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NYS OPTS Update for March and April, 2007
NYS OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE THROUGH SERVICES
April 2007
News from the OPTS Administration Unit (04-2007)
1. OPTS Questions
2. Proposal Status Report as of 04/30/07
3. OPTS News – Last Issued February 2007
4. Streamlining of stand alone Group Day Habilitation, At Home and Respite Proposals
5. NYS-OPTS Real Choice Systems Transformation Grant Update
6. Brief Description of a Sample of Recently Approved Proposal(s)
7. DDSO OPTS Liaison Contacts
8. Information Sharing
9. Why You May Receive Multiple Copies of this Message
1. OPTS Questions
The phone number for the OPTS Admin Unit is (518) 408-2744.
E-mail addresses are:
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OPTS questions can be sent via e-mail to
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Visit OPTS information and the revised application on the web via: www.nysopts.com
OPTS proposals must be now be submitted electronically through the
OMRDD
Secure
Messaging
Center to
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2. Proposal Status Report as of April 30, 2007
Proposals Received* 500
Team Review Meetings Held/Scheduled 439
Awaiting Scheduling of Team Review Meeting 4
Total Proposals Approved** 233
Proposals Approved March and April 2007 30
Implemented 104
Contracts Waiting for OSC signoff*** 11
* This number does not include proposals on hold or considered not OPTS.
** Proposals approved includes 9 State (DDSO) Operated OPTS proposals
***Contracts can not be implemented until OSC signoff is received.
3. OPTS News –
The last issue of The OPTS News was February 2007.
4. Streamlining of new stand alone Group Day Hab, At Home and Respite Proposals
In an April 18, 2007 letter to providers, OMRDD announced a change in how requests for new stand alone Day Habilitation (Day Hab), At Home Residential Habilitation (Res Hab) and Respite services would be processed. Effective Monday, April 16, 2007 requests for these services will no longer be processed through the OPTS pilot initiative. New requests for these services will not be considered part of the OPTS initiative and are to be sent to the local DDSO/NYCRO office for consideration and processing. OPTS proposals already submitted but not fully processed by the OPTS Administrative Unit, will also be returned to the DDSO/NYCRO. For OPTS proposals not yet fully processed, OMRDD will provide a targeted level of resources within a reasonable range to support an existing request. The local DDSO/NYCRO already has allocations for new stand alone Day Hab opportunities. Day Hab, At Home Res Hab and Respite proposals already approved through OPTS will remain under contract within the OPTS structure.
5. NYS-OPTS Real Choice Systems Transformation Grant Update
As
New York
State welcomed new Governor Eliot Spitzer and Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter was confirmed to lead OMRDD, work continued in earnest on the strategic planning process for the $2.86 million NYS-OPTS Real Choice Systems Transformation grant that OMRDD was awarded from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The grant Steering Committee, which consisted of individuals with developmental disabilities, family members, provider associations, providers, advocates, and collaborating agency representatives drawn from the existing NYS-OPTS and NYS-CARES stakeholder groups gathered in Albany on December 7, 2006 in Albany, New York. Attendees received an overview of the grant and the three goals selected by
New York
State as well as an introduction to the strategic planning process and a discussion of the topic areas that each subcommittee would cover. During this meeting, Steering Committee members also self-selected into one of three subcommittees centered around each of the goal areas -- Choice and Control; Funding; and Housing with Supports. Other key stakeholders and subject matter experts from the OMRDD service delivery system were also invited to serve on the subcommittees.
