REGIONAL UPDATES

CONTENTS

3 REGIONAL UPDATES 8 BRIEF UPDATES 10 RETURN TO SCHOOL 11 WELLNESS 12 EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION 14 HCS CLIENT SURVEYS 15 A CLIENT’S STORY 16 PARTNERSHIPS: ENHANCED SERVICES FACILITIES

REGION 1 UPDATES

Tami Rucker Region 1 Administrator

Region 1

SHOUT OUT to Region 1 – Home and Community Services for a SUCCESSFUL 2021 Quality Assurance audit!

The Headquarters Quality Assurance Activities for Region 1 Home and Community Services Social Services and Public Benefits were early on the 2021 schedule. Our Public Benefits audit began January 19, 2021 and our Social Services audit began April 14, 2021.

There are federal requirements for Quality Assurance and Improvement for home- and community-based programs. We are invested in ensuring quality services are being provided to our clients. Through these quality assurance activities, which are led by Bill McBride and his HQ QA team, we show that we are using our resources wisely and that we are accountable for the funds we receive from CMS. CMS establishes the quality standards by which we must comply and they require us to provide evidence that shows we are complying with their major assurances regarding quality.

When MB H20-112 was published on December 29, 2020 announcing the 2021 quality assurance schedule, our teams began to prepare for the audit. This year’s audit brought about curiosity, some uncertainty and even anxiety for some of our team members, as to what the audit results may be. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were so many exceptions and adjustments to policy and processes in both Social Services and Public Benefits programs over that last year.

Social Services did have a few compliance changes due to the later start date, focusing on reviewing the waivered programs: CFC+COPES and Residential Services Waiver (RSW). They also reviewed Community First Choice (CFC) Program and only the Centers of Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) reportable questions were reviewed during the 2021 calendar review year.

Well, I am proud to report that both, our public benefits staff and social services staff NAILED IT!

The R1 HCS public benefits team had 375 total files audited: 226 applications and 149 reviews. The expected proficiency for the public benefits QA questions have a very high proficiency standard, 98% for 3 questions and 95% for 16 questions. Our audit results were great! Out of 19 questions reviewed, 3 questions met 98% proficiency, 14 questions met 95% proficiency, 1 questions did not meet 95% proficiency and 1 question was N/A. The team has already remediated the ONE (1) deficiency within the 30-

day review and have now begun development of the Regional Proficiency Improvement Plan for the ONE (1) question we did not meet proficiency on. This team of 60 public benefits staff, led by 6 skilled and supportive supervisors, SHPC Mark Clark, SME Heather Spies and Program Manager Gary Olson, demonstrated resilience, team work, commitment and dedication, which resulted in their quality work! To all our public benefits team members, THANK YOU for the HARD and AMAZING work you do each and every day serving vulnerable clients, transforming lives!

The R1 HCS social services team had 202 total files audited: 99 full reviews of CFC, CFC+COPES and RSW and 103 focused reviews related to nursing referral and Individual Provider files. The expected social services proficiency is 98% for financial eligibility questions and 86% for all other questions. These are the minimum proficiency standards established by CMS, by which each area is measured. Out of 24 CMS reportable questions reviewed, 1 question met 98% proficiency (1 at 100%), 22 questions met 86% proficiency (12 at 100%), and 1 question did not meet 86% proficiency. GREAT JOB team! The team has already remediated the one deficiency within our 30 day review period and will soon begin development of our Regional Proficiency Improvement Plan for the ONE (1) questions that did not meet the CMS proficiency standard of 86%.

This skilled and experienced social service team of 126 social service specialists are led by 18 AMAZING supervisors! A shout out to our SHPCs, Linda Garcia, Misty Zamora, Joannie Hanson and Tiana Ghoreishi. Thank you for the trainings and support you provide to our team! To our social service executive team, Teri Bichler, Jessie Rangel, Valentina Karnafel, Marci Benefiel and Amanda Zahller, THANK YOU for the great leadership, support and direction you provide to your team members.

This successful 2021 HQ QA audit is thanks to not only our wonderful leadership, but the teamwork of all the direct staff (SSS2/3s and PBS4) who contributed directly to these successful audits. This last year, despite all the upheaval and changes related to COVID-19, these staff were still able to put together these amazing results, which demonstrate quality service!

