Indiana Family to Family

 Data Forum: Mortality Review webinar The Bureau of Quality Improvement Services (BQIS) is pleased to announce a webinar on  May 21, 2018, at 1 p.m. EST  to share trend data on mortalities for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities in services with the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS).  BQIS will share aggregate data for individuals in BDDS’ services as well as comparative data with general populations both in Indiana and nationally. The presentation will include a white paper on the Mortality Review Committee’s recommendations made to providers as well as information on resources to address identified issues. Time will be allotted for open forum discussion.Below is information regarding accessing the webinar:   Mortality Review webinar Prior to the webinar , please check your organization’s connection to ensure it has latest updates and add-ins. To do so , please click here .  To participate in the webinar on  Monday, May 21, 2018

INDIANA DISABILITY RIGHTS ATTORNEYS WILL BE ON CALL BEFORE AND ON ELECTION DAY. On Primary Election Day, Tuesday, May 8 th , Indiana Disability Rights attorneys will answer questions and take complaints from persons with disabilities who have any issue casting their vote. The #HoosiersVote Hotline will be open during polling hours,  6:00AM - 6:00PM  local time. Attorneys will also be available for assistance during early voting.  Individuals may begin calling on  Wednesday, May 2  and the #HoosiersVote Hotline will run from  8:30 am to 4:30 pm  until Election Day. Exercising your right to vote is an essential element of your civil rights. Every person who has registered to vote and has proper identification should be able to cast their vote privately and independently at their polling place or through absentee voting. Unfortunately, some people with disabilities may experience issues when they try to vote. If you experience any of the following issues, call Indiana Disabil

Family Voices Indiana is part of an Indiana Collaborative Improvement & Innovation Network  to address Medicaid reimbursement for care coordination for children with complex needs. Learn more: Lessons from Medicare on Coordinating Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs Apr 17, 2018 Many children enrolled in Medicaid have special health care needs. Take Tess, for example: she’s 7 years old and has diabetes and a severe speech impairment, and she and her family face a number of daunting challenges. Her primary caregiver is her grandmother, who struggles with health troubles of her own and brings Tess to multiple specialists, a speech therapist, and her primary care physician using public transportation. Her grandmother does her best, but the frequent appointments and demanding treatment regimens for diabetes often leave her overwhelmed. When caregiving becomes too much, she calls on a thin safety net of relatives who need to fit Tess’s care around their own

from CBPP: Yesterday, the House Agriculture Committee passed the harmful version of the Farm Bill that was introduced just last week. This Farm Bill would make it harder for millions of people to put food on the table by taking away or cutting SNAP benefits from many struggling Americans, including parents raising kids, people with disabilities, and working people . In a sign of how harmful these SNAP proposals are, the Farm Bill—which is typically bipartisan—advanced out of the committee with only Republican votes.   The next step in the process is for  all  House members to vote on the proposal on the House floor. We expect a House floor vote sometime in May, possibly as early as the week of  May 7–11 . That means the next three weeks—which includes a recess ( April 30–May 4 ) when members of Congress will be home—are critical.   Many of you are already doing incredible work to generate strong opposition to this partisan, harmful version of the Farm Bill. Please keep it up! Our go

from National Family Voices: The Guide to Getting & Using Your Health Records   From the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (US government)   Report:   Beyond Guardianship: Toward Alternatives That Promote Greater Self-Determination   National Council on Disability, 3/22/18 Article describing report:  Federal Report Calls for Alternatives to Guardianship  (Disability Scoop, 3/23/28)   From Family Voices: Tool Measures Level of Family Engagement, Offers Ideas for Enhancement Though there is much agreement on the value of family involvement at the systems level of health care - where policies, programs, and services are created or changed - it is still rare for families to have more than a token amount of power and influence. A new issue brief from Family Voices provides a framework, featuring four domains and specific criteria, that organizations can use to measure and improve the level of family engagement in their work.  Read

Webinar Series for Youth Self-Advocates: Leadership is a Journey Sponsored by NCFPP, Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, KASA, and Youth MOVE Knowing Yourself as a Change Agents Part One: Leadership Styles Wednesday, April 4, 6:00-6:30 pm ET (completed) Part Two : Self-Assessments & Reflection Wednesday,  April 18,  6:00-6:30 pm ET What is My Culture? What are My Values? Part One : Culture and Values Reflection Wednesday,  May 2 , 6:00-6:30 pm ET Part Two : The Role of Youth Leadership within Health Equity Work Wednesday,  May 16 , 6:00-6:30 pm ET Cultural Perspectives on Self-Care in Leadership Wednesday,  May 30,  6:00-6:30 pm ET