I am heading to Utica today to meet with the new Exec at Malcolm Eaton Enterprises, Tim
Cook. After that I am doing an interview on Disability Beat Radio with Vicki Niswander at
5:30, join us!
Director Fenton’s Communication Bulletin follows
Tony
Welcome to the second edition of the Division of Developmental Disabilities
Communication Bulletin. I want to thank all of you who provided comments and
suggestions as to how we can make this newsletter as informative and useful as possible.
I’d like to start off this newsletter by saying that the Division is excited about participating
in the Federal Balancing Incentive Program (BIP). The Illinois Department of Healthcare
and Family Services has scheduled a special presentation for the Independent Service
Coordination (ISC) Agencies on BIP and the No Wrong Door/Coordinated Entry Point
requirement. A meeting notice is being prepared and more details on this program will
be available in future newsletters.
The past two weeks have seen some personnel changes and reassignments. You
should all know by now that Mary Spriggs-Ploessl has taken on a new role within the
Division by assuming leadership of the Life Choices Project. Expect her to be reaching
out to many of you as she builds on the work of the Project to create a more responsive
service delivery system. We also announced that Joe Turner will be assuming
responsibilities of Deputy Director of Community Services. For the time being, Joe will
continue to oversee both the Bureau of Quality Management and the Bureau of Clinical
Services. However, a search for a permanent head of Quality Management is underway,
and the position is being prepared for posting.
Daryl Jackson, Senior Policy Advisor to the Division Director, joined us early last year.
Daryl is based in Chicago and has spent much of his time working with our providers
and representing the Division on various projects and initiatives including Employment
First. Look for him to be lending his expertise to various initiatives within SODC
Operations. More on that in a future newsletter.
Finally, there has been a familiar face on site at the Centrum Building lately. Michael
Hurt is consulting with the Division to assist with special projects including development
and implementation of administrative rule language (insulin administration and
discharges/appeals in the CILA program), the development of the Critical Incident
Reporting System for Waiver programs, and federal Medicaid approval of the proposed
24-hour stabilization program. Please join me in congratulating Mary and Joe on their
new roles as well as welcoming Michael back to the Division.
If any of you missed seeing the more detailed announcements related to Mary and
Joe, please contact Mary Broughton, and she will forward them on.
As mentioned above, the Division has been working on implementing some
Administrative Rule changes. The DDD Regulatory Advisory Board will meet on
Tuesday afternoon, April 28, 2015 to consider changes to our Administrative Rule 116,
Medication, Administration, as a result of the passage of PA98-0901. That legislation
allows Direct Support Persons in approved residential settings of 16 or fewer
individuals to administer insulin under certain circumstances. The bill also addresses
the use of oxygen and clarifies definitions of oral and topical medications. Once the
Board has provided input on the proposed rule changes, the language will be published
for general public comment and follow the promulgation process with the Joint
Committee on Administrative Rules. Changes may not be effective until the rule is
adopted and a Division-approved training program is in place. The Board will also
continue discussions of termination/discharge issues under Rule 115, Community
Integrated Living Arrangements. We are pleased to announce that Kathy Carmody,
CEO of The Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities, has been appointed to
the Advisory Board.
During the past week, Division staff has been particularly busy with Ligas issues and
interaction. On Monday, April 20, class counsel, the court monitor, DHS counsel, and
Division staff met at the Fox Center to discuss progress on the Ligas Implementation
Plan. The Ligas Member/Family Advisory Committee met on April 21, 2015 from video
conference locations in Springfield and Chicago. Sixteen committee members, staff
and other attendees discussed agenda items including updates from class counsel,
court monitor and the Division. Tony Records, the Court Monitor, announced that he
will be retiring from his duties in October of this year. He is assisting the parties in
identifying his replacement. The Ligas Member/Family Advisory Committee meets
once each quarter. The next meeting will be on July 21, 2015. For more information
about the Committee, please contact Dave Adden at dave.adden@illinois.gov.
SODC Operations – Acting Deputy Director Jerry Stam has continued to spend the
majority of his time at the Murray Center and overseeing a management team review
of services at the Center. We continue to thank everyone who has devoted time and
effort to contribute to this process. SODC Operations recently compiled a list of 2014
Accomplishments which was distributed to Center Directors on April 23, 2015. Here is
a copy of that list:
Maintained certification in all seven SODCs despite the challenges associated with the
Murray closure plan and continued challenges in filling critical positions.
Achieved full compliance in meeting Ethics 2014 Training requirements.
Continued the practice of system-wide sharing of IDPH citations through a revised
format for morning report.
Completed a thorough assessment of the first phase of the Management Development
Curriculum.
Expanded the Above and Beyond the Call of Duty (ABC) Employee Appreciation
Initiative to include recognition of staff who have gone out of their way to “Make
Someone’s Day”.
Trained SODC staff in Universal Life Stiles to heighten staff awareness about how we
can improve the quality of individuals’ lives through our behavior, our interactions and
the language we use to promote respectful relationships.
Successfully completed the fourth year of dissemination of the DD Connections (State
Ops Newsletter) to keep staff apprised of Division initiatives, priorities and best
practices in the field of Human Services.
Continued the practice of holding regular meetings with SODC Personnel to discuss
strategies to expedite the filling of critical positions.
Significantly advanced Year 2 Objectives in the 5 Year Strategic Plan.
Formulated a workgroup to develop and implement Workforce Retention Strategies.
Sharon Link from the Shapiro Center was the recipient of the April ABC Award.
