Gov. Mark Dayton
announced Dec. 7 that he has appointed Emily Johnson Piper to serve as commissioner
of the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). On Monday, Dec. 14, Piper succeeded
Commissioner Lucinda Jesson, who was appointed by Gov. Dayton to serve on the
Minnesota Court of Appeals. Commissioner Piper brings more than a decade of
legal, policy and management experience to the position. More information is in
a news
release about the commissioner appointment on the Governor’s Office
website.
Seven programs from
across the state were honored Dec. 4 for their outstanding contributions to
human services clients. Recipients of the 2015 Commissioner’s Circle of
Excellence Awards were recognized at a ceremony at the Elmer L. Andersen Human
Services Building in St. Paul. Lt. Gov. Tina Smith joined the ceremony honoring
the awardees. Winners in the fifth annual Commissioner’s Circle of Excellence
Awards share the department’s commitment to supporting healthy people, stable
families and strong communities. More information is in a news release
about the awards.
Human Services
Commissioner Emily Johnson Piper pledged Dec. 30 to take action to address
ongoing issues with patient safety, staff injuries and overtime at the
state-operated psychiatric hospital in Anoka. In a message to staff, Piper said
she’s heard from employees at Anoka and is committed to and developing both the
short-term help and long-term solutions to the very serious problems in our
state’s safety net. In the immediate future, Piper told staff she expects
meetings between management and labor to find solutions for problems facing
Anoka related to mandated overtime, staff retention and recruitment. More
information is in a news release
about the Anoka hospital.
Keeping that New
Year’s resolution to quit smoking may be easier in 2016, since tobacco
treatment medication for Minnesotans on Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare
will be completely free starting Jan. 1, 2016. Changes passed during the 2015
state legislative session waive copays for preventive services that are “A or
B” rated by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, such as tobacco treatment
counseling as well as FDA-approved smoking cessation medications. This means
Minnesotans insured by Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare will have no copays
for quit-smoking treatments starting in 2016. More information is in a news release
about tobacco treatment.
The Minnesota
Department of Human Services recently awarded $3.3 million to seven Minnesota
organizations providing emergency shelter, outreach services, and supportive
housing specific to the needs of sex-trafficked minors. The funding will expand
and continue services to youth. With additional funding for the 2016-2017
biennium, the number of shelter beds available to sexually exploited youth will
increase from 25 to 48 in Duluth, Brainerd and the east Twin Cities’
metropolitan area. More information is in a news release
about the funding.
A large percentage
of Minnesotans continue to be unsure about how they would pay for long-term
care expenses as they age, but many are interested in financial products that
could help them pay for that care. Those are among results of a retirement and
long-term care planning survey, conducted at the State Fair this year for the
ninth time since 1998 by the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the
Minnesota Board on Aging. More
information is in a news release
about the survey results.
Compared to years
past, older Minnesotans are working longer, delaying retirement and escaping in
fewer numbers to warmer climates during the winter. Those are among findings of
the 2015 Survey of Older Minnesotans done by the Minnesota Board on Aging in
partnership with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. More information
is in a news
release about the report.
A new report from
the Commonwealth Fund has ranked Minnesota first in the nation for state health
system performance. The fourth-annual Commonwealth Fund Scorecard on State
Health Performance tracks performance measures across all 50 states. These
measures include access and affordability, prevention and treatment, avoidable
hospital use and cost, healthy lives, and equity. More information is in a news story
about the health care ranking.
Minnesota was one of
only two states recognized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) as
a national leader for mental health reform for the second year in a row. In its
third annual survey of state mental health care legislation released Dec. 8,
the national mental health organization specifically cites Minnesota as one of
only 11 states that has have increased its investment in mental health services
from 2013 to 2015. Minnesota, as well as New York and Virginia, is rated by
NAMI as offering the strongest leadership in the country. More information is
in a news
story about the mental health ranking.
The Minnesota
Department of Human Services has awarded an Otter Tail County collaborative $1
million as part of a federally funded demonstration to better understand and
expand the use of personal health records for older adults and people with disabilities
receiving Medicaid-funded long-term services and supports. The Otter Tail
Personal Health Record Collaborative will use the funding from now through
March 2018 to demonstrate the use of personal health records in Minnesota’s
long-term services and supports system. More information is in a news release
about the funding.
The Minnesota
Health Care Financing Task Force recently held a meeting at the Eagan Community
Center. The Dec. 18 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 December:
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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