Medical Assistance (MA) and
MinnesotaCare, the Department of Human Services (DHS) is encouraging MA and
MinnesotaCare members to actively select a new plan for the upcoming year.
These changes do not affect seniors or people with disabilities. To help
enrollees and their assisters, DHS is dedicating additional resources to the
transition process, including a new website devoted to public plan selection,
increased call center staffing and statewide community information sessions. More
information is in a news release
about open enrollment assistance.
The Minnesota Board
on Aging’s 2016 edition of the Minnesota Health Care Choices booklet is now
available online and in print to provide information for Minnesota Medicare
recipients. The annual guide is the only comprehensive, objective statewide
publication that provides information about all Medicare plan options available
on the open market for Minnesotans. More information is in a news release
about the booklet.
The Minnesota
Department of Human Services’ mental health program for people who are deaf,
deafblind and hard of hearing has received a prestigious statewide award for
its work. The Gordon Allen Community Award from the Minnesota Association of
Deaf Citizens was presented to the program Oct. 16 at the organization’s 61st
biennial conference in St. Cloud. More information is in a news release
about the award.
The Minnesota
Health Care Financing Task Force recently held a meeting at the River’s Edge
Convention Center in St. Cloud. The Nov. 13 meeting focused on health care
system and payment reform and reviewed preliminary work group recommendations. More
information about future meetings is on the task
force website.
Fact sheets about DHS programs were updated during November:
Questions and comments about navigation and technical issues should be emailed to the DHS webmaster. Send news story ideas for the public website to DHS Communications.
This information is available in accessible formats for individuals with disabilities by calling 651-431-2911 or by using your preferred relay service. For other information on disability rights and protections, contact the agency's ADA coordinator.
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