"THE POINT" OnLine
Newsletter Archive
Spring 2002 - Volume 4 , Issue 1
Article Links Menu
Planting Chapters Making Roots Strong
MESSAGE
FROM
Olmstead
in Arkansas
****
Remember if you would like to submit an article
****
Please
send it to:
Arkansas People First
104 Arkansas Union
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703
(V) 479-757-4015 - (Cell) 479-409-3390 - Fax: 479-575-7445
Link here to e-mail at: peoplefirstark@yahoo.com
Arkansas
People First would like to dedicate
Planting Chapters Making Roots Strong
In
December 2001, APF hosted a state-wide training in Little Rock.
The training was set up to inform self-advocates and support people on
the top ten ways of how to get a People First chapter started in your town.
There
were over 50 participants at this training. Everyone at the training had a
chance to practice self-advocacy skills. Also
we held an actually People First Meeting for people to practice.
From
this training, we saw even more the individuality in each and every person.
Self-advocacy can empower people on an individual basis or as a group.
APF
want to empower people! The State
Coordinator and State Advisor, Julie and Kim, will be traveling around the state
and coming to your town to help water your roots.
In other words, help you get the chapter in your area going by talking
together, coming up with ideas and empowering each other.
We
want you to become part of our team!
Together
Everyone Achieves More!
MESSAGE
FROM
I
trust each of you had a great holiday.
The year 2001 ended as great as it started.
In December, APF held its first in a serious of the Top 10 lists. Plant
Your Roots the Top 10 Ways to Grow and Support a People First Chapter.
64 people attended.
The year 2002 started on January 2nd with the executive committee meeting
and on the 3rd a conference call where Susan Board talked about the phone tree.
Each Board member will have a chance to talk about a topic.
We are new in full speed planning our upcoming state conference June
21st-23rd.
I am very excited about each chapter having a specific role at the
conference.
Friday night a talent show, Saturday will have break out sessions and an
awards dinner that night.
We will finish the conference with a keynote speaker on Sunday morning.
This conference could be the
best one yet thanks to the membership of APF.
APF has taken another step of being leaders of grassroots advocacy
organization in Arkansas by holding a education session for our lawmakers.
This will happen sometime in September.
On December 5th, I attended a forum discussing at the Disability Rights
Center on the Medicaid problem and what we would do. The process of collecting
data from state agencies on these cuts to establish a strategic plan. We (the
DRC) also kicked-off the campaign against the cuts by holding meetings around
the state, rallies, press conferences, letter writing campaign and recruiting
other organizations to get involved.
I
urge each member of APF to get involved by talking and writing letters to your
Legislators.
Keep
Advocating,
Eric Treat
Olmstead
in Arkansas
February
a
publication of the Olmstead Coalition Volume
1, Num. 2
The
Budget Crunch
A
great deal has been happening lately with Arkansas’ healthcare system, due to
more than $142 Million in budget cuts from the state’s budget, of which more
than $33 Million will come out of the state’s Department of Human Services.
This will, of course, affect the state’s Medicaid program, in turn impacting
thousands of Arkansas families.
Many
consumers, advocates, parents and others have not taken the news lightly. For
them, it’s not so much that the programs are being reduced; it’s the way
they are being reduced and largely without their input. There has been a task
force put in place to review the
specifics of replacing TEFRA, but this was done after the decision to cut the
program was already made. Although DHS decided to hold out on cutting the
program, many parents who rely on it feel that the TEFRA Lite will end up
costing them plenty and encourage many parents to place their children in
institutions, which have no costs to the parents.
Some
advocates are worried that the attention on the budget crunch may cause problems
for the effort to get a workable Olmstead plan completed. So much attention has
been paid on saving programs under Medicaid, that the larger picture may be
neglected. However, another way of looking at it is that the glass is half full.
Most agree that community placement is cheaper than institutional placement. The
budget crunch may force the state to be more creative at looking at alternatives
to institutional placement. But this is not likely to happen without the
inspiration of advocates. Still, as strange as it may sound, this financially
worrisome time we’re in may actually offer some opportunity.
Recently,
the Disability Rights Center sent out more than 100 Freedom of Information Act
requests to various state agencies asking for information about the budget
reductions for each specific agency. To date, 64 entities have responded.
The
four reporting entities with the largest cuts are the Arkansas Department of
Education ($54.4 Million), Arkansas Department of Human Services ($33.4
Million), Arkansas Department of Corrections ($22.2 Million), and the Arkansas
Department of Higher Education ($14.2 Million). What is even more alarming about
the cuts at DHS, is that $31 Million of its $33.4 Million in cuts were to
divisions serving children.
Currently,
advocates continue to call for a special session. the Governor has stated that
he does not believe the cost of a special session is justified, but parents and
consumers continue to mount pressure. Many of them just do not see the fiscal
wisdom of adjusting a budget in areas that turn down a generous Federal match,
when other areas could be adjusted. Although in the grand scheme of things the
Governor’s Mansion does not have a large budget, it’s noteworthy that it has
not lost a dime.
PASS Grant
APF
is represented and serving on the advisory council to the PASS Grant.
We had our first meeting on February 20th.
What
is the PASS Grant?
Well, PASS stands for Personal Assistance Support Services and the grant
was awarded to the Division of Developmental Services by the Federal Government
as a part of President Bush’s freedom initiative and system change grants.
The
goals of the PASS Grant are:
1)
to enhance consumer self-advocacy.
2)
to improve quality of individual’s lives through
problems.
3)
explore new service delivery models to update
system.
So,
in easier words, teach people about Self-advocacy, make sure staff people are
valued and know how to work with us in the community, and make it easier to get
the things we need.
This
grant only focuses on people with developmental disabilities.
But if it works, we can apply it to ALL
Nothing
About us without us!
Julie Petty
Are
you an advisor or support person for a People First chapter?
Do
you want to be? Now available on the 2nd Monday of every month
For
more info please call Julie
People First Quick Link Menu
|Link to Statement of Beliefs| |Link to Mission and Goals| |Link to Local Chapters|
|Link to State Board Members| |Link to Announcements| |Link to Newsletters|
|Link to Calendar| |Link to Photo Album| |Link to Info and Resource Links|
|Link to Meet the Coordinator and State Advisor|
or
Link to People First Home Page Site Map
Arkansas People First
104 Arkansas Union
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703
(toll free) 1-888-488-6040 (V) 479-575-4015 - Fax: 870-488-8004
Link here to e-mail at: peoplefirstark@yahoo.com
Julie Petty, State Coordinator Kim Worlow, State Advisor Kim Pace, State Liason
Leon Oehlers, MS, CRC, Webmaster
Link here to e-mail Webmaster at: loehlers@rcep6.org
End of page.
2