March 2, 2022
The Office of Community Living (OCL) within the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (Department) has the following information below:

Announcements:

  • Serving Colorado through the Colorado Healthcare Corps

  • White House Announces New Actions to Address the Needs of People with Disabilities and Older Adults in Response to and Recovery from COVID-⁠19

  • February Issue of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Project Pulse Newsletter

Meetings:

  • In-Home Support Services (IHSS) Subcommittee

  • Children's Disability Advisory Committee (CDAC)

  • Direct Care Workforce Collaborative

  • Home Modification Stakeholder Engagement Meeting
Announcements

Serving Colorado through the Colorado Healthcare Corps
 
Our healthcare industry is experiencing a historic shortage of skilled workers to provide life-saving care. AmeriCorps was made for times like these! In partnership with Serve Colorado, Community Resource Center is recruiting individuals to serve with the Colorado Healthcare Corps.

AmeriCorps members serving with Healthcare Corps will receive:

  • A living allowance up to $30,200 distributed across 11 months

  • A monthly housing stipend (equal to 75% of the fair market value of a 1bd in the host site’s county), health care and access to mental health support,

  • A monthly child care stipend, and

  • An education award at the end of service up to $6,345 to repay student loans or for future education expenses (if age 55+, the education award can be transferred to a child/grandchild/foster child).

There is a high demand for Certified Nursing Assistants, Qualified Medication Administration Personnel, and Medical Assistants. Some positions may require specific certifications. Training will also be available for individuals interested in earning those certifications!

How to Apply or Register for an Information Session
Virtual information sessions will be available at 5 p.m. MT on Thursdays throughout the month of March. Interested individuals can find out more and sign up to serve here.

Colorado Healthcare Corps is supported by Governor Polis, Lt. Governor Primavera, Serve Colorado, Community Resource Center, AmeriCorps, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, and the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment.

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White House Announces New Actions to Address the Needs of
People with Disabilities and Older Adults in Response to and Recovery from COVID-⁠19

The White House released a Fact Sheet on Feb. 24, 2022, with new actions to address COVID-19 needs of people with disabilities and older people. Thursday's outlined steps to ensure people with disabilities and older individuals have access to COVID-19 testing, masks and other resources include:

  • Distributing masks to people with disabilities through community organizations and calling on states to aid in the effort.

  • Expanding HHS' Administration for Community Living’s Disability Information and Access Line to support people with disabilities who face difficulty using or cannot use a self-test. The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL), available at 1-888-677-1199, is launching a new initiative to support disabled individuals who need assistance using at-home tests distributed by the Administration or support in finding alternatives to at-home testing.

  • Releasing new COVID-19 testing guidance in American Sign Language. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released “How to Interpret Positive Self-Test Results” guidance in American Sign Language (ASL).

  • CDC is collaborating with partners across HHS to pursue key improvements for all COVID-19 guidance available on CDC’s website that cannot be accessed elsewhere: information in Braille, ASL translation, simplified text, and other alternative formats.

  • Re-upping efforts to develop new and accessible at-home coronavirus tests through the National Institutes of Health’s RADx program.

  • Incentivizing manufacturers to prioritize producing those tests and making both the products and their instructions accessible. A Request for Information (RFI) specifically asks manufacturers to prioritize the accessibility of at-home tests for people who are blind or visually impaired; individuals with physical, cognitive, or other disabilities; and individuals who need non-English language or literacy support.

  • Equipping schools with guidance and support to keep vulnerable students safe and learning in person. Parents can find additional support through local and regional Parent Training and Information Centers here and reach out for direct assistance, referrals to other organizations, and to gain skills to participate in the education and development of their children.

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February Issue of ARPA Project Pulse Newsletter 
 
The February issue of the ARPA Project Pulse Newsletter was sent February 28, and is now published on the ARPA Newsletter webpage. This issue focused on projects in the category Improve Crisis and Improve Crisis & Acute Services and contains information about upcoming stakeholder engagement opportunities as well as updates to the expanded ARPA website. If you have subscribed to the monthly ARPA Project Pulse Newsletter yet, click here to subscribe today!
Meetings

Please find meeting announcements listed below. Other meeting information is on the OCL Stakeholder Engagement webpage.

IHSS Subcommittee

The IHSS Subcommittee reviews IHSS topics, workgroup items, and updates. All interested stakeholders are welcome.

The next sessions will be held:

Tuesday, March 8, 2022
10-11 a.m. MT

Join by Google Meet:

Join by Phone:
1-321-805-3426, PIN: ‪563 206 019#

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Children's Disability Advisory Committee (CDAC)
 
The CDAC serves in an advisory capacity to the Department. It makes recommendations regarding issues related to benefits for children and youth with disabilities age 20 and younger, provider education interventions, and application of standards. All interested stakeholders are welcome.

Meeting information is on the Children’s Disability Advisory Committee webpage.

The next meeting will be held:
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. MT
 
Join by Google Meet:

Join by Phone:
1-650-667-2698, PIN: ‪194 068 900 #

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Direct Care Workforce Collaborative

Through the Direct Care Workforce Collaborative meeting, the Department works collaboratively with stakeholders to identify and move forward strategies to support the recruitment and retention of Colorado's direct care workforce. All interested stakeholders are welcome.

Further information is on the Direct Care Workforce Collaborative webpage.

The next meeting will be held:
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
10-11:30 a.m. MT
 
Join by Zoom:
Meeting ID: 993 1700 7314, Passcode: 396389

Join by Phone:
(Toll-free) 1-877-853-5257

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Home Modification Stakeholder Engagement Meeting
 
The Home Modification Stakeholder Engagement Meetings are held with the intention of improving current home modification processes to better align with industry best practices and to increase the accessibility and equitability of home modifications across all Health First Colorado waivers.

All interested stakeholders are welcome to join the meetings.

For more information, see the Home Modification Stakeholder Engagement Meetings section of the Home Modification Benefit webpage.

The next meeting will be held:
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
1-2 p.m. MT
 
Join by Google Meet:

Join by Phone:
1-617-675-4444, PIN: ‪318 455 784 5737 #

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Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request for persons with disabilities. Auxiliary aids and services for individuals with disabilities and language services for individuals whose first language is not English may be provided upon request. Please notify John Barry at 303-866-3173 or John.R.Barry@state.co.us or the 504/ADA Coordinator at hcpf504ada@state.co.us at least one week prior to the meeting to make arrangements.
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