Join us in supporting the #DisabilityCommunityAct, which protects access to critical long-term supports and services for people with I/DD by increasing federal Medicaid funding for I/DD services over a three-year period.
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Effective January 1, 2024 , Amerigroup will be changing their name to Wellpoint. There will be no impact or changes to members' healthcare benefits or coverage.
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will host a series of listening sessions called HOMEtown Conversations this fall for Iowans who receive community-based services to share their experiences with Iowa Medicaid leaders.
While we still have work to do, we're making some great progress. We're happy to share our early indicators are very promising. We've been able to reduce our DSP vacancy rate by half and holding steady. We'll continue to do everything in our power to retain our incredibly talented workforce.
Iowa will soon have three health insurance companies to help run its Medicaid program. Keep reading to learn more.
On March 31, the President announced the Proclamation on Care Workers Recognition Month, recognizing April 2023 as Care Workers Recognition Month and reiterating support for a $150 Billion investment in the HCBS program.
Together we make one ask - for additional state financial support to close the gap between DSPs and other entry-level jobs in order to attract and maintain quality DSPs.
My first foray into the field of community-based services was when my wife and I got a job in a group home for six people with intellectual disabilities. It was January of 1983, and it was also a crash course in the service system – as it was then – and really into a new and different culture. All those years ago workforce and staffing were among our most primary challenges. We often worked six days a week because we could not find the additional staff we needed. In the ensuing 38 years services have changed dramatically, but our workforce challenges have remained.
Governor Reynolds signed Executive Order 8 launching a new Child Care Task Force to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the child care shortage and barrier to work in Iowa. Mary Janssen, Regional Director for CCR&R of NE Iowa, has been named to this task force.
With the election nearing, we wanted to interview an EPI employee who spent some time as an election poll worker. See what she had to share on how she started this journey, what ways you can vote, and what to expect.
As a society we need to be critically invested in making sure organizations like EPI stay healthy for the people they support. We must continue to share their stories and tell our lawmakers they can no longer overlook people with disabilities and the critical services they rely upon.
I have been following The Courier's COVID-19 coverage and want to share the story of invisible but essential workers who are providing care and support for our neighbors with disabilities during this crisis.
Dan Levi, EPI board member and owner of Levi Architecture, was recently invited to speak in Washington, D.C. about the Black Hawk Country Child Care Coalition.
Learn about the comprehensive data tool that examines how well state Medicaid programs are serving residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing an annual ranking throughout all 50 states.
While voting at the polls can present challenges to some people we serve, it is our duty to make sure they can still do so.