Management Resources for Human Services Executives

The next Meth Alliance meeting is scheduled for Tuesday August 12th at 10 am at the HAWC Clinic conference room at 1055 South Wells Ave. in Reno.
Source: Join Together Northern Nevada

http://nclr.org/content/publications/detail/52879/ by the National Council of La Raza. This report reviews Latino children's health coverage status in the U.S. and the different factors that may affect their ability to attain insurance and subsequent care.
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

The Sheriff’s Office is asking agencies to pass along the following a message reminding folks to be smart about their safety.
Be Aware and Alert of your surroundings at all times. No distractions like cell phones or iPods
Look Confident – make eye contact with people you encounter, keep your hands free
When In Public, Stay in Groups – there is strength in numbers
Trust your Instincts – If you feel uncomfortable just leave and don’t worry about hurting someone’s feelings. If something doesn’t feel right, do what you need to do to be safe.
Develop a Survival Mindset – Preparation is key. When going through your daily life, think of what you would do if confronted with a dangerous situation, and prepare yourself.

By being aware, confident, traveling in groups, trusting your instincts and preparing yourself mentally, you can alleviate the fear. This is a safe community – don’t let “him” win by living in fear.
Remember, Personal Safety is up to you.
Source: The Sheriff’s Office and the Children’s Cabinet

The Bush Administration published final regulations for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) on February 5. More>
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

President Bush's FY 2009 budget proposal, released on February 4, is replete with upside-down priorities. More>
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

The report provides comprehensive data on the area’s 33 Quality of Life Indicators, ranging from the cost of living in our community to our air quality to the health of our residents. The report is the result of extensive community surveys and research and highlights the community’s conditions, trends, opportunities for improvement, public policy, program impacts and progress toward desired results. The 2008 Community Wellbeing Report can be found in the January 28 edition of Northern Nevada Business Weekly – racks can be found around town at various locations. The report can also be downloaded at www.truckeemeadowstomorrow.org. Raw data is posted in the Indicator section of the TMT Web site and can be viewed and downloaded by those who have purchased a 2008 TMT membership. As the recognized voice for quality of life in the region, TMT provides unbiased, comprehensive data and also celebrates the success of our community’s efforts through a biennial celebration, Accentuate the Positive. For more information, visit www.quality-of-life.org or call (775) 323-1518.
Source: Truckee Meadows Tomorrow

Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published in the Federal Register its annual update to the HHS poverty guidelines. These guidelines are used as an eligibility criterion for many Federal programs that HHS administers. For more information regarding the 2008 poverty guideline please visit one of the following links. The 2008 poverty guidelines are available on the HHS website at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/08poverty.shtml A copy of the Federal Register Notice is available on the National Archives Website (NARA) at:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20081800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/08-256.pdf
Source: DHHS

The survey of 23 major cities estimates for each city the demand for emergency food assistance, emergency shelter and transitional housing; the capacity to meet that demand; the causes of hunger ad homelessness; efforts underway in each city to combat these problems; the economic or social conditions that exacerbate these problems; and the outlook for 2008. http://usmayors.org/HHSurvey2007/hhsurvey07.pdf
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

National Chartbook profile for Nevada vs. nationwide can be found at: http://nschdata.org/StateProfiles/CustomProfile.aspx?geo=Nevada
Source: Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (2005)

http://www.nevadanewsmakers.com/ is a useful site for those who want to keep up with Nevada political events and opinions.

