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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2004

CMS Media Affairs
(202) 690-6145

HHS Awards $31 Million in Grants to 31 States to Help Individuals with Disabilities and Older Adults

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced $31 million in grants to 31 states to help people with disabilities or long-term illnesses live in their homes and participate fully in community life.

"People with disabilities want access to high-quality services in the community they call home. These grants will help give them the independence to live at home and contribute to their communities," Secretary Thompson said.

The grants are a part of President Bush's "New Freedom Initiative," which promotes the goal of community living for individuals with disabilities and long-term illnesses. Under this initiative, which began in 2001, 10 federal agencies work with states and community organizations to remove barriers to community living.

"We are committed to removing the barriers preventing the 54 million Americans living with disabilities from leading full lives. These grants will help those living with disabilities make their own choices on what services they get, who provides those services and how and where to live," said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mark B. McClellan.

The grants awarded today help states and other eligible entities improve their home and community-based services programs. A total of 52 grants were awarded in nine categories:

  1. Quality assurance: Approximately $4.3 million to nine states (VT, NJ, NE, AR, AZ, FL, NH, MA, AK) to support quality assurance and quality improvement in home-and community-based services. The programs identify key quality indicators through input from consumers, family and other stakeholders.

  2. Integrating housing needs with other support systems: Approximately $6.7 million to eight states (NH, OR, PA, NC, DC, MS, VT, AR) to help coordinate housing with other long-term support needs. Housing models include foster group homes, affordable assisted living, supportive public housing, homeownership assistance, and community-based apartments.

  3. Screening, assessment and transition from children's services to adult services: A total of $1 million to Nebraska and the District of Columbia to support innovative practices in home- and community-based services for people transferring from children's services to adult services.

  4. Reform of long-term support systems: A total of $7.6 million to support Wisconsin and Vermont's efforts to further reform their long-term support systems. Wisconsin's wide-ranging reform includes planning grants to support local partnerships, "virtual resource centers" to provide information to individuals, and a multi-media campaign on financial planning. Vermont plans to integrate the financing and delivery of acute and long-term care services for older individuals and individuals with physical disabilities.

  5. Mental health systems reform: Approximately $3.3 million to 11 states (MA, NH, OR, MN, OK, NC, ME, VA, DE, PA, OH) to support consumer-directed, evidence-based practices such as illness management and recovery, assertive community treatment, and peer support programs.

  6. Rebalancing initiative: Approximately $2 million to seven states (IL, LA, ND, NC, MS, VA, TN) to help states prevent and correct inappropriate placement of individuals in institutions. Interventions include: development of single points of entry for individuals who are at risk of institutionalization, a coordinated transportation system, and comprehensive client assessment instruments and procedures.

  7. Living with Independence, Freedom, and Equality (LIFE) account feasibility and demonstration: Approximately $200,000 to Wisconsin and New Hampshire to study the feasibility of establishing a savings program for children and adults that would enable them to control their own Medicaid-funded community-based services.

  8. Family-to-family health care information and education centers: Approximately $1.5 million to private, not-for-profit entities in 10 states (NY, AZ, NC, MA, UT, WV, LA, KY, NM, ND) to develop and implement an information and referral network for parents of children with special health care needs.

  9. National State-to-State Technical Assistance Program for Community Living: Approximately $4 million to the Independent Living Research Utilization program in Texas to continue a program of individualized technical assistance to all grantees as well as resource development and information dissemination to benefit all grantees under the New Freedom Initiative.

Additional information is available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/newfreedom/accomplish2.pdf.

For more information on the New Freedom Initiative, visit the CMS Web site at www.cms.hhs.gov/newfreedom/default.asp.

