Colorado Respite Coalition

Quarterly Meeting Minutes

November 19, 2015

Page 1 of 4

Location: Easter Seals Colorado, 5755 W. Alameda, Lakewood, CO 80226

CRC Mission: Expand quality affordable respite options for Colorado families

CRC Web site: CRC has 180+ organizations like yours and together we are the “go to” entity for lifespan respite and caregiver resources. Please let us know if there are things missing on the website or from discussion. If you are a provider and have not signed onto the website, please do so as this will ensure that you will receive announcements regarding events as well as upcoming grant opportunities.

Next CRC Meeting: Wednesday, March 23, 2016 at the Family Schlessman YMCA

Individuals Present

/ Family or Organization Represented / CONTACT INFO
Janis De Baca / Haley House / 720 – 231 – 5268
Val Saiz / CRC cofounder and facilitator /
Meghan Baskett / Program manager, Colorado respite care program /
Jordan Anderson / Assistant to Meghan Baskett /
Marilyn Udeen / Development Pathways /
Claire Eades / Schlessman Family YMCA /
Damien Rosenberg / P A S C O / damian.rosenberg@pascohh.,
Brian Smock / Megan’s place /
Regina Dipadova by phone / Cheyenne Village /
Paula McIntyre by phone / Specialized Sitters /
Shelley Linnenberger by phone / Adoption exchange /
Cindy by phone / Support, Inc.
Paula Levy by phone / Daybreak, Woodland Park (Adult Day Program) / 719-687-3000
Claudette by phone / Region 10 Montrose

Introductions and Announcements

  • Brian Smock from Megan’s place distributed brochures. Megan’s place now has 19 employees and is a nonprofit respite center for children, ages 3-18 with physical and developmental disabilities. They can accommodate full-time, part-time, and as needed care. They accept the CES waiver. Private pay rates range from $10-$20 an hour. They will begin a nonprofit arm of Megan’s place that will be able to accept donations so they can accommodate free or reduced respite care. They are also planning to open a new Center-based program in the Littleton area.
  • Paula from Daybreak in Woodland Park to CRC. She joined us by phone. Daybreak is a new respite until-based program that operates Monday through Friday, and specifically targets caregivers is the 1st formal day program in the community. They have a 1000 square foot house that can accommodate 5 people. It is staffed by certified nursing assistants, and other caregivers. They also have high school interns as part of their volunteer base. They are waiting for their Medicaid provider number, but are currently private pay. They also use the teller senior coalition voucher program which is available to their catchment area through the Pikes Peak Council of government. They provide hot lunch, and community engagement.
  • The Schlessman YMCA continues to offer their autism respite program to kids 3 to 10. They have a newly renovated building with lots of sensory friendly equipment. They are anticipating more space that will be sensory friendly. They have also been incorporating kids with autism into their typical child care programs and have had success. They have connected with the Autism Society of Colorado and will begin a Friday night out. They are also working with the Latino population. They will send out their 2016 schedule very soon.
  • Damien from PASCO announced that they continue to expand their in-home respite program. They continue to offer CNA training for parents and caregivers so that they can receive income for their caregiving.
  • Cindy with Support, Inc. Inquired about the idea of using vacant host home slots for respite needs. She will call Aurora Mental Health to see if you can establish a relationship. The group was unclear about how the state would approach this idea. Cindy would appreciate any information on how to do this.
  • Paul Steadman from To the Rescue reminded us of their commitment to provide a right a variety of services including respite to most of the Front Range. They accept waivers, Medicare, and private pay.

Colorado Respite Care Program (CRCP) update:

Collaboration Award:

  • The Colorado Respite Coalition/Colorado Respite Care Program received the Colorado Collaboration Award at a ceremony during the Colorado Nonprofit Association conference at the Denver Renaissance Hotel on October 29, 2015. Please see our Facebook page for photographs of our group and our

trophy. The award included $50,000 which will be used toward the sustainability of the Colorado Respite Care Program.

Trainings and legislative update:

  • We are beginning to participate more in the employer engagement process and have partnered with CDPHE (Colorado Department of Health and Environment). We presented information on caregiving and tools for caregiving at a luncheon there this month. It was a big hit!
  • We continue to support Jane Barton, who is the AARP Caregiving Ambassador as she continues to make her way across the state, providing valuable caregiving information to family caregivers, various nonprofits, religious groups, professionals, and disease specific organizations. We have more information if you would like to attend one of her sessions or if you would like to invite her to your agency.
  • AAA (Area Agency on Aging) is partnering with REST (Respite Education and Support Tools) from Chicago December 7th and 8th. REST is a train-the-trainer model. There may be a few slots available and if you’re interested please call Val or Megan for details. The cost is about $500 for the 2 day training. They would like a commitment from each trainer to provide training to 20 others in the community. Since the meeting we have been informed us that the REST training has been postponed until January or February.

Action Items:

  • CRCP is requesting input from the group regarding what trainings/partnerships you would like to see enhanced or added to what already exists.

New funding announcements:

  • Two new grant cycles will be announced soon. The 1st grant announcement is very similar to the others we have announced in the past.
  • The 2nd is a new program directed toward vouchers for individuals. Families will ask CRC for respite voucher. If awarded, they will be provided with a list of agencies that are approved/registered with CRCP. CRCP will reimburse the agency not the family member. The same rules for fingerprinting and background checks apply. The voucher must be used by the family within 90 days. If you are an agency that would like to be considered for this grant, you will need to complete the grant application. It is for planned and emergency respite. If you do not provide emergency respite, does not lessen your opportunity to receive this grant. The rates will vary depending on the agency providing the respite. Janis volunteered to announce this grant to the PADCO and P2P list serves because individuals who are seeking respite can apply for this grant by contacting Meghan. We would appreciate your help in getting the word out about this new voucher program. Please call Meghan with questions regarding either of these voucher programs. Application is available on the CRC website. The grant will be awarded first come first serve.
  • A survey was sent out about 3 weeks ago to the membership asking for feedback about the grant process. Two of the main themes were 1) that it was limited to nonprofits. This exemption has been lifted and the grant program is now open to both for profit and nonprofit organizations. 2) The 2nd most common theme was that the grants required fingerprinting and background checks. This is something that we cannot do anything about because it is in the statue and would require policy change through the legislature.

Regional Coalition Updates:

  • The Southern Colorado Respite Coalition begun to meet every other month instead of quarterly. They have defined three pillars of purpose: provision of resources, outreach, and respite fairs. They co-hosted a successful respite fair the Arc in Pueblo County. Regina estimated that about 50 or more individuals and 10 respite agencies attended. Their goal is to have at least two fears per year. As a coalition, they’ve also made a goal of contacting 50 places to hand out cards and brochures regarding their coalition.
  • The Northern Colorado Respite Coalition has been meeting since April 2014. They are working more and more with community based services including Alzheimer’s and faith-based programs. They meet monthly
  • The Western Slope Colorado Respite Coalition has been meeting routinely. Specialized Sitters now has a presence in Grand Junction. The CCB “STRIVE” has been sending out flyers and information to family members in order to connect providers to respite. They will have their 1st parents night out this coming month. They will start by serving children hoping to reach out to adults as well in the future. They are partnering with faith communities
  • The Summit County Colorado Respite Coalition has recently formed and has made progress in securing grants from local organizations.