Newsletter Fall 2013 - Coastal Plains Community Center

Coastal
Plains
Fall, 2013
SUN
Coastal Plains Community Center
Coastal Plains Rolls Out
Integrated Care In 3 Clinics
Consumers are now able to access primary health care at three
Coastal Plains’ clinics. Community
Action Corporation of South Texas
(CACOST) now provides the
services in Coastal Plains’ clinics in
Alice, Taft and Kingsville.
To date over 520 consumers have
registered for healthcare services.
These medical services are being
made available free of charge to Physicians’ Assistant Harold Hill preuninsured or underinsured consum- pares to see patients in the Taft Clinic.
ers through funding from the 1115
Waiver program which allows local money
to draw down matching federal dollars.
“I am very excited about our project,”
states Integrated Service Director Leo
Trejo. “We had some growing pains in
working with physicians’ assistants and
psychiatrists under one roof, but overall
Nurse Practitioner Kelli Hubert
things have gotten better.”
an examination at the
“We had our first primary care clinic in conducts
Kingsville Clinic.
th
Alice on September 9 , and since then we
have provided primary care services to over 200 Coastal Plains patients who prior to our program couldn’t afford these services.”
Medical navigators were hired for the program during the summer,
according to Essential Services Director Barbara Giovannone. The
navigators had the job of enrolling consumers, making appointments,
arranging transportation, etc. They did that by targeting individuals who
did not have a payer source and did not have primary care physicians.
“We really have to give the navigators a lot of credit for this startup,”
states Giovannone. “They were very focused in getting this up and
running.”
In conjunction with the Integrated Care Program, the Texas Department of Transportation awarded Coastal Plains a $20,000 transportation credit for the exclusive use of consumers enrolled in the integrated
care program for use from their homes to the clinics.
The Beeville clinic is expected to begin offering primary care during
the month of January.
Cortez Named
Elaine Farmer
Award Recipient
Raul Cortez of
the Kingsville IDD
(Intellectual and
Dev elopmental
Disabilities) Center was presented
with the 2013
Elaine Farmer Self-Advocacy
Award during a Halloween celebration October 30th.
Consumers from all nine
Coastal Plains’ counties attended the celebration, which
was held at Rob and Bessie
Welder Park near Sinton.
One IDD consumer is chosen
each year to receive the award.
It is presented to the consumer
who best exemplifies selfdetermination in learning the
skills necessary to live independently and advocate for him
or herself.
Kingsville Human Service
Technician Natalie Olivarez
nominated Raul for the award.
Raul, who lived with his mother,
was faced with many obstacles
when his mother was placed in a
nursing home. Struggling with
his own health problems, Raul
was forced to rely on other family members for temporary housing. He moved several times,
staying for short periods with
different family members.
Continued on Pg. 2
Coastal Plains Sun - Fall, 2013
Direct Support Professionals
Honored During IDD Consortium
Direct support professionals from across the state
were honored during this year’s IDD (Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities) consortium meeting in September. The meeting coincided with the Texas legislature’s designation of the week of September 8th as
Direct Support Professionals Week.
Coastal Plains’ Human Service Technician Elida
Peralta was among those honored. Each center was
asked to highlight one direct care professional for his or
her contribution in providing the support necessary to
allow persons with disabilities to live meaningful,
productive lives while remaining in the community.
Peralta works in the Home and Community-based
Services (HCS) program at the Beeville women’s group
home. HCS Assistant Director Sylvia Acevedo describes Peralta as a dedicated professional. Although
Beeville group home resident Genever Ware (left)
helps Elida Peralta clean up the kitchen after the
Peralta works the weekend shift, she has “jumped in” to
evening meal.
ensure weekday coverage at the home during staffing
shortages, states Acevedo. “Her adaptability allows the Center to continue to provide quality care for
those living in the home,” Acevedo adds.
“I like the weekend shift because I still have a child at home,” states Peralta. “Working weekends
allows me to take care of both my family and my group home family.” Peralta has worked with persons with special needs for over 20 years.