The draft strategic plan was created through a collaborative process, focused on components that would create the most effective systems transformation within the state, and utilized input received by the Steering Committee members and subcommittee members. In January and February 2007, the three subcommittees, with the input of additional stakeholder and content expert participation to ensure full community and agency representation, met to develop objectives, outcomes, strategies, action steps and outputs within each of the grant’s goal areas that would fuel systems change in
New York
State . Each subcommittee meeting was facilitated by independent consultants, with the Choice and Housing groups meeting four times and the Funding subcommittee meeting three times. Each subcommittee performed preparatory work for each meeting outside of the formal subcommittee meetings. The Evaluator for the project assisted with the creation of indicators during the last series of subcommittee meetings. On March 21, 2007, the Steering Committee met again, this time to review and give feedback on the objectives, outcomes, strategies, action steps, outputs, and indicators produced by all three of the subcommittees. Final review of the proposed draft Strategic Plan was solicited from Steering Committee and Subcommittee participants prior to CMS submission on April 15, 2007. Ten days later, this draft plan was presented to CMS representatives by OMRDD staff in
Baltimore . Over the coming weeks, OMRDD staff will work to incorporate comments and feedback from CMS into the final plan which is due on June 15th. Following anticipated approval of the final plan from CMS by June 30th, the implementation phase of the grant will begin on July 1st. Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the final plan should contact Maryann Riviello, the grant project director at (518) 486-1152 or
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6. Brief Description of a Sample of Recently Approved Proposal(s)
Residential
Cerebral Palsy Associations of NYS (Metro, OPTS #169)
4 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – Supervised IRA Res Hab, Group Day Habilitation
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- This OPTS pilot proposal will develop two (2) two-person supervised IRAs for four (4) men with severe physical challenges. Two of the men currently live at home with their parents; the other two are now sharing one bedroom in an IRA. All four men use wheelchairs and require total support for their personal needs and for travel. In addition to providing IRA residential habilitation services to the four men, the proposal also provides for their day habilitation services in the form of day habilitation without walls. The location chosen for these two IRAs is very accessible and will allow these individuals to fully participate in the community in which they will be living.
Wildwood Inc. (Capital District, OPTS #197)
11 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) - Supervised Ira w/ Residential Habilitation
Target Implementation - To Be Determined
- Supervised IRA with Residential Habilitation for eleven individuals. This proposal will create a new fully accessible residence to replace the current aging residence. This will in-turn will increase the current availability of beds from ten to eleven. The new house will allow for ample space for therapies and socialization. This will be done through a team of 28 staff who will support the individuals in their journey to maximize their quality of life.
ANIBIC (Bernard Fineson, OPTS #173)
Retirement Community – 3rd Age Living Options Concept
20 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) - Supervised IRA, Supportive IRA, Group Day Habilitation
Target Implementation - To Be Determined
- Supervised IRA, Supportive IRA and Group Day Habilitation for 20 Individuals who are in need of services beyond their current placement but do not require a skilled nursing facility. This community will be made up of studio and two bedroom apartments and provide staffing and resources to cater to the individuals changing physical, emotional and health needs which will allow them to have a comfortable retirement. Services provided will include a day program, dietary counseling and residential habilitation.
Mountain
Lake Services (Sunmount, OPTS #235)
121 Individuals
OPTS Service (s) – Supervised IRA, Comprehensive Supervised IRA, and Respite.
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- This is a comprehensive proposal from
Mountain
Lake services to “right-size” the Agency’s ten (10) large IRAs. The need to meet the growing employment needs of consumers in the western part of the county is also addressed in the proposal by the development of residential services in the
Lake Placid area. In the agency’s endeavor to meet specific needs of individuals with development disabilities throughout
Essex
County , the agency will also expand its respite service capability by offering additional residential opportunities, thereby reducing its waiting list.
Young Adult Institute (
Long Island , OPTS #324)
6 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) - Supervised IRA
Target Implementation - To Be Determined
- Supervised IRA with Residential Habilitation for six individuals would prefer to reside with their peers in a community responsive to their needs. Services will include enhanced nursing, psychology and nutritional supports to provide training/teaching plans and oversight to the individuals on a daily basis. The design of this residence will allow the individuals to have their own bedrooms and quite space. This will foster a home like environment which will allow them to work on their own personal growth and development.
