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A new model of mental and chemical health care is now available in select
communities across the state. Called Certified Community Behavioral Health
Clinics (CCBHCs), these sites began testing an innovative care system July 1
that not only brings together chemical and mental health care, but focuses on
coordinating a person’s total health and social service needs, including
physical health care. CCBHCs serve as a “one-stop-shop” for both adults and
children who have trouble otherwise getting the help they need. Read more about
CCBHCs in a
news release.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services will return to Farmfest in
Redwood Falls Aug. 1-3 to provide information about how it is working to
cultivate healthy communities across Minnesota. The Department of Human
Services booth will be located in the agriculture tent, where staff and local
volunteers from the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging will be on hand to
offer resources about services for older Minnesotans, nutrition assistance and
health care programs that contribute to vibrant communities. More information
is available in a news release about
Farmfest.
Human Services Assistant Commissioner Jim Koppel visited Cedar Mountain
Cougar Childcare Center in Franklin, Minn., on Thursday, July 20 to emphasize
the importance of quality child care, and highlight businesses and communities coming
together to address the need for child care. Across the state, the number of
providers is declining – there were 12,449 licensed child care providers in
2012 and 10,599 in 2016 – making it difficult for families, particularly in
Greater Minnesota, to find care. More information is in a news release.
A new website highlights information about federal nutrition programs that
help ensure hundreds of thousands of Minnesota’s children, seniors and people
with disabilities have dinner every night. The site, 2018 Farm bill: Minnesota’s nutrition
programs, also features an interactive county map and congressional
district data. Authorization for these two U.S. Department of Agriculture
Programs – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the
Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) – expires in September 2018. Read
more in a news
release about the website.
Minnesota was one of the first states to implement an Accountable Care
Organization to improve care for low-income people in its Medicaid program. Statewide, Integrated Health Partnership (IHP) savings in calendar year
2016 totaled more than $45 million, with Lake Region alone saving $420,821. The
preliminary 2016 savings come on top of savings of $87.5 million in 2015, $65.3
million in 2014 and $14.8 million in 2013, when the IHP began. Minnesota’s IHP
now covers more than 462,000 people in publicly funded health care programs and
continues to expand, with 21 provider groups now involved. More information
about IHPs is available in a news release.
The Office of Ombudsman for Long-Term Care, a program of the Minnesota
Board on Aging, recognized 46 Certified Ombudsman Volunteers statewide at a
June event in Duluth. Each regional ombudsman
and volunteers work with consumers of long-term care. The ombudsman office helps to resolve
disputes, complaints and problems relating to quality of care and services,
quality of life, rights violations, access to services, service termination,
discharge or eviction or public benefit programs. More information is available
in a news
release about the ombudsman volunteers.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services hosted a meeting in Rochester
and will have another in Alexandria to provide information about a benefit
available to children and youth under age 21 with autism spectrum disorder
(ASD) and related conditions. The benefit is available through Medical
Assistance and MinnesotaCare. The meetings are part of a series
of forums around the state. More information is available in a news release about
the meetings.
More than 100 adolescents
between the ages of 16 and 20, who have a foster care history, learned about
about and developed leadership skills at the 22nd Annual Tomorrow’s Leaders
Today Youth Conference at the University of Minnesota-Duluth on July 26-28. The
purpose of Tomorrow’s Leaders Today is to honor and enhance the leadership
capacity of youth, teach leadership skills and strengthen the network of adults
who value youth leadership. Read more in a news release about
the conference.
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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