posted
on Monday, October 30, 2023
Information previously shared from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will host a series of listening sessions this fall for Iowans who receive community-based services to share their experiences with Iowa Medicaid leaders. Monday, November 6, 2023 is Waterloo's in-person meeting. Details below...
Waterloo, Monday 11/6, 5-6:30 PM
Hawkeye Community College, Adult Learning Center
120 Jefferson Street Waterloo, IA 50701
This series of events, called HOMEtown Conversations is part of the Hope and Opportunity in Many Environments (HOME) initiative to redesign Iowa’s Medicaid waiver system.
The sessions will take place in-person and virtually, in communities across Iowa in November. Iowans who wish to share feedback to improve the state’s community-based services are encouraged to attend.
Community-based services allow older Iowans and people with disabilities to receive care in their homes and communities rather than in an institution.
The focus of these sessions is to hear from Iowans who use community-based services, caregivers, advocates, service providers, case managers, and others. These invested Iowans will also hear from Medicaid leadership about the goals of the HOME initiative and updates about recent accomplishments and upcoming activities.
“Since the start of the HOME initiative, we’ve made seeking the input of Iowans a key priority in informing the direction, and we are excited to continue that commitment through our upcoming community conversations,” said Iowa Medicaid Director Elizabeth Matney. “We are looking to Iowans with experience navigating these services to help us make the right decisions and guide how we move forward.”
The HOME initiative began in late 2022 with a collaboration between partners at Mathematica and the Harkin Institute who evaluated Iowa’s community-based services and published an evaluation outlining recommendations for how Iowa can improve services. Using the recommendations in the evaluation, HHS created a transformation plan to guide next steps and implement suggested improvements.
HOMEtown Conversations Upcoming In-Person & Virtual Schedule:
- Waterloo, Monday 11/6, 5-6:30 PM
- Hawkeye Community College, Adult Learning Center
- 120 Jefferson Street Waterloo, IA 50701
- Marshalltown, Tuesday 11/7, 10:30 AM-noon
- Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum
- 20 West State Street, Marshalltown, IA 50158
- Cedar Rapids, Thursday 11/9, 11:30AM-1 PM
- Cedar Rapids Public Library, Whipple Auditorium
- 450 Fifth Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
- Dubuque, Thursday 11/9, 3:30-5 PM
- Carnegie-Stout Public Library
- 360 W 11th St, Dubuque, IA 52001
- Fort Dodge, Monday 11/13, noon-1:30 PM
- Fort Dodge Public Library
- 424 Central Ave, Fort Dodge, IA 50501
- Spencer, Tuesday 11/14, 4:30-6 PM
- Spencer Senior Center/Occasions
- 104 East 4th Street, Spencer, IA 51301
- Sioux City, Wednesday 11/15, noon-1:30 PM
- Siouxland Center for Active Generations
- 313 Cook Street, Sioux City, IA 51103
- Council Bluffs, Thursday 11/16, 1-2:30 PM
- YMCA Healthy Living Center/Senior Center
- 714 S Main St, Council Bluffs, IA 51503
- VIRTUAL, Tuesday 11/28, noon-1:30 PM
- VIRTUAL, Thursday 11/30, 4-5:30 PM (Spanish language event/ Español)
- VIRTUAL, Thursday 12/7, 4-5 PM (Medicaid Town Hall)
You may find more information by visiting the HOMETown Conversations website at: https://hhs.iowa.gov/ime/HOME/hometown-conversations. Links to join the virtual sessions will be released on this page the day of the session.
To learn more about the HOME initiative or sign up to attend a HOMEtown Conversation event, visit hhs.iowa.gov/ime/HOME or email iowahcbs@mathematica-mpr.com.