DHHS Contracted Provider Call Provider Call
The quarterly provider call included housekeeping items such as availability of closed captions and recording of the meeting, with subsequent posting online. Key updates were provided by the Executive Director, Tracy Gruber, emphasizing the department's commitment to partnership with providers and ongoing efforts to review and simplify administrative rules. Significant discussion centered on the recent award of a large, five-year federal grant for rural health transformation, totaling $195.7 million for the first year, which will be distributed primarily through Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Grant Applications (RFGs) within the next six months. The executive director also highlighted components of the Governor's budget proposal related to various divisions, including funding requests for adoptions of hard-to-place children, the Baby Watch program, correctional health services, juvenile justice initiatives, and services for youth aging out of care with disabilities. Operational updates included introducing a new Lead Analyst for Division of Licensing and Background Checks focusing on DSPD and contracted human services providers, and announcing a virtual training session for the background check process scheduled for February 19th. The Division of Child and Family Services provided an update requesting licensees serving behavioral youth to contact specific personnel regarding procurement. The meeting concluded with a dedicated Question and Answer session addressing topics such as securing grant information and inquiring about future meeting schedules, including a CQI technical assistance call on March 3rd. A question regarding measles outbreak recommendations for congregate care shelters was also raised.