REGION 2 UPDATES

Sonya Sanders Region 2 Administrator

Region 2

Region 2 has been busy during this last year. We, like others had to adjust to several regional and agency changes. Although we have been teleworking, the work does not stop and we continue to forge ahead. Michelle Joseph, our EDI Program Manager (along with R1 & R2 EDI PMs) continues to offer “A Moment with EDI” for all staff, which highlights some basic EDI principles and connects with staff on a multi-dimensional level. She is working on a project that will create an approved list of facilitators within the region to assist in conversations around EDI. PBS staff continues to have high caseloads but diligently works hard every day for our joint clients. Region 2 just got the 2021 QA Audit results back for the PBS units and Wendy Wendell, PBS PM, feels they have done an amazing job once again! Stay tuned for the final results. PBS staff were given laptops so they could participate in virtual meetings with a camera. Since then staff have just blossomed! They use Zoom, Skype and Microsoft Teams all the time for virtual meetings, case staffings, huddles, etc. Ty Ramsey, a PBS 5 out of our Bellingham and Mount Vernon offices, has begun having virtual lunch get-togethers. In March, we had our first virtual Region 2 North PBS all-staff meeting and we had a fabulous time.

Over the past year, the Region 2 Training Team has worked tirelessly to create and adapt trainings for the virtual world. The team has success providing training via Skype, Teams, Zoom and webinar! The Training Team has continued to provide our new employee training series (Applied Practice), Motivational Interviewing training, regional LTC manual trainings and policy change training that are engaging, impactful and informative. The team also created an interactive virtual training in Articulate for new staff to complete CARE Application training. The Region 2 Acute Hospital team has been doing an exemplary job during the COVID-19 pandemic. For over a year, we have been in a “surge” mode. The team is averaging approximately 332 intakes, 130 assessments, and 208 discharges per month. Many of the staff is brand new to state service and this is a testament to the Supervisors’ (Kristin Ott, Rebecca Howard, and Jackie Lee) and SHPC’s (Kirn Flores) leadership and commitment to transforming lives. Our regional operations staff keeps our facilities operational. We have had pipes explodes, break-ins in offices and cars vandalized, but Region 2’s Regional Operations Team, Julie Long, Danielle Kelly, and Kerrin Livingston, never missed a beat while working with internal and external community and business offices to keep our facilities in top shape.

REGION 3 UPDATES

Debbie Willis Region 3 Administrator

Region 3

The word “communication” appears to be such a simple concept. We hear things like “just communicate what you want to say” and “tell them how you feel”, what could possible go wrong? Maybe it would be easy if all we had to say is “Wow, you did a great job!” But what about those trickier conversations when things are not going well, or when we have to communicate something that is not easy for us to share, like how we feel when someone is not doing their fair share of the work or when we feel like we are not being included in something we should be? I don’t know about you, but these conversation do not feel easy…ever! No matter how many times I have them and no matter how many times I practice and prepare myself, they never get easy. But they are necessary for a healthy environment – especially at work. In the book Crucial Conversations, they say, if you do not talk it out, you will act it out. We have all seen that play out at work and at home. It spirals quickly! One of the things we are working on in Region 3 is improving communication. We are doing this in a few ways: • Gathering feedback at our all staff meetings about how we can improve communication within the Region and identify pain points that can be improved. Once we have gathered these we will create an action plan for improvement. Communication in this sense is a long-term and ongoing plan because it is something we will always want to check in on and recalibrate as needed.

• Meeting with teams who are struggling with communication to help build skills they can use when things get tough. The two things that often cause communication issues: 1) When things are left unsaid, and 2) When things

ARE said, but the WAY they are said is not helpful. One of my “go to” tools for almost every crucial conversation is the STATE tools (from Crucial

Conversations). • Offering a full-day Crucial Conversations workshop (outside of our

Leadership Workshops) to help staff who are interested learn the skills and tools to navigate those tough conversations. Communication is not easy. The key is to continue to work at it, listen to each other and make improvements. It will pay off. “Effective communication requires more than an exchange of information. When done right, communication fosters understanding, strengthens relationships, improves teamwork and builds trust.” – Liz Papadopoulos