“I tell the ladies at the home that we are a family and like every family there is a different mix of
personalities,” she states. “It requires patience and the ability to adjust – just like any family.”
Cortez Named Elaine Farmer Award Recipient …..
Continued From Pg. 1
“This past year Raul has learned to be independent and do for himself,” states Olivarez. “He now
lives in his own rental home.” Raul suffered a heart attack earlier this year. He was released from
the hospital with instructions to follow a strict diet and exercise routine. “He has gone from daily insulin injections to controlling his diabetes with diet, exercise and oral medication,” states Olivarez.
“Raul’s bicycle is his method of transportation and exercise,” Olivarez adds. He rides his bike to
see his mother in her nursing home, taking her breakfast tacos when he visits.” He has gone from
being taken care of to being a caretaker for his mother. “Seeing first-hand what he has endured
with his health and how many changes he has made in his life qualifies him for the Elaine Farmer
Self-Determination Award.”
Other nominees for the award included Billy Barrera, Alice Center; Edith Chancy, Beeville Center;
Omar Navarro, Falfurrias Center; and Marguerita “Maggie” Youth, Taft Center. “All the nominees
made significant progress toward the goal of independence and self-determination,” states IDD Director Virginia Peña.
The award is named for Elaine Farmer whose career as an advocate for persons with intellectual
and developmental disabilities spanned more than 35 years. Farmer served as director of quality
management for Coastal Plains until her retirement in 2002. Following retirement she volunteered
with the Coastal Bend Advocates until her death in 2006.
Page 2
Coastal Plains Sun - Fall, 2013
Coastal Plains’ Veterans
Honored Throughout Clinics
Veterans Day may not have been a scheduled holiday for
Coastal Plains’ employees. However, Coastal Plains Veterans Adjustment Specialist Jaime Cantu reminds employees
that Veterans Day isn’t about taking the day off to relax.
An unknown author defined a veteran as someone who,
at one point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America” for an amount of “up
to and including my life”.
“Veterans Day is about taking time to recognize and say
thanks to a group of individuals who gave a period of their
lives so that we can live ours in the manner that we chose”,
Cantu writes in an email to all Coastal Plains employees.
And that is exactly what Coastal Plains did this past Veter- Army Veteran Estella Rocha is presented with a
“challenge coin” by Executive Director
ans Day. All Coastal Plains’ military veterans were honored silver
Mark Durand during the Center’s Veterans Day
th
with a breakfast on November 11 . Employees at each breakfast.
location met to honor the veterans working in that location.
Each of the Center’s 9 veterans was presented with a silver military
challenge coin engraved with the branch of service in which they served.
In addition, all veterans were awarded 4 hours of paid leave time for the
afternoon of Nov. 11th, allowing them to attend various ceremonies and
activities honoring veterans.
Coastal Plains’ military veterans and the branch in which they served are
listed below by worksite location:
Portland
Estella Rocha
Army
Beeville
Juan Hinojosa
Juan Jimenez
Photo to Left: Army veteran Joe
Lozano during his active duty
days from 1962 thru 1968.
Army
Marines
Alice
Art Godines
Vicente Enriquez
Jose “Joe” Lozano
Letty Pawelek
Navy
Army
Army
Army
Photo Below:
Coastal Plains
Mental Health Employment Coordinator Joe Lozano at his desk in
the Alice Clinic.
Lozano has been an active member of the American Legion for 40
years.
Kingsville
Jaime Cantu
Army
Taft
Jamie Scott
Army
Page 3
Coastal Plains Sun - Fall, 2013
Change Impacts Everyone
By Mark Durand
Executive Director
You only need to read the newspaper headline to realize how change can
totally disrupt existing organization structures. Take the Affordable Care Act
(ACA) and the rollout of the market place enrollment system. The average
American citizen would most likely have the following beliefs or expectations regarding the implementation:
1. OK – you have had four years to get ready so the new systems are tested
and functional - right?