NYS Association for
Retarded
Children-
Erie
County Chapter (Heritage Centers)
(
Western DDSO , OPTS #361)
12 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – Supervised IRA Res Hab
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- This proposal will create an Individualized Residential Alternative for four young men who have requested to live together in the
Tonawanda area close to their families. Three of these young men are currently living at home; the fourth lives in an IRA in
Buffalo . All four of these young men have behavioral issues at home, at school, and in the community, and all four will be transitioning from their current school setting into a vocational or day habilitation setting. This proposal will provide these individuals with the strong behavioral supports and skill building they need to enable them to become increasingly independent.
The ARC of
Schuyler
County , (
Finger Lakes OPTS #397)
37 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) - Supervised IRA with Residential Habilitation
Implementation Date - To Be Determined
- This proposal will convert three large Residential Programs into seven small individual residential alternatives. These new smaller residences will provide each individual with a private bedroom and increased access to bathroom, staffing and transportation. Each residence will have staff on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to support the needs of the individuals and they will also have a LPN or medical support assigned to them. The goal is to create an environment to provide services and supports tailored to each individual’s wants and needs.
UCP of Suffolk, (
Long Island , OPTS #456)
6 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) - Supervised IRA with Residential Habilitation
Implementation Date - To Be Determined
- The referenced proposal is a Supervised IRA with Residential Habilitation for six individuals who share similar interests with the goal of providing a stable residential environment. Services that will be offered will include adequate staffing to assist will all activities of daily living, community integration designed to increase independence and socialization, increased opportunities for higher education and training opportunities designed to improve access to competitive employment.
Institute of Applied Human, Dynamics, (
Hudson
Valley OPTS #362)
13 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) - Supervised IRA with Residential Habilitation
Implementation Date: To Be Determined
- This proposal will create a Supervised IRA with Residential Habilitation for 13 individuals. The goal of the proposal is to provide a more home like environment with increased individualized supports. This will be done through a downsizing of one residence into two and increased staff ratio.
Another Step, Inc. (
Hudson Valley DDSO, OPTS #382)
5 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – Supervised IRA Residential Habilitation
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- This proposal will create a supervised IRA with residential habilitation that will allow for significant consumer choice and control for five consumers with 24 hour support needs. This home will incorporate a number of unique features including a compact among the consumers and Another Step, Inc. defining roles, rights and responsibilities of all parties, a social contract among the consumers defining the rules of interaction between the residents, and their rights and responsibilities within the home, and monthly meetings involving the consumers, their families, and the agency to discuss the operation of the home in the context of the compact and the social contract. Four of the women are currently living at home and are eager to start living in a place of their own. The fifth woman is now living in an IRA where she is not happy, and is looking forward to living with peers with whom she has common interests.
NYSARC – Erie County Chapter; dba: Heritage Centers (Sunmount, OPTS #276)
6 Individuals
OPTS Service (s) – Comprehensive Supervised IRA
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- The referenced proposal will be an Alternative Residence to a Nursing Home Placement that enables individuals to remain in their IRA and age with dignity. Services will include a customized day/residential habilitation program that will be designed to meet the needs of each individual. Services will include specialized staff geared towards the aging individuals, enhanced staffing, scheduling flexibility, and volunteer opportunities.
Ohel Bais Ezra, (
Brooklyn , OPTS #349)
3 Individuals
OPTS Service (s) – Supervised IRA
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- Ohel Bais Ezra will develop a 3 person individualized residential opportunity that will provide 24 hour supervision for three women in an apartment setting and will maximize their opportunities for choice, skill development and independence.