These contracts were legislatively funded during the last session. See:
http://purchasing.state.nv.us/services/1629.doc for full details. The closing date is November 6 at 2:00pm.
Source: CARE Chest

The new 2006 Child Care in the State of Nevada Demographics Report prepared by The Children’s Cabinet Child Care Resource & Referral Department will be available soon. It contains some great data and should be available on at www.childrenscabinet.org in due course. The purpose of the report is to gain an understanding of how Nevada is doing in meeting our child care demand.
Source: Children’s Cabinet

In the recession year of 2001, 11.5 percent of all Americans were poor. In 2006, 12.3 percent are poor. Median income rose slightly, but it is still lower than it was in 1999, and for the past three years, both men and women's earnings have been declining. The number of people without health insurance has risen by 2.2 million in just one year, to nearly 47 million (rising from 15.3 percent to 15.8 percent). Children also lost ground - the proportion without coverage grew from 10.9 percent in 2005 to 11.7 percent in 2006. It is true that poverty declined from 12.6 percent in 2005 to 12.3 percent in 2006, and that median income has gone up slightly. But this is just not good enough. As noted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2006 is the first time on record that, five years after a recession, poverty remains higher than it was during the recession. There was economic growth in 2006 - but not very much of it was shared with people with median income or less.
The health insurance news is grim and cautionary. The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) helped children buck the trend of lost coverage starting in 1998. Between then and 2004, children gained coverage when everyone else did not. But in 2005 and 2006, SCHIP money started running out, and more than 600,000 children lost coverage in one year alone. The House and Senate have passed SCHIP legislation, both adding funds, with the House more adequately providing coverage for 5 million otherwise uninsured children (the Senate would cover 4 million otherwise uninsured). The President, on the other hand, would deny coverage to 800,000 children. Today's news shows just how dangerous the President's proposal would be, and how badly children need the funding in the House bill.
State Data: National data tells one story. But don't forget the variation among states. Nationally, 12.3 percent were poor, but Mississippi's poverty rate exceeds 20 percent, and West Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico Louisiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, and the District of Columbia all have poverty rates of more than 15 percent. Median income is $34,473 in Mississippi, $17,621 in Puerto Rico, and $65,144 in Maryland. See state tables showing median household income and poverty, with comparisons back to 2001, here: Total Poverty: http://www.chn.org/pdf/2007/CPSpoverty2001to2006.pdfChild Poverty: http://chn.org/pdf/2007/ACSchildpov.pdfFamily Poverty: http://chn.org/pdf/2007/ACSfampov.pdfMedian Household Income: http://chn.org/pdf/2007/ACSmedincome.pdfnote: state health insurance data will be available soon!
Coalition on Human Needs Press Release: http://chn.org/pdf/2007/CHNcensuspressrelease.pdf
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis: http://www.cbpp.org/8-28-07pov-stmt.htm
Economic Policy Institute analysis: http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_econindicators_income20070828
Census report: Current Population Survey, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance 2006: http://www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/p60-233.pdf
Census report, Income, Earnings, and Poverty Data from the 2006 American Community Survey: http://www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/acs-08.pdf
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

Report and Recommendations of the Center for American Progress Task Force on Poverty, April 2007. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/04/poverty_report.html Child poverty alone costs Americans $500 billion a year in lost productivity, more crime, and higher health costs. Cutting total U.S. poverty in half over 10 years, the report estimates, would cost about $90 billion a year. The report offers 12 specific recommendations for reducing poverty. The proposals - including tax credits, education, help with housing, child care, and development of assets, promotion of unionization, and raising the minimum wage - not only help the poorest Americans, but also can provide a path to middle class stability for millions.
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

The Human Services Implementation Plan has been posted to the Washoe County website at the following address: http://www.washoecounty.us/mgrsoff/grants/wchs_strategic_plan.html?PHPSESSID=2a8b7cb323dbd9857c538339cbe1005a
Source: Office of the County Manager

The road to passage of an increase in the minimum wage has not been smooth. More>
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

With funding for federal agencies due to run out on February 15, the Senate approved a joint funding resolution on February 14 by the wide margin of 81 to 15. More>
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

All 233 Democrats and 82 Republicans voted to increase the minimum wage. More>
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

Shortly before adjourning, Congress passed a wide-ranging package of tax, health care and trade measures. Click here for More> information.
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families. The report calls on Congress to ensure that the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has funding needed to cover more children, eliminate red tape barriers to child health coverage, and address quality and accountability of child health coverage.http://ccf.georgetown.edu/
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