2. We are the most technologically advanced society on the face of the
planet so there should be no lack of talent to pull this off – right?
Mark Durand
Given these mindsets it is totally understandable that our expectations for success would be high,
hence the current level of dismay and negative press concerning our elected officials in Washington – on both sides of the isle.
What is demonstrated by the current fiasco is just how fragile our systems of care are and how
vulnerable they become under periods of change. This has great implications for us at Coastal
Plains Community Center. Not because we buy insurance at the market place. (We are exempt as
a self-funded entity.) However, we are under a period of tremendous change in our own systems.
Our contractual partners (DADS and DSHS) are attempting to evolve our systems of care with the
goal of providing improved care to more Texans. These are common goals shared by the Texas
Council of Community Centers and every employee of this Center.
I am bringing these issues to your attention because as your executive director I want you to be
mindful of how people feel about these changes. Fear of the unknown and uncertainty are natural
stress responses to change. Everyone will be impacted – managers, clinicians, consumers and
their families – everyone. So let us see if we can do a better job managing people’s “emotional” reactions to these changes within our own system. After all, it is what we do as an industry.
Managers: Our staff is very tenured. They possess a wealth of institutional knowledge, which can
provide a perspective of how we got here and what came before.
Clinicians: Encourage feedback from your consumers. Get them to express their concerns about
the changes. Remember, this is where the fed failed most miserably. They did not want to acknowledge or engage on the ACA’s pitfalls. Consumer complaints provide us with the best feedback possible. Slow down your contacts and take time with people. Nothing demonstrates your engagement more than your attention.
All Staff: Take every opportunity to engage families and the community about our efforts. Please
stress the potential for improvement and positive outcomes. People do not want to hear the logistical problems. Remember the attitude you project is the attitude you will wake up with. Celebrate
frequently even small increments of improvement.
Let us take a lesson learned by what we have observed on the national stage. Stalemates are
the outcome of argumentativeness and confrontation. Managing change involves cooperation and
compromise to address the hardships which are created by the change process.
Page 4
Coastal Plains Sun - Fall, 2013
Mental Health Peer Support Facilitator
Provides Insight For New Employees
Each quarter new Coastal Plains’ employees receive training on homicide, suicide and pharmacology. This past quarter a new training module was added to the curriculum.
Muriel Rouse, peer support provider for the Taft clinic, gave new employees a different way of looking at mental illness. She spoke to the
group as a consumer, allowing staff members to better understand
mental illness from a consumer’s perspective and to educate them
concerning the need for peer support.
“It is easier to tell someone you are a cancer survivor,” Rouse stated.
“You automatically get empathy and sympathy. But with a brain disorder
it is different. You just need to ‘suck it up and survive’”, she adds.
“When I was first diagnosed with a brain disorder the stigma was so
great that I went through denial,” she adds. “Following the diagnosis my
identity was shattered. I went from a professional woman to someone in
Muriel Rouse
treatment. Somewhere along the way you stigmatize yourself. You loose
your self-respect and your identity. I had to find a way to take a negative and turn it into a positive.”
Rouse found the way through education and support. She attended training to become a facilitator for the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP). She currently serves as the peer support provider at the Coastal Plains’ Taft clinic. “WRAP training gave me the tools I need to help not only myself, but provide support to others,” she states.
She challenged new Coastal Plains’ staffers to view every consumer as a unique person, to see
them as individuals not as their diagnosis. “When you work with someone in the clinic just treat
them as you would want to be treated – despite their background, despite what they look like, despite their diagnosis.”
“It is vital that we, as consumers, have hope,” she adds. “Through your work in the clinics and
with the peer support available to us that hope is possible.”
Rouse urged case managers to send consumers to the peer support groups available in each
clinic. “This is where they will get the skills and tools they need to take charge of their lives. And
they will work with others who know a little about how they feel. Maybe not exactly how they feel because we are all unique and different.”
United Way Campaign Now Underway At Coastal Plains
Coastal Plains is currently conducting the 2013 United Way Campaign. United Way
meetings are being conducted in conjunction with staff refresher training being held in
clinics throughout the Center’s 9 counties.
