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External Program Review Committee (EPRC) agenda

Date of meeting: 2-4 p.m. Oct. 7, 2021

DSD liaisons: Stacie Enders, Linda Wolford and Ari Dionisopoulos

Type: Whole committee

Location: Remote only due to the COVID-19 health pandemic

Accommodations: If you need an accommodation for this meeting, you must notify a DSD liaison three days prior to the meeting by emailing PositiveSupports@state.mn.us or calling (651) 431-4300.

Common acronyms used by the committee

We ask committee members to avoid the use of acronyms. Here are common acronyms:

· BIRF: DHS form 5148: Behavioral Intervention Report Form

· CABC: Context, antecedent, behavior, consequence

· DHS: Minnesota Department of Human Services

· DSD: Disability Services Division

· EUMR: Emergency use of manual restraint

· FBA: Functional behavior assessment

· HCBS: Home and community-based services

· IRP: Interim Review Panel (Predecessor to the EPRC)

· MDH: Minnesota Department of Health

· PS Manual: DHS form 6810C: Guidelines for Positive Supports in DHS-Licensed Settings

· PSR: Positive Supports Rule: Minnesota Rule 9544

· PSTP: DHS form 6810: Positive Support Transition Plan

· RA or Request: DHS form 6810D: Request for Authorization of the Emergency use of Procedures

General reminders for committee members

· Before speaking, please state your name.

· Committee members are expected to:

o Be on time

o Read the minutes, agenda and supporting documents before each meeting

o Participate in ideas and conversations, as well as pause to allow others to share input

o Commit to spending the whole meeting time present and not engage in other activities during the meeting.

Technology

The first few minutes of every meeting will be dedicated to addressing any connectivity issues, to ensure everyone can hear other meeting participants.

Agenda items

Public comments

The committee encourages public participants to share their thoughts and ask questions about committee activities at the beginning of each meeting. The committee will continue on to the next agenda item when either 1) 30 minutes have passed or 2) when there are no additional comments or questions, whichever comes first.

Vote

The committee will discuss the minutes from September and vote.

Updates to share

Direct care workforce shortage

DHS and DEED staff are currently working on several projects related to the shortage. Some examples are:

· Developing information on direct support professional transferable skills and career ladder information into other professions such as healthcare, education, communications, accessible computer design and engineering, accessible architecture and construction design, government jobs, Positive Support Services, autism services, etc. While healthcare is often well known, part of the goal is to attract students from other fields, such as engineering students who might want to pursue a career in designing assistive technology or more user-friendly technology

· Gathering recommendations from stakeholders on how to spend grant money

· Summarizing and publishing information about legislative changes that might impact the shortage

· Translating trainings and materials into other languages

· Presenting about workforce shortage efforts at the St. Louis County Conference

· Updating the recruitment and retention guide with a few new tips, such as ensuring workers have opportunities to enjoy weekends by either rotating weekly schedules or by only having staff work one weekend day (Saturday or Sunday, but not both)

· Working with the federal government to develop or extend remote support service options

· Exploring methods to support family caregivers

· Gathering and developing a plan to share and centralize public data on the workforce shortage

· Promoting waiver services that can handle more complex care needs, rather than relying on the lowest-paid staff to provide complex care

· Identifying and developing a plan to share strategies that can reduce reliance on caregivers

Subcommittee updates

· Both subcommittees continue to support teams with phasing out the use of restraint and improving quality of life.

Discussion

New psychotropic medication manual for 245D service providers

The committee was unable to finish their edits at the last meeting and will continue their review at the October meeting.

Review of the committee’s 2020 Olmstead recommendations

Committee members will review their 2020 Olmstead recommendations and consider if there are any additional steps that can be taken each month to achieve them:

· The EPRC recommends continuing the past recommendation to collaborate and build connections with expanded support teams, so committee members can continue to assist with the development of effective fading plans on mechanical restraint, emergency manual restraint and other targeted interventions listed in PSTPs.

· The committee continues to recommend helping service providers connect with other professionals that can inform supports and services.

· As opportunities for edits arise, it might help to review public communication related to increasing community participation/integration, to better communicate that community activities and interactions with other people should not be forced on a person, and to better communicate that community integration efforts should meet the preferences of the person.

· The EPRC recommends continuing to focus their technical assistance on each person’s wellness and quality of life. Improved quality of life has been shown to reduce the occurrence of interfering behaviors.

· When it is safe to do so, given the Covid-19 risk, EPRC members will increase their in-person technical assistance to service providers who are using mechanical restraint.

· The EPRC recommends continuing to offer service providers, beyond the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ability to connect with committee members and other support providers or team members electronically, using secure communication tools. These tools have a variety of benefits including access to expertise for people who live in remote areas, quicker response times, and flexibility for team members (such as family members) who might not have easy access to transportation (note: this is not a comprehensive list of all the potential benefits).

Closing

· Committee members are welcome to share additional information and discuss.

· Members are invited to recommend topics for upcoming committee meetings.

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