News from DHS for August 2016

Minnesota Department of Human Services
News from DHS

August 2016

News from DHS archive

A monthly update from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (mn.gov/dhs)


Minnesota Board on Aging highlighting 60th year with western-themed photo booth at State Fair

The Minnesota Board on Aging is celebrating its 60th year with the theme “Blazing Trails in Aging,” offering a photo booth with western props along with a wide array of information and assistance at the Minnesota State Fair this year. First established in 1956, the Minnesota Board on Aging is a pioneer in the field of aging policy, information and assistance. It works closely with its Area Agencies on Aging, which are located throughout the state, to provide services that older adults need and to advocate on their behalf. As always, staff of Senior LinkAge Line, the board’s flagship information and assistance service, will be ready to answer questions about Medicare, drug plans, aging in place, preventing senior fraud and abuse and other topics of interest to older adults and their family members. More information is in a news release about the Board on Aging State Fair booth.


First 13 behavioral health homes certified across Minnesota

The Department of Human Services recently certified 13 providers to deliver behavioral health home services to better coordinate care for people with serious mental illness. The behavioral health home model offers a coordinated approach to health care, serving the whole person across all areas of health and wellness, from primary care to social services. Another eight providers are finalizing their certification process to become behavioral health homes. As of July 1, behavioral health home services are covered by Medical Assistance, Minnesota’s Medicaid program. More information is in a news release about behavioral health homes.


DHS launches Olmstead web page and email news service

Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan now has a home on the DHS website. Through the Olmstead Plan, Minnesota is paving the way for people with disabilities to express their preferences for how they choose to live, learn, work and engage in community life, while receiving the supports they need to be safe and successful. DHS is working closely with community partners and other state agencies to make Minnesota a leader in supporting choice for people with disabilities. The “Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Olmstead Plan” page contains DHS-specific news, information and materials about the plan, including successes, fact sheets and other materials of interest to a wide range of audiences. More information is in a news story about the Olmstead web page.


Changes improve accessibility, affordability of child support services

Child support is a lifeline for more than 250,000 Minnesota children and their families, helping provide the financial support they need to succeed. Gov. Mark Dayton declared August Child Support Awareness Month in Minnesota to highlight the importance of child support and recent changes to make the system work better for families. Minnesota has long been a leader in child support enforcement, ranking fifth among states for the percentage of current child support collected each month and third for payments of overdue support. The state and Minnesota counties, which jointly administer the child support system, collected and disbursed $603 million in fiscal year 2015. More information is in a news release about Child Support Awareness Month.


DHS participates in Farmfest in Redwood Falls

For the first time, the Minnesota Department of Human Services joined Farmfest Aug. 2 to 4 in Redwood Falls to share information about how it is working to grow healthy people, stable families and strong communities across the state. The Department of Human Services booth was located in the agriculture tent, where staff and local volunteers from the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging were on hand to offer resources about services for seniors, health care, nutrition assistance, adoption and more. More information is in a news release about Farmfest.


Board partners with ECHO to expand offerings to non-English speaking older adults, families

Non-English speaking Minnesotans now have a new resource to find the critical assistance they may need. A video titled “What is Senior LinkAge Line?” has been created in Hmong, Somali, Spanish and Russian in addition to English to inform Minnesota’s older non-English speaking residents and their families about the service. The videos were created in partnership with the Minnesota Board on Aging and ECHO, a nonprofit organization that helps bridge the communications gap for Minnesota immigrants and refugees. More information is in a news release about the video campaign.


Lynx to treat foster families to professional basketball game

The Minnesota Lynx donated 100 tickets to foster families to attend the Sept. 2 game at Target Center in Minneapolis. Coordinated by Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington counties and DHS, this is one of many annual events supporting foster families and celebrating their commitment to children. In 2015, foster families cared for almost 12,200 children in Minnesota. Last year, the number of children in our-of-home placements increased by approximately 9 percent from 2014, due primarily to children remaining in foster care longer and more children being placed in foster care. With the increase, many county and tribal agencies have a shortage of family foster homes and need additional licensed families to care for children. Information on becoming a foster parent is available on the department’s website.


DHS director named to national task force on refugees, unaccompanied children

Rachele King, Refugee Resettlement program manager, recently became a founding member of the American Public Human Services Association’s Joint Task Force on Refugees and Unaccompanied Children. Along with human services officials from Colorado and Illinois, King introduced this task force to foster communication about refugee services between the state and federal level. She will evaluate the influence of an influx of refugees and unaccompanied children on human services departments, render policy solutions and aid departments in supporting these populations. More information on the Minnesota Resettlement Programs Office is available on the department’s website.


Fact sheets updated during August

Fact sheets about DHS programs were updated during August:


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For accessible formats of this publication or assistance with additional equal access to human services, write to DHS.Communications@state.mn.us, call 651-431-2911, or use your preferred relay service.

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