This report shares the Texas experience in outsourcing the administration of a new system for enrolling recipients in public benefits.http://www.cppp.org/files/3/CPPP_PrivReport_(FS).pdf
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

The Urban InstituteThis policy brief offers a framework for analyzing state tax changes affecting low-income working families from 2002 to 2006.http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/311379_state_tax_policy.pdf
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

This brief discusses national trends in Child Care Development Block Grant and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds directed to child care.http://www.clasp.org/publications/childcareassistance2005.pdf
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

The study compares states with a higher minimum wage to those without and concludes that wages are higher and employment is no lower in states with a higher minimum wage than those without.http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/bp176 Source: Coalition on Human Needs

This paper forecasts that weakness in the housing market is likely to push the economy into a recession in 2007.http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/forecast_2006_11.pdf
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

The Washoe Co. Commission accepted a grant totaling $286,080 from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. This grant will be used to help fund the Shelter Plus Care that helps chronically homeless individuals with disabilities. Washoe County will provide matching funds to provide support services such as case management, substance abuse and mental health counseling, and independent living skills.
Source: Washoe Legal Services

State Fact Sheets and Analysis from our friends at Citizens for Tax Justice Over the past six years, President George W. Bush and his allies in Congress have enacted multiple rounds of major tax cuts, including special tax breaks for capital gains and dividends, reductions in personal income tax rates, estate tax cuts and an array of corporate tax loopholes. These issue briefs summarize the effects of the Bush tax cuts on residents of different states at various income levels. There are two key findings. First of all, the tax breaks enacted since 2001 are heavily skewed towards the very wealthiest few. Second, because the tax cuts are being paid for with borrowed money, the cost of paying the added national debt more than wipes out any benefits from the tax cuts for 99 percent of Americans. To view the effects of the Bush tax cuts on your state please visit: http://www.ctj.org/bushtaxcuts.htm.
Source: Citizens for Tax Justice

The Fieldstone Alliance, formerly Wilder Publishing Center, has just released a new book on complex collaborations entitled The Nimble Collaboration: Fine Tuning Your Collaboration for Lasting Success. For more information visit:
http://www.fieldstonealliance.org/client/client_pages/tools_you_can_use/09-12-06_complex_collabs.cfm?disccode=TOOL091206
Source: The Fieldstone Alliance

The IRA charitable rollover provision, a powerful charitable giving incentive, is scheduled to be signed into law by President Bush. AFP was the primary advocate of this legislation passed by Congress earlier this month which could have an extremely beneficial effect on your organization. You may want to consider immediately adjusting your fundraising programs in response to this positive change in tax law. Included in the pension reform bill was the IRA rollover provision that provides an exclusion from gross income for certain distributions for charitable purposes of up to $100,000 from traditional individual retirement accounts (IRAs) or Roth IRAs, which would otherwise be included in income. The provision is effective for tax years 2006 and 2007 only. New incentives for gifts of food and book inventory, and S Corporation stock are also included. Several relatively minor “reforms” of the nonprofit sector are incorporated in the legislation. Among those is a study of supporting organizations to be conducted by the Department of the Treasury to determine if such organizations are operating in a manner consistent with their tax-exempt status. In addition, supporting organizations will be subjected to excess business holdings rules under new transition rules. However, our understanding is that supporting organizations that are functionally integrated with their charity would not be subject to any excess business holding rules. For more information, please go to:
http://afpnet.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?folder_id=2466&content_item_id=23730
Source: The Association of Fundraising Professionals

A new paper looks at what the combined effect of senate proposals would be to finance near-repeal of the estate tax with cuts in Medicare, veteran’s benefits, school lunches, and other programs. The CBPP paper demonstrates how under the course that the Senate leadership is pursuing, as reflected in the House estate tax bill and Gregg bills that change federal budget rules, multi-million-dollar tax cuts for the estates of the wealthiest individuals in the nation would likely be financed by steep cuts in basic health, retirement, and other benefits for tens of millions of other Americans of more modest means. For more information, visit http://www.cbpp.org/8-9-06bud.pdf
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

