OLMSTEAD UPDATE
On November 9, 2007 the following message was sent by Laurie Burgess and Ellie Shea-Delaney, from EOHHS:
Dear Members of the Systems Transformation Grant Subcommittees:
We are writing to invite you to participate on an exciting, newly created, short-term subcommittee of the Systems Transformation Grant, the Olmstead Plan group. In recent weeks, Governor Patrick has expressed a desire to have an updated Olmstead Plan delivered to his office by March 2008. In response to this request, we are implementing this Olmstead Planning process as an appropriate activity to be addressed under the auspices of our Systems Transformation work. We anticipate that the Olmstead Plan Subcommittee will work intensively to:
• create a draft work plan in concert with the Administration that outlines what we have accomplished since the first Olmstead Planning phase in 2003-2003, what we have yet to focus on or complete, and steps for doing so, and,
• assist with designing and orchestrating a public process for vetting the new plan.
As part of this process, we will be providing the Governor an update on progress made and current planning and implementation activities, as they relate to recommendations that were presented in the People’s Plan and the Enhancing Community Based Services Plan (ECBS Plan), two reports produced in 2002 and 2003. The update will also include our proposed strategy for how we will use the Systems Transformation Grant subcommittee process, engage the public, and produce a plan. The Governor has requested that we provide the progress update by December 1, 2007, that we solicit public input over the winter and early spring, and that we submit a plan by March 2008.
In order to accomplish this ambitious work we anticipate that this new Systems Transformation Grant subcommittee will begin meeting the third week in November and will meet intensively, every two weeks or more often, until we have submitted the plan. We would expect that those of you interested in participating on the subcommittee will be able to make a firm commitment to participation on this very important new group. We will also create a process to keep everyone involved with the Grant, but who are not able to commit to subcommittee attendance, apprised of the group’s progress.
The group met on November 19, 2007 and plans to meet roughly every other week.
Questions or concerns, contact:
Dede Alley at 617-442-4111, or dede@m-power.org
updated November 2007