External Program Review Committee (EPRC) agenda

Date: 2-4 p.m. May 1, 2025

DSD liaisons: Stacie Enders, Jessica Little and Ari Dionisopoulos

Type: Whole committee

Location: Room 2222, Elmer L. Andersen Building, 540 Cedar St., St. Paul, MN 55101

Meeting link: Webex

Access code: 2482 703 7275

Accommodations: If you need an accommodation for this meeting, you must notify a DSD liaison three days before the meeting. Email PositiveSupports@state.mn.us or call (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

· CFSS: Community First Services and Supports

· DEED: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

· DHS: Minnesota Department of Human Services

· DLI: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry

· DSD: Disability Services Division

· DSP: Direct support professional

· 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

· PCA: Personal care assistant

· PSR: Positive Supports Rule: Minnesota Rule 9544

· PSTP: DHS form 6810: Positive Support Transition Plan

General reminders for committee members

Before speaking, please state your name. Committee members are expected to:

· Be on time.

· Read the minutes, agenda and supporting documents before each meeting.

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

· 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.

Votes

· The committee will discuss and vote on the minutes from March 2025.

· The committee will discuss and potentially vote on the EPRC Annual Report 2025.

Updates to share

Regional positive support capacity building meetings

Committee members are invited to give any updates they may have on this topic. More information can be found at: Regional Capacity Building – Positive Supports (qualitycouncilmn.org).

Simplify and organize online DHS materials and training resources related to positive supports or intervention services.

No updates on the training inventory.

Intervention Services Redesign

Group is working through a draft outline of the potential service.

Direct care workforce shortage

The governor has a workgroup examining workforce topics. For details, review:

· Workforce Shortage / One Minnesota Plan

· Workforce Inventory Phase 1 | Tableau Public

· Interagency Workforce Alignment (IWA) - Plan to address workforce shortages in multiple sectors.

Supporting new Americans in the LTC workforce grant program

There will be a listening session for this initiative on May 7: AASD and DSD eList: Supporting new Americans in the LTC workforce grant program listening session

DEED updates

· In 2023, 26.1% of Minnesota's total foreign-born workforce worked in education and health service jobs: The Growth and Impact of Minnesota’s Foreign-Born Workforce. According to 2023 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey’s one-year estimates extracted from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series or IPUMS, Minnesota’s nursing, psychiatric and home health aides had the most foreign-born workers of any occupation, with more than 17,100 such workers in 2023. Other occupations with more than 10,000 foreign-born workers included registered nurses, managers and other production workers. Foreign-born workers are both more likely to fill occupations that have low educational requirements such as drivers and janitors/building cleaners as well as occupations with high educational requirements such as chemists and materials scientists, computer scientists and physicians.

· The one-year estimates from the American Community Survey also reveal significant and rapid growth of foreign-born workers in Minnesota. Between 2013 and 2023, there were more than 78,400 additional foreign-born workers in the state. This growth rate of 27.2% far outpaced the growth rate for total employment during this period, at 5.2%. Leading this growth, both registered nurses and nursing, psychiatric and home health aides had an additional 8,500 foreign-born workers between 2013 and 2023.

· DEED also shared: In presentations at high school events last year, students from across central and southwest Minnesota were asked what type of job they are most interested in, and DEED got roughly 1,500 responses. In line with historical trends for this question, the highest interest was in health science and human services, reflecting the desire of more than a quarter of all students. Despite the turmoil of the health care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, student interest has rebounded to levels we saw in the 2010s. Student Intention and Behavior Following HS Graduation.

Additional resource

How to use ChatGPT in ABA Therapy – YouTube video illustrating ethical use of ChatGPT in ABA Therapy

Subcommittee updates

Requests for approval subcommittee

Business as usual.

Emergency use of manual restraint subcommittee

Anticipate elimination of one mechanical restraint based on no use for two years.

Discussion

Annual goals

The committee will review their 2025 goal: Create and maintain training materials as needs are discovered and as project opportunities emerge. Some projects might include: PSTP examples, reinforcement (token) programs, implementing 9544 for 245D providers, trainings for specific behaviors or disorders (PICA, fecal smearing, self-harm ingestion) and relating that to state regulations.

This goal is meant to reflect the committee’s commitment to providers by giving them resources that align with the goal of reducing the use of prohibited procedures and increasing the use of positive supports. Spending time working with providers gives them a great perspective on topics that need further explanation.

Closing

Committee members are welcome to ask questions or bring up other topics for discussion.