Sharon is a Support Service Worker on Unit 1. She continues to go above and beyond
in sharing her gift of interior design and decorating with the individuals and staff of Unit
1. During the holidays Ms. Link volunteers many hours decorating for holiday parties
that are held in honor of individuals and staff on Unit 1. Ms. Link indicated that the
individuals deserve the best living environment and it gives her great pleasure to be a
part of that. Congratulations, Sharon!
A second phase of a Management Development Curriculum is underway. Each center
is represented on the committee which is being chaired by Patrick Coneff from the Kiley
Center.
Clinical Services – We are pleased to report that in four and half years of operation, the
Support Services Teams (SSTs) have received over 1,650 referrals. SSTs are an
important resource for persons with a developmental disability in a medical or
behavioral situation that challenges their ability to live and thrive in the community.
The Bureau of Clinical Services greatly appreciates the support of the entire Division
and community partners in making this service a success.
To learn more SST and how to request a referral, please visit:
http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=50861
Community Services – Recently, the Bureau of Transitional Services has assisted
Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center and Fox Developmental Center in
hosting a Provider Expo. Currently, a Provider Expo is being planned with Shapiro
Developmental Center. In the near future, a Provider Expo will be scheduled with all
other SODCs.
The purpose of a Provider Expo is to give individuals, guardians, family members, and
SODC staff an opportunity to learn about community-based service options. Individuals
and guardians are encouraged to attend even if they are not interested in community
services at the time of the Provider Expo as learning about service opportunities is
beneficial for possible future options.
Community providers who are invited to participate have services in geographic areas
where the individuals are interested in living. Providers bring materials and displays of
the services they offer. Those who attend the Provider Expo are able to meet face to
face with each community provider and learn more about the agency and details about
their services. Individuals and families are encouraged to schedule future tours of
community provider residential homes to better understand what is available from an
agency.
Quality Management – Writing Meaningful Goals and Measurable Objectives – – New
Computer-based Learning (CBL) Module Now Available
In 2012, the Quality Enhancement Section (QES) offered webinars that overviewed
writing developmental goals and objectives. The webinars were primarily for community
providers and provided guidance to more than 1,300 Service Facilitators, ISSAs and
others across the state.
Over the past year, QES staff had heard from different quarters about the desire for
additional training and better alignment of the expectations between the Division’s
Bureau of Quality Management (BQM) reviewers and Bureau of Accreditation, Licensure
and Certification (BALC) surveyors on measuring goals and objectives and acceptable
actions if progress is not made. Some Providers felt they were following webinar
guidance, but were finding that reviewers and Independent Service Coordination (ISC)
staff sometimes did not agree with the goals and objectives they set and the actions
they took.
JoAnn Hiatt of QES led a collaborative effort involving BQM and BALC staff to review the
webinar’s content and any new information on this area. As a result of this review, QES
developed a new “Writing Meaningful Goals and Measurable Objectives” CBL. It
conveys updated information on this topic and carries the shared expectations of BQM
and BALC on what constitutes measurable goals/objectives, how to best assess progress
and what kinds of actions providers should be taking in response to progress or no
progress. Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professionals (QIDPs) and selected licensed
professionals may earn two (2) hours of Continuing Education (CE) credit for successfully
completing the CBL.
More information about this course is available on the DHS OneNet: Writing Meaningful
Goals and Measurable Objectives 2015 and it can be accessed through myNetLearning
through 4/30/15 when the NetLearning contract ends. Sometime after that date, access to
all CBLs and course registrations will be through the DHS OneNet. Information on how to
access courses and register for them will be released to all DHS staff.
The Arc Annual Convention – During the past week, I attended The Arc’s 2015 Annual
Convention in Lisle, IL. I heard and learned a lot in those two days, but three points really
resonated with me. First, if we want to increase employment opportunities for people with
intellectual disabilities, we have to stop talking about IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and start
talking more about EQ (Emotional Quotient). Second, in order to comply with new Waiver
rules, we have to start embedding person centered thinking in our system because currently
we are not where we need to be regarding person-centered planning. And third, many of
us enter the field of developmental disabilities not to become rich, but instead because we
see the challenges family members or friends with disabilities face trying to navigate through
our complex system and accessing needed services. As such, we are genuinely motivated
by a desire to make the system better – not only for the people we know and love, but also
for those who we don’t know who face the same challenges.
One of the presentations included the following quote:
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
― R. Buckminster Fuller
I believe we are building a new model for a more responsive service delivery system
through our restructuring plans and discussions about organizational culture and
organizational performance. I look forward to your continued ideas and input as we
transform the system.
Communications – In furtherance of my goal to keep all of you updated on Division priorities,
I have reminded all senior staff of my expectation that performance evaluations for merit comp
and bargaining unit employees be completed on time. All staff should know what is expected
of them – and how their performance is viewed.
Earlier this month, I issued a memo on communications. I’d like to remind everyone of my
expectation that we return telephone calls within 24 hours. If you would like to receive another
copy of that memo, please contact Mary Broughton.
In my last newsletter, I mentioned that we were working on putting together some information
on the functions of the various bureaus/areas within the Division. That information is attached
to this newsletter. Our plan is to include this on the OneNet along with the contact information
for staff involved with the various activities.
In concluding, I want to again thank you for all that you do for the people we serve. Believe it
or not, the work you do is work that many people would not and cannot do, and for that I am
immensely grateful.
Take care and enjoy the good weather, which is coming soon (I promise you).
Respectfully,
Greg Fenton
Tony Paulauski Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@thearcofil.org
