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| Minnesota’s state-operated health care system has two new leaders. Patricia Carlson began Nov. 7, 2011, as interim chief executive officer of State Operated Services (SOS). Bruce Edison was appointed chief operating officer of SOS Jan. 3. Carlson is the former human services director for Olmsted County and most recently executive director of Zumbro Valley Mental Health Center in Rochester. Edison previously was employed by the University of Minnesota, where he was a training and development consultant, and came to DHS from Health Partners/Regions Hospital and RHSC, where he was director of human resources. SOS provides direct care and treatment to people with mental illness, developmental disabilities, chemical dependency and traumatic brain injury as well as people with disabilities who pose a risk to society. Services are provided at just under 200 dispersed sites throughout Minnesota by approximately 3,600 DHS employees. |
| Following full surveys and complete programmatic reviews, the Minnesota Specialty Health System locations in Brainerd, Wadena and Willmar have received accreditation by the Joint Commission. Representatives from the Joint Commission visited the three sites during the past few months and conducted their reviews, which included all treatment plans. The accreditation can be valid for up to three years. The Minnesota Specialty Health System provides an array of intensive treatment services in community-based residential settings. |
| A Medical Assistance Reform Report (PDF) recently submitted to the Minnesota Legislature discusses DHS progress redesigning Medical Assistance (MA) and coordinating with current and ongoing department initiatives. The 2011 Legislature directed DHS to reform MA, Minnesota’s Medicaid program, to achieve better outcomes for people with disabilities, seniors and other enrollees. The report contains detailed information on 12 separate initiatives, designated by the Legislature, including community integration and independence, improved health, reduced reliance on institutional care, attainment of housing and employment and reduced use of services that are less effective. More information is available at www.dhs.state.mn.us/MAreform. |
| A new online training designed to help long-term care consultants and direct service providers effectively assess the needs of Minnesotans with combined hearing and vision loss is now available. The training was launched this month by the DHS Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division. More information about the training modules is online. |
| It is harder than ever for underage youth to illegally buy cigarettes in Minnesota, according to the 2012 federal fiscal year Synar annual report. Every year, in order to meet federal guidelines, DHS is charged with conducting random inspections of licensed tobacco retailers in Minnesota to check compliance with tobacco age of sale laws. According to the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division, Minnesota achieved a 97.6 percent compliance rate. This is Minnesota’s highest compliance rate ever. More information about the tobacco compliance checks is online. |
| A project to improve the health and wellness of the clients served by Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams is moving forward under the partnership of 26 ACT teams across Minnesota and the DHS Adult Mental Health Division. Assertive Community Treatment is a service delivery model to provide community-based treatment to people with mental illness. More information about the wellness project is online. |
| A variety of stakeholders learned Dec. 13 about the program that is replacing Minnesota Extended Treatment Options in Cambridge. Community representatives, patient family members, advocates, state staff and others were invited to sessions that ran throughout the day at DHS facilities in Cambridge now being used for the new Minnesota Specialty Health System-Cambridge. More information about the new direction for the health system is online. |
| For the past several years, DHS has offered nursing facilities a rate incentive to engage in projects that result in measurable quality improvements in the state’s long-term care system. This fall the Performance-based Incentive Payment Program (PIPP) is helping 50 nursing facilities throughout Minnesota participate in a nine-month program seen as having the potential to change care in nursing homes by empowering staff to respond to their instincts, employ critical thinking skills and communicate better. More information about INTERACT™ (Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transitions) is available online. |
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