FY 2004 Real Choice Systems Change Grant Awards

Portals from EPSDT to Adult Supports Grant Awardees

State

Organization

FY2004 Award

NE

Nebraska Dept. of Health & Human Services

$500,000

DC

District of Columbia, Dept. of Mental Health

$499,649

$999,649

Family to Family Health Care Information & Education Center Grant Awardees

State

Organization

FY2004 Award

NY

Parent to Parent of New York, Inc.

$150,000

AZ

Raising Special Kids

$150,000

NC

Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center

$150,000

MA

Federation for Children with Special Needs

$150,000

UT

Utah Parent Center

$150,000

WV

WUPTI, Inc.

$150,000

LA

Family Voices of Louisiana, Inc.

$150,000

KY

The Arc of Kentucky, Inc.

$150,000

NM

Parents Reaching Out for Help, Inc.

$150,000

ND

Family Voices of North Dakota, Inc.

$150,000

$1,500,000

Quality Assurance & Quality Improvement in HCBS Grant Awardees

State

Organization

FY2004 Award

VT

Agency of Human Services, Dept. of Aging

$499,709

NJ

NJ Dept. of Human Services

$475,000

NE

NE Dept. of Health & Human Services

$470,000

AR

AR Depart. Of Human Services

$500,000

AZ

AZ Dept. of Economic Security

$500,000

FL

FL Depart. Of Children & Families

$475,000

NH

NH Dept. of Health & Human Services

$498,988

MA

University of Massachusetts Medical School

$499,226

AK

AK Dept. Of Health & Social Services

$417,849

$4,335,772

Rebalancing Grant Awardees

State

Organization

FY2004 Award

IL

IL Dept. of Aging

$300,000

LA

LA Dept. of Health & Hospitals

$300,000

ND

State of North Dakota

$300,000

NC

NC Dept. of Health & Human Services

$249,500

MS

Mississippi Dept. of Mental Health

$282,700

VA

Partnership for People with Disabilities

$300,000

TN

State of Tennessee, Bureau of TENNCARE

$291,382

$2,023,582

LIFE Accounts Feasibility and Demonstration Grant Awardees

State

Organization

FY2004 Award

WI

State of Wisconsin Dept. of Health & Family Services

$100,000

NH

University of New Hampshire

$ 99,999

$199,999

Comprehensive Systems Reform Grant Awardees

State

Organization

FY2004 Award

WI

State of Wisconsin Dept. of Health & Family Services

$5,500,000

VT

State of Vermont Office of Health Access

$2,089,863

$7,589,863

Integrating Long Term Supports with Affordable Housing Grant Awardees

State

Organization

FY2004 Award

NH

University of New Hampshire

$899,954

OR

State of Oregon Dept. of Human Services

$828,232

PA

Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform

$893,340

NC

NC Dept. of Health & Human Services

$775,123

DC

District of Columbia Dept. of Mental Health

$812,004

MS

University of Southern Mississippi

$720,000

VT

Vermont Agency for Human Services

$900,000

AR

Department of Human Services

$900,000

$6,728,653

Mental Health: Systems Transformation Grant Awardees

State

Organization

FY2004 Award

MA

University of Massachusetts medical School

$300,000

NH

State of New Hampshire, Div. Of Behavioral Health

$300,000

OR

Portland State University

$300,000

MN

Minnesota Dept. of Human Services

$300,000

OK

Oklahoma Dept. of Mental Health & Substance Abuse

$299,820

NC

NC Dept. of Health & Human Services

$293,769

ME

Maine Dept. of Health & Human Services

$262,318

VA

Virginia Dept. of Mental Health, Mental Retardation & Substance Abuse

$300,000

DE

Delaware Dept. of Services for Youth & Their Families

$300,000

PA

PA Dept. of Public Welfare

$300,000

OH

Ohio Dept. of Mental Health

$300,000

$3,255,907

National State-to-State Technical Assistance Program Grant Awardee

State

Organization

FY2004 Award

TX

Independent Living Research Utilization (I.L.R.U)

$4,000,000

$4,000,000

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Last Revised: October 6, 2004

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