Don’t Miss Out: Register for our Annual Provider Training by Friday, September 19
Virtual and in-person options available!
You’re invited to the 2025 Annual Medicaid Provider Training! Join us for a full day of insights and networking—available either in person or virtually. Brought to you by the Provider Outreach team.
Same great content, whichever format you choose. This registration form covers both options.
Registration Deadline for both in-person and virtual: September 19, 2025 After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email. Virtual attendees will also receive their Zoom link shortly after the deadline.
To help us plan, please select one option only: in-person or virtual.
In-Person Session 📍 Location: State Historical Building, Des Moines, Iowa 📅 Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025 🕗 Time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (CT)
Virtual Session (via Zoom) 📅 Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 🕗 Time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (CT)
Iowa Medicaid now provides training and support for Long-Term Services and Support (LTSS) providers and case managers. The Iowa Legislature has allocated funds for yearly evaluation of this support for various LTSS service providers, including home-based programs, rehabilitation services, habilitation services, home health, hospice, Money Follows the Person program, nursing/personal care, elderly care, and case management.
Presenters: Allegra (Allie) Birdseye-Hannula, How to Talk to Porcupines Owner
Session Description:
People who work with young people often encounter prickly personalities (porcupines) and difficult situations. Communication breakdowns such as differing perspectives, assumptions, or heightened emotions are often at the heart of these challenges. Unless you learn to quickly defuse and de-escalate these situations, your program or classroom outcomes may be at risk.
Effectively redirecting a young person can help both of you cross communication divides. Learning how to break down communication barriers will help you better engage with the young people and clients you serve. This training will give you a clear understanding of porcupines. You’ll explore principles of effective communication strategies, including active listening, strategic questioning, body language, and non-verbal skills to positively engage with porcupines.
Through a mix of lecture and online interaction, you’ll broaden your communication know-how to skillfully handle porcupines and prickly situations. You’ll gain confidence by learning to implement your own action plan for de-escalating and redirecting porcupines. Come ready to learn, laugh, and engage! You’ll leave with a new appreciation for porcupines.
Intended Audience: Anyone who works with children and those who are interested in learning more about communication techniques and working with young people with prickly personalities and difficult situations.
Objectives:
Learn how to identify porcupines
Broaden your communication know-how to skillfully handle prickly people and situations
Implement your own action plan for de-escalating and redirecting porcupines
Presenters: Morgan Dettbarn, LMSW, and Dale Armstrong, MD, Elevate
Intended Audience: Anyone who works with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Objectives:
Identify and describe the Fatal Five conditions and their impact on the health and mortality of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID).
Recognize the unique challenges individuals with ID face in communicating their symptoms and advocating for their healthcare needs.
Analyze warning signs and risk factors associated with each of the Fatal Five diagnoses and explain how these may present differently in individuals with ID.
Apply practical strategies that direct support professionals and caregivers can use.
Demonstrate knowledge of person-centered advocacy techniques to support individuals with ID in navigating the healthcare system, maintaining consistent care, and ensuring their voices are heard in decision-making processes.
Vocational Rehabilitation 101
October 7, 2025 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Attend in-person or virtually
Presenters: Thomas Pomeranz, EdD, Universal LifeStiles, President and CEO
Dr. Thomas Pomeranz is a nationally recognized authority, trainer, clinician, and consultant in the field of services for people with disabilities. Over the last fifty years, Tom has conducted thousands of seminars and programs throughout the United States and Canada. His audience praises his ability to combine information, humor, passion, and storytelling into an informative whole that does not just present the information, but really communicates it in a memorable fashion.
In this humorous and provocative training, Dr. Thomas Pomeranz discusses the importance of using Universal Language. Tom heightens the participant’s sensitivities to the impact of language in promoting respectful relationships. The evolution of slang references that devalue people is discussed. Numerous examples of insensitive language are presented with the Universal Language alternative.
Tom emphasizes that the words and language that we use are a reflection of our belief system and it is upon these beliefs that we base our actions. Thus, Tom helps the participants gain a new insight into their inner beliefs about people with disabilities by increasing their awareness of the words they use. Throughout the session, Tom provides attendees with strategies to master Universal Language as well as sensitively supporting others who struggle in using words of respect. It is the outcome of this session, “that the words and language we use in talking about our friends - the words and language they use in talking about us”, will serve as the standard in how we speak to and about people with disabilities – “It’s all in how you say it.”
Intended Audience: Anyone who works with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Objectives:
Define Universal Language
Define politically correct language
Define people-first language
Explain why utilizing Universal Language is difficult
Provide examples of the language utilized in each of the four models of service delivery
Explain the difference between a world's denotation, connotation, and slang.
Demonstrate an appropriate strategy to support and encourage others in utilizing Universal Language
Consistently utilize Universal Language in all verbal and written communication
Session Perks: Attendance at the training session will grant you:
1 year of free consultation with Dr. Tom Pomeranz (free, no fee!)
Access to the slides, recording, and materials related to Universal Language