The staff development department of the Center conducts refresher training annually. This year’s
training began in November and will conclude in February.
The 2013 United Way campaign marks the 13th year of Coastal Plains’ participation. Staff may donate by payroll deduction or by a one-time gift. Payroll deduction will not begin until the campaign is
completed at the end of February or March.
Persons wishing to give may designate the exact organization to which they wish to give. Or the
funds can be designated for one of three broad categories including education, income or health.
United Way supports programs which meet such varied needs as affordable medications, services
for the homeless, counseling services, shelters for victims of domestic violence, aid to abused and
neglected children and much more.
Page 5
Coastal Plains Sun - Fall, 2013
IDD Consumers Celebrate
Halloween With Dance & Fun
They came from all over the nine counties served by
Coastal Plains Community Center. There was a witch, a soldier, Frankenstein, Lady GaGa – and best of all a DJ to provide music for the dance.
The occasion was the third annual Fall Festival and Halloween celebration for IDD (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) consumers. The event was held Wednesday, Oct.
30th, at the Rob and Bessie Welder Park near Sinton.
Games, prizes and dancing
were the order of the day. Sarahann Creech dressed as “Lady
GaGa” to win best female costume. Best male costume honors
went to Raul Hernandez for his
Frankenstein.
Danny Torres of the Beeville
Center served as DJ, providing
music throughout the event, which
lasted from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Members of The Knights of CoSarahann Creech & Raul Hernandez
lumbus Councils in Sinton and
Taft donated the food and grilled hamburgers for everyone in
attendance. HEB also donated food items for the event.
Far Left Photo:
Paul Polasek, Lino
DeLeon and Paul
Rick of The Knights
of Columbus prepare the pit to grill
hamburgers.
Near Left photo:
Laura Rios-Zamora
(in Halloween costume) decorates the
outdoor space for
the event.
The Coastal Plains Community
Center SUN is published quarterly by the Community Relations Department of Coastal
Plains. We are located at 200
Marriott Drive in Portland, TX.
You may contact Community Relations Coordinator Kay Pickett
at:
(361) 777-3991
[email protected]
Page 6
The Number To Call
When You Don’t Know
Who To Call
Your link to health and
community services.
A free help line
Answered 24 hours a
day - 7 days a week
Center Soon To Provide
Mental Health Services
At Spohn Clinic In Freer
Coastal Plains will soon have a
full-time case manager integrated
into Spohn Hospital’s medical
clinic in Freer.
Persons living in the Freer area
currently receive services in the
Alice Clinic. Making a case manager available in Freer will eliminate the hardship of travel for
those Coastal Plains’ consumers,
according to Coastal Plains Executive Director Mark Durand.
Placing a mental health case
manager in the Freer medical
clinic is part of the over-all goal of
integrated health care as provided
for by the 1115 Waiver program.
This program allows local money
to draw down matching federal
dollars in order to provide both
mental and medical health care at
the same point of service.
Funding from the 1115 Waiver
program makes it possible for
Coastal Plains to make medical
professionals available to provide
free medical services to consumers who are uninsured or underinsured. These services are currently being provided in Coastal
Plains’ clinics in Kingsville, Alice
and Taft.
The reverse will soon be done in
Freer. Making a dedicated mental
health case manager available to
both adults and children in the
Freer medical clinic.
OUR MISSION
Enhancing personal growth in
our community through support,
guidance, education
Coastal Plains Sun - Fall, 2013
Spot light on Voter Registration
By America Contreras
Quality Assurance Specialist
Voter Registration
Did you know that Coastal Plains Community Center is a
designated voter registration site? We are! This is why: In
1993 the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 was established to enhance voting opportunities for America citizens. Public assistance agencies were selected to become voter registration
sites. The Department of State Health Services centers were designated voter registration sites. Centers that provide services for
the disabled were selected “to ensure that the poor and persons
with disabilities, who do not have drivers’ licenses, would not be
excluded.”