Dr. Michael Rodolico with the Health Access Washoe County (HAWC) Federally Qualified Health Center has been honored as one of 10 outstanding individuals from across America chosen to receive the 2006 Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Program award. The program awards $1.2 million each year to health leaders who have surmounted personal and other obstacles to help Americans gain access to heath care and social services, and Dr. Rodolico was chosen from more than 300 people nominated this year. Dr. Rodolico was hired in 1995 as HAWC's founding CEO with the mandate to provide medical care for all members of the community regardless of their ability to pay. Launching his efforts in an empty building with a lone telephone on the floor, Dr. Rodolico built a community health center with 60,000 client visits every year. He also opened the area's first dental clinic, now providing nearly 18,000 dental visits every year, and went on to develop the area's first women's health program, first pediatric mental health clinic, a pharmacy, a diabetes service, and a free clinic for the homeless. Not only does this demonstrate the remarkable accomplishments of Dr. Rodolico and HAWC, but it also validates the success of the community health center movement.
Source: Great Basin Primary Care Association

The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), which became law in early 2006, requires that all U.S. citizens who currently have Medicaid or apply for Medicaid in the future must provide proof of their citizenship. On June 9, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a letter to State Medicaid Directors, telling them exactly what documents and procedures could be used to meet this requirement. On June 27, Alzheimer’s Association responded explaining why many people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias who need Medicaid are not able to provide the required documents. They asked for an exemption from the requirement for persons with dementia and raised other related issues. There has been great understanding of exactly how vulnerable people with Alzheimer’s disease would fare under the policies proposed and Alzheimer’s has frequently been cited by people engaged in the issue as a reason for change.
CMS recently announced that U.S. citizens who have Medicare or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are exempt from the requirement to prove their citizenship to be eligible for Medicaid. This is good news as it means that almost all people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are exempt from the requirement, including people who currently have Medicaid and people who apply in the future. However, that there may be some specific groups of people with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias who will still be affected by the requirement for proof of citizenship. One group that might still be affected is people under age 65 who are eligible for Medicaid but do not receive SSI. The Alzheimer’s Association needs help in identifying people with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias that you think are not covered by the CMS decision to exempt people who have Medicare or SSI. The agency will continue to advocate for an exemption for any identified group who may still fall into the group required to provide proof of citizenship. Contact Wendy Knorr, 786-8061 or wendy.knorr@alznornev.org.
Source: The Alzheimer’s Association

The National Alliance for Caregiving and The MetLife Mature Market Institute have released ‘The MetLife Caregiving Cost Study: Productivity Losses to U.S. Business’. The study estimates the productivity losses to U.S. business of employees who must make workplace accommodations as a result of caregiving responsibilities. Findings from the study estimate that the average caregiver costs an employer $2,110 per year. For those caregivers providing the most intense levels of care, the cost per employee is $2,441, totaling $17.1 billion. The total annual cost for all caregivers is $33.6 billion. Also prepared in conjunction with the study is the ‘Eldercarecalculator’. Employers who would like to calculate how much caregiving costs their business in lost productivity each year, can log onto a workplace productivity calculator at: www.eldercarecalculator.org. By entering the size of their business, an average hourly wage for employees and the number of employees who are working caregivers, employers will receive an instant productivity cost estimate. News of the study’s release was covered in The Wall Street Journal in the Health Section. The study is available online at the Alliance’s website at www.caregiving.org
Source: National Alliance for Caregiving

The Department of Health and Human Services issued new rigid regulations related to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program that deny states the flexibility to prepare families for employment most effectively. These new regulations provide specifics to states about how they must comply with the HHS' interpretation of the February 2006 TANF reauthorization, including definitions of work activities, new requirements for participation by adults in families where only the children receive TANF assistance, and new rules for verifying the hours that TANF recipients must participate in work activities.See Interim Final Rule at: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-5743.pdf
For more information, visit: http://www.cbpp.org/6-28-06tanf-stmt.htm
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