Saratoga Bridges (formerly Saratoga ARC)
Capital District DDSO, OPTS #428
5 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – Supervised IRA Res Hab
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- Through this proposal, Saratoga Bridges will develop a supervised IRA with residential habilitation for five (5) women who range in age from 22 to 38 years. These women are all looking for a residential environment where they are living with people with whom they have common interests, and with whom they may become friends. They are all very active, high functioning individuals who need support in many activities of daily living, including transportation, organization, nutrition, money management, community inclusion activities, and medical, clinical and psychological support. The appropriate support will enable them to become increasingly independent while at the same time providing them with a friendly, nurturing environment in which to live.
Ohel Bais Ezra (
Brooklyn DDSO, OPTS #370)
3 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – Supervised IRA Res Hab
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- This proposal will establish a twenty-four hour supervised IRA for three men in an apartment setting, and will maximize their opportunities for choice, skill development, and independence. All of these men are currently residing in much larger IRAs (ten and eleven beds), and are eager to live in a smaller, more normalized setting. This setting will foster increased independence as the men will be responsible for maintaining some areas of basic household responsibilities according to their abilities. The staff will provide oversight for the three men in the areas of social interaction, household management, ADL skills, medication management, health, safety and hygiene.
Lifetime Assistance, Inc.(
Finger Lakes , OPTS #250)
5 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – Supervised IRA Res Hab
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- This proposal will create a five bed supervised IRA with residential habilitation for five young men between 18 and 20 years old with Autism. Three of the young men have been living in a children’s IRA from which they are aging out, and the fourth is aging out of his foster care placement. The two young men not living in the children’s IRA attend school with one of the young men who does. All five of these young men evidence severe maladaptive behaviors that require that they have intensive staff oversight and frequent interventions. In order to accommodate the high levels of anxiety that each experiences in busy, noisy environments, each individual will have a separate space which will provide the quiet environment he needs to learn skills to enhance independence.
Non-Residential
Vanderheyden Hall, Inc.(Capital District, OPTS #417)
355 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – General Developmental Disabilities
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- In this proposal Vanderheyden Hall will work with other agency partners to develop a “Child/Adolescent Mobile Team” to assist families in the tri-county area (Albany, Schenectady and
Rensselaer
Counties ) who are experiencing a mental health or behavioral crisis. This assistance will be directed toward crisis stabilization and management to avoid hospitalization and/or law enforcement intervention. This OPTS proposal is designed to fund the services of a psychologist who will join other mental health professionals as part of a multi-disciplinary team prepared to offer services to families outside of normal business hours.
Allegany ARC (Western, OPTS #158)
Higher Education Program
3 Individuals
OPTS Service (s) - Group Day Habilitation and Blended Day Habilitation/Prevocational/Supported Employment (Blended D/P/S)
Target Implementation: To Be Determined
- The Higher Education Program will provide Group Day Habilitation and Blended Day Habilitation/Pre-vocational/Supported Employment (Blended DPS) for three individuals who will attend a college of their choice. The services to be offered will include assistance for each individual while in college including assisting individuals with note taking in class as well as helping them transcribe their papers and complete their homework assignments. The goal is to for each individual to successfully complete their chosen academic path.
HASC Center, Inc (
Brooklyn , OPTS #351)
22 Individuals
OPTS Service (s) - Blended Day Hab/ Pre-Vocational, and Group Day Hab
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- The referenced proposal will provide Blended Day-Hab/Pre Voc and Group Day-Hab for 22 individuals. The new program design offers the opportunity to blend program models or offer more intensive supports.
The Arc Otsego (Broome, OPTS #395
15 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – Blended Day Habilitation/Prevocational Services
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- Through this proposal, the Arc Otsego will develop a Center for Self-Expression where each person has the ability to create and follow a schedule designed to meet his or her wants, needs, and dreams. Individuals will select their activities from a menu developed based on their expressed desires including the arts, career exploration, physical activities, personal development, therapeutic service and socialization. These activities will often involve other community partners, including local colleges, and education centers. This project will also include development of a gallery where individual’s work may be displayed and sold.
