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Tags Posts tagged with "Residential Services"

Residential Services

ODP Announcement 23-042 informs stakeholders that a 45-day public comment period on the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) proposal to implement Selective Contracting for Residential and Supports Coordination (SC) services has begun. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 pm on July 10, 2023. ODP intends to change the way providers are enrolled, qualified, and paid to deliver the following services through selective contracting:

  • Residential Habilitation, Supported Living, and Life Sharing in the Consolidated and Community Living Waivers;
  • Supports Coordination in the Consolidated, Community Living, and Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS) Waivers; and
  • Targeted Support Management in the Medicaid State Plan.

Selective Contracting allows ODP to improve the quality of these services by:

  • Moving beyond contracting with any willing and qualified provider and instead requiring providers to meet specific criteria set by ODP;
  • Developing a class of “preferred providers” using new performance standards that align with Everyday Lives; and
  • Aligning payment with outcomes.

You can view the Selective Contracting Concept Paper, which provides a general overview and technical details associated with ODP’s current ideas about selective contracting.

ODP will also be hosting stakeholder webinars to review the concepts in the Selecting Contracting Concept Paper, answer questions, and provide an opportunity for public comment. See the announcement for the dates and registration details for the stakeholder sessions.

Comments received by 11:59 pm on July 10, 2023, will be reviewed and considered by ODP in determining how to implement selective contracting. Public comment may be submitted through one of the following methods:

  1. Electronic submission through email;
  2. Written submission through mail, addressed to: Julie Mochon, Department of Human Services, Office of Developmental Programs – 625 Forster Street, Room 510, Harrisburg, PA 17120; or
  3. Verbal submission through one of the public comment webinars. Comments from stakeholders identified for each session will be prioritized.

Questions about this communication should be sent electronically.

Hope Enterprises Celebrates 70 Years of Serving Pennsylvania’s DisABILITY Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2022

Contact:
Mackenzie Howe | 570-326-3745

Hope Enterprises, a non-profit provider for people with intellectual disabilities, announces its 70th anniversary. Founded in 1952 by Dr. Max E. Miller and his wife Leona, Hope Enterprises started as a school for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Parents and local leaders in the Williamsport area worked alongside the Millers to grow an organization that supported each person’s needs, regardless of their perceived disability.

“Hope was founded on a deep desire to provide an everyday life,” said Robert Labatch, Hope’s president/CEO. “For seven decades we have aimed to innovate services that help people rise above their challenges and achieve personal goals and ambitions. Everyone at Hope is passionate about continuing Hope’s legacy as we continue to break the status quo for the next 70 years.”

Examples of this innovative spirit date back to the beginning. At the time, a school for children and adults with intellectual disabilities was quite unique. Since then, Hope has continued to redefine what a truly inclusive community can look like. In 1972, Hope’s residential services gave families an alternative to having loved ones live in institutions. Instead, this service enabled and encouraged community living.

In 1993, Hope introduced job training and placement services to provide integrated and supported employment opportunities so individuals could experience a natural work environment. Then, in 2015, Hope led the transition away from sheltered workshops (still in use by some organizations) by discontinuing the service that paid people with disABILITIES a subminimum wage. Those workers were transitioned to a new, integrated employment service known today as MaxWorx.

Most recently in 2020, Hope formed CHOICE services to support each person’s goals through a one-to-one model that pairs one individual with one Hope social worker. Very few organizations offer a one-to-one model, but Hope sees it as the path to the next level of community involvement and socialization.

In the future, Hope will continue to innovate on behalf of people with disABILITIES. “Every aspect of this organization is centered on people,” said Labatch. “As we evolve, families want services that provide the best advancement and growth for their loved ones. And with each new level we achieve, we can see the next opportunity to improve their lives.”

Employees will support change to empower, respect, and reflect the goals of people living with intellectual disABILITIES in the region. To lead innovation, the organization is hiring more employees who are dedicated to Hope’s mission.

Today, Hope Enterprises serves Lycoming, Clinton, Northumberland, Columbia, Montour, Snyder, and Union counties. The nonprofit offers support services in community participation, in-home support, employment services, and living options. The full range of services benefits individuals with intellectual disABILITIES in every aspect of their lives.

Learn more about Hope Enterprises, Inc. and support The Hope Foundation, at www.HopeAbility.org.

ODP Announcement 21-057 “Individual Support Planning for Residential Services Review of Staffing Ratio Guidance and Upcoming Training” has been released to achieve the following:

  • Sustain the expectation that Administrative Entities (AEs), Supports Coordination Organizations (SCOs), and providers of waiver residential services use the guidance provided in ODP Announcement 19-091 and the Annotated Individual Support Plan (ISP), dated 07-03-19, to document the staffing support that is needed and will be provided to replace residential habilitation service staffing ratios; and
  • Announce that additional training will be provided in the future to:
    • Standardize how risk factors and identified health and safety needs should be addressed using person-centered thinking skills;
    • Clarify documentation of supports and services in the ISP; and
    • Ensure there is a description of strategies (ex. technology, environmental, and staff supports) to mitigate risk(s) during specific activities and situations.