On July 6, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid issued a new interim rule on the citizenship documentation requirements. Unlike previous guidance in the form of a letter to state Medicaid directors, the interim rule exempts recipients of SSI and Medicare from providing new evidence of citizenship. "The exemption of seniors and people with disabilities ... is a commendable development," said Ron Pollack, head of the Families USA advocacy group. "Numerous other people who need health care the most — such as foster children, the homeless and people victimized by a natural disaster — may still lose Medicaid coverage ... and that should be corrected." For information, visit: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicaidEligibility/05_ProofofCitizenship.asp#TopOfPage
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

The Senate Budget Committee on June 20 approved legislation that would make a number of far-reaching changes in the federal budget process. Included in the legislation are provisions that would establish statutory caps that would lead to substantial cuts in a range of domestic discretionary programs that would have far-reaching effects in every state. The CBPP report includes state-by-state analysis. Visit: http://www.cbpp.org/7-5-06bud.pdf
Source: Coalition on Human Needs

Misty Allen has been named Statewide Coordinator for the Suicide Prevention Program in the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Working together with local advisory groups and community coalitions, Allen will provide oversight and leadership to launch this newly established program. The Suicide Prevention Program will: facilitate the development of a statewide plan for suicide prevention consistent with the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention; broaden crisis services in Nevada; provide training in assessment and intervention to individuals who have regular contact with persons who may be at risk of suicide; and improve surveillance systems, data collection and evaluation of factors related to suicide.
The state’s Suicide Prevention Program was established by the 2003 Nevada Legislature (SB 49), and was funded $334,000 from the state general fund through the DHHS FY05-07 budget by the 2005 Legislature. Additional funding was received through the DHHS Division of Child and Family Services in a federal grant of approximately $1.2 million over three years, which will enable the program to expand suicide prevention services and outreach to troubled youth statewide.
Source: Nevada Department of Health and Human Services' Director's Office.

The Washoe County Senior Citizen’s Strategic Planning Steering Committee has developed a survey to involve community members in the development of a 10 year strategic plan for senior citizens. The mission of the strategic plan is to “identify, plan and promote implementation of policies, systems and resources that provide opportunities for current and future seniors to participate to the greatest extent possible as part of the community.” Seniors and future seniors are asked to answer the survey as completely as possible. All responses are confidential and will be used to help determine the needs and gaps in our community. Click here for the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/Users/97806698/Surveys/944331726676/BE87E25A-CEA4-47F1-98D0-73C5325421A9.asp?U=944331726676
Source: Washoe County

The Washoe County Human Services Strategic Plan is available at http://www.washoecounty.us/grants. The Plan is scheduled to be presented to the Washoe County Commission and the Sparks City Council, for a recommendation for acceptance during the month of January, 2006.

The Reno Independent Media Center, http://www.renoimc.org, is news of, by and for the people. It is an open forum where Citizen Journalists post their articles, events and photos to spread the word directly to the public about local issues, organizations or campaigns. Try the "publish your article" or "post an event" buttons for a quick look into how this site will empower your group to speak to people outside your mailing list if you have one, or provide internet tools to groups who do not have their own website to spread the word. The larger goal of the Reno IMC is to build a more cohesive community and be a hub of information for progressive groups in Northern Nevada. The Reno IMC is a powerful tool for organizing groups around broad-sweeping events such as elections. All stories posted by our community will appear unless deemed by the editors to be destructive to the site goals of building community.
Source: Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada

The Media Center’s Community Bulletin Board displays public service announcements for non-profit or non-commercial events, services, requests for volunteers, and activities in the community, free of charge. Public service announcements can be viewed on Charter Communications Channels 16 and 17 between scheduled programming, 24 hours a day and can run up to fourteen days.The Media Center reserves the right to edit announcements. The Media Center can also help non-profits make promotional videos. Send PSAs to The Media Center no less than seven (7) days prior to the desired start date. The Media Center, 4024 Kietzke Lane, Reno, Nevada 89502. Phone: 775-828-1211 or fax: 775-828-1337. If you have any questions, please call 775-828-1211
Source: The Media Center