Modest Community Services Association (
Staten Island , OPTS #198)
10 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – Blended Day Habilitation / Prevocational
Target Implementation – To Be Determined
- This proposal will create a program for ten (10) individuals that will combine a day habilitation without walls with prevocational services to provide a blended service that will advance the participants’ independent skills. Consumers will have the opportunity to volunteer and work in realistic work environments, learn to travel on public transportation, receive training in interpersonal and employment skill development, and participate in a variety of other activities of interest to them, including computers, writing poetry, abstract painting, playing musical instruments, dancing, attending cultural and sporting events and participating in other community integration activities of their choosing.
Community Mainstreaming Associates, Inc. (
Long Island , OPTS #294)
20 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) - Blended Prevocational/Supported Employment
Implementation Date: To Be Determined
- Blended prevocational services and supported employment for 20 individuals who currently live in a residential program on
Long Island . Some services will take place on the site of a separate business entity “Sweet Comfort Bakery and Café”. Individuals will receive vocational assessment; job training and intensive and ongoing Supported employment services. Successful completion will be measured by job attendance and work performance.
COARC (Taconic, OPTS #398)
81 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) - Blended Day Habilitation/Prevocational Services
Implementation Date: To Be Determined
- This provider will blend Day Habilitation and Prevocational services for 81 individuals. The program will allow participating individuals the opportunity to improve their work readiness skill and earning potential. This will be done through classroom training where the individuals can improve skills on Appearance, Communication, Attitudes and Behavior.
6. DDSO OPTS Liaison Contacts
Bernard Fineson - Ronald Kassover (718) 217-5894
Bernard Fineson - Sheila Green-Gholson (718) 217-6117
Bernard Fineson – Carolyn Adams 718) 217-5596
Brooklyn – Michael Gilbert (718) 642-8546
Brooklyn - Donna Limiti (718) 642-8584
Brooklyn – Janet Strauss (718) 642-8629
Broome – Sandra Beach (607) 770-0248
Broome – Joe Mahon (607) 770-0232
Capital District - Donald Going (518) 486-1313
Central New York - Judith Luyben (315) 473-6654
Finger Lakes - Patricia Barry (585) 461-8826
Hudson
Valley - Virginia Leone (845) 947-6333
Hudson
Valley – Eileen Wood (845) 344-6530
Hudson
Valley – Ira Rothenstein (914) 332-8957
Long Island - Lois Kilkenny (631) 493-1745
Long Island - Deborah Hammargren (631) 493-1812
Metro
New York (Metro) – Lisa Pesante (718) 430-0474
Metro New York (
Bronx ) – Patricia Schuckle (718) 430-0847
Metro New York (
Manhattan ) - Janet Zampella (212) 229-3215
Staten
Island - Richard Monck (718) 983-5232
Staten
Island - Barbara Schubert (718) 982-1904
Sunmount - Paul Chartier (518) 359-2962
Sunmount - Jacci Gardner (518) 359-2962
Taconic - Robert Slawinski (845) 473-5050 x 151
Taconic - Gabrielle Canino (845) 473-5050 x 129
Western New York – Bonnie Evert * (716) 517-3456
Western New York - Richard Mahaney (716) 517-2144
*new
7. Information Sharing
We encourage you to share the information in this message with individuals who are interested in knowing more about recent activities associated with the NYS OPTS initiative.
8. Why You May Receive Multiple Copies of this Message
This message is being sent to individuals on several distribution lists. If you appear on more than one of the distribution lists being used, you will receive multiple copies of this message. This message is being distributed to:
OPTS Steering Committee OPTS Consumer and Family Subcommittee
OPTS Implementation Subcommittee OPTS Provider Subcommittee
FSS Statewide Advisory Committee Provider Associations
Provider Council Parent-to-Parent Liaison
Self Advocate Liaison Multicultural Providers
DDSO Directors Central Office Leadership Team
DDSO and Central Office OPTS Point People/Liaisons
The
New York
State Cares Advisory Committee
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