So, how do you register to vote? Ask a staff member. They
should already provide this opportunity upon entry into services and
annually.
What are the requirements to register to vote? You must be 18
years of age or older. These are the other requirements: U.S.
citizen, not be a convicted felon, not be declared mentally incapacitated by a court of law and be a resident of the county where the
application for registration is made.
What do you need to register to vote? All consumers who
express a desire to register to vote can ask for a voter registration
form. As stated before, we will also provide you the opportunity at
admission and annually. There are new voter registration forms
this year and all the clinics have been provided these new forms!
Don't forget to fill the form out completely and mail it within
five (5) days. If you need help filling out the form, the Center staff
can also provide assistance if you request it. We can also mail it
for you to make sure that it is mailed within the five day time frame.
No one has to register to vote. Staff are going to ask people who
decline to register to sign a declination form because our agency
has to prove that we are providing people the opportunity to register.
If you have any questions about voting or registering to vote, you
can call: Office of the Texas Secretary of State toll-free number at
1-800-252-8683 or the local county voter registrar.
Remember, the new law passed in Texas requires people to
bring in some form of identification to vote, which usually has a
photograph. There are exemptions that you can apply for if you do
not have an I.D.
Voting is a right that we should all exercise! Ask for your voter
registration card today!
Abuse
Or Neglect
Report It
Abuse/Neglect
And Exploitation
All cases of suspected abuse,
neglect, or exploitation must be
verbally reported to the Texas
Department of Family and Protective Services no more than
one hour after the incident.
Abuso/Descuido
And Explotacion
Caso sospechosos de abuso,
descuido o explotacion deben
ser reportados verbalmente
dentro de una hora al Departamento de Familia Y Proteccion
servicios de Texas.
Call Toll Free
1-800-647-7418
RIGHTS
Know Your Rights!
It is important that everyone is
aware of their rights.
Es importante que todos sepan
sus derechos.
To make a complaint about services and treatment, contact
Andrea Tippit, Human Rights
Officer.
Si tiene una queja sobre los
servicios de esta agencia, llame
a Andrea Tippit, Oficina de Derechos Humanos.
Call (361) 777-3991
or
Toll Free 1-888-819-5312
Coastal Plains
24-Hour
Crisis Hot Line
1-800-841-6467
Page 7
We’re Here - Where You Live!
Live
Oak
Duval
Bee
Jim
Wells
Aransas
San Patricio
Kleberg
Kenedy
Home & Community-Based Services
may be contacted at our administrative
headquarters located at:
200 Marriott Dr. - Portland, TX 78374
361-777-3991
Or Toll Free at 1-888-819-5312
Visit our web site at www.cpmhmr.org
Aransas and San Patricio Counties
Taft Center for MH & IDD
201 Roots Ave.
Taft, TX 78390
361-528-4516
Brooks County
Falfurrias Center for MH & IDD
101 W. Potts
Falfurrias, TX 78355
361-325-9776/361-325-3673
Rockport Mental Health Clinic
620 E. Concho
Rockport, TX 78382-1446
361-727-0988
Jim Wells & Duval Counties
MH Satellite Office
1010 Commercial
Aransas Pass, TX 78336
Bee and Live Oak Counties
Beeville IDD Center
2808 Industrial Loop Blvd.
Beeville, TX 78102
361-358-8248
Beeville Mental Health Clinic
2808 Industrial Loop Blvd.
Beeville, TX 78102
361-358-8000
MH - Mental Health
IDD - Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
Coastal Plains Community Center
200 Marriott Drive
Portland, TX 78374
Alice Mental Health Clinic
614 W. Front St.
Alice, TX 78332
361-664-9587
Alice IDD Center
614 W. Front St.
Alice, TX 78332
361-664-9587
Kenedy and Kleberg Counties
Kingsville IDD Center.
1621 East Corral
Kingville, TX 78363
361-516-1067
Kingsville Mental Health Clinic
1621 East Corral
Kingsville, TX 78363
361-592-6481