External Program Review Committee (EPRC) minutes
Date: March 3, 2022
DSD liaisons: Stacie Enders and Ari Dionisopoulos
Type: Whole committee
Location: Remote-only because of the COVID-19 pandemic
Attendees: Kim Frost, Dan Baker, Laura Daire, Lindsay Nash, Jodi Greenstein, Stacy Danov, Liz Harri, Susie Haben and Mary Piggott
Not present: Danielle Bishop, Tatiana Kerestesh and Melanie Eidsmoe
Agenda items
Public comments
There were no public comments at this meeting.
Vote
Vote to approve the meeting minutes from the whole committee’s February meeting:
· Kim Frost: yes· Dan Baker: yes· Laura Daire: yes· Lindsay Nash: yes· Jodi Greenstein: yes· Stacy Danov: yes· Liz Harri: yes· Susie Haben: abstainUpdates to share
· See the March agenda for more information. Discussion
· The committee continued their discussion from the February meeting: o The committee reviewed notes from their previous meeting. They added a comment about wanting to see culturally competent supports and resources that meet the needs of diverse communities. o The committee reviewed their Core Responsibility sheets:· They clarified that assessing competency refers to the providers who are within their purview, and not all providers. · They added that members should continue coordinating with other committee members as needed for individual cases.o The committee reviewed Fredda Brown’s letter:· There was a question about what we have seen recently for PRN (as needed) medication Behavior Intervention Report Forms (BIRFs): o We don’t recall any recent chemical restraint BIRFs.o There is concern about providers being afraid to give PRNs as needed and using other interventions before giving a PRN, even when the person is displaying symptoms that indicate the need for a PRN. o EPRC members have helped teams work with prescribers to better define when PRNs should be given. o When we roll out the new medication manual, perhaps we could do a couple of webinars to go over what’s in it, address some of the concerns we’ve seen and see if people have questions. We will do this in partnership with the Licensing trainings, thought we might want to loop in more than just 245D licensing. o The committee left off on page 6 of the letter and will continue their discussion in April. · The committee came up with some tentative recommendations for their 2021 Olmstead report, which they will review again at their April meeting. The draft recommendations include:o The committee would like to see Technology for Home or similar services available to more people, particularly all people who need additional support with communicating. While technology devices alone can be very helpful to some people, for others, use of technology requires ongoing training, follow up and a hands-on approach to determine the right type. Creativity, flexibility and trying different things has been helpful to teams. o The committee would like to see increased access to telehealth and remote supports, as well as training and assistance when needed to address barriers or knowledge gaps of using these types of supports. It may be helpful to providers to explore creative ways of using telehealth, particularly in relation to staffing shortages. Use of remote supports might lessen the need for in-person staff, and might help retain staff that would like the option to occasionally work from home. People should be given opportunities to try out these supports before making a decision, and teams should collect data during that time to see what works and doesn’t work. Some people prefer more independence and engage in fewer interfering behaviors when given opportunities to be independent. o EPRC members will increase their in-person or remote technical assistance with service providers who are using restraint. When determining which approach to take, members will use the least intrusive and most valuable approach to the entire team. o The committee recommends DHS doing what is feasible to build capacity and ensure that qualified professionals are competent to develop and implement positive support transition plans and other relevant support documents. o The committee recommends that DHS look at existing studies, or conduct a study if needed, on barriers that prevent the development and successful implementation of effective positive behavior supports as they relate to positive support plans.
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