Proposal from the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging
Groups to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for:
Wisconsin Family Care Consumer Corps Training
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Organization Name: Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups
Address: 2850 Dairy Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53718-6751
Executive Director: Tom Frazier
Contact: Kris Krasnowski, Director of Development & Community
Relations
E-mail: kkrasnowski@cwag.org
Phone Number: (608) 224-0606
Fax Number: (608) 224-0607
Web site: www.cwag.org (Exit
DHS)
Project Objective:
The Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups (CWAG) requests funding to launch
the Family Care Consumer Corps campaign to educate Wisconsin citizens on
issues involved in implementing Wisconsin's Family Care long-term care
delivery system and mobilize them to provide input into the implementation
process. In addition to raising awareness of critical issues, we will work
toward the creation of an on-going means of educating and motivating older
people and people with disabilities to provide consumer input into the new
system.
Total Project Budget: $ 60,040
Project Duration: October 1, 2006 - September 30, 2007
Tax-exempt status: 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization
About CWAG:
The Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups (CWAG) was created as a result of
civic action on the part of older people in Wisconsin. In 1977, a group of
over 4,000 seniors marched on the state capitol in Madison asking the
governor and their legislators for provisions in the state budget for
senior centers, nutrition sites, long-term care, property tax relief, and
transportation services. They were successful. As a result, they
recognized that they needed to stay organized to be effective - and CWAG
was born. Twenty-nine years later, CWAG remains a movement, rather than an
institution. A non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization,
our mission is to educate and empower older people to advocate on issues
that concern them.
CWAG's role in Family Care - CWAG has long advocated a long-term care
system in Wisconsin that gave older people and people with disabilities
access to home and community based care options. Since 1986, CWAG members
worked tirelessly to increase funding for the Community Options and
Community Integration programs. In 1999, CWAG organized its members and
other groups to rally at the state capitol in support of a systemic change
in the way Wisconsin provides long-term care services to its citizens. The
result was the passage of Family Care legislation - the culmination of
over 20 years of advocacy for community-based long-term care options.
CWAG's role in educating and training advocates: the Wisconsin Senior
Statesmanship Program - An example of CWAG's commitment to civic
participation and education is the Wisconsin Senior Statesmanship program.
Each year, CWAG operates this program dedicated to education and
leadership development. Each intensive session brings groups of 20-25
people to Madison to learn about the operations of state government and
the Legislature and how they can play a role in the process. They leave
empowered to actively participate as informed citizens. Since 1980, there
have been over 850 graduates of the Senior Statesmanship Program. To build
on the program's success, we initiated the County Senior Statesmanship
Program in several counties to give participants an insider's look at the
operations of county government and how they can play a role at that level
of government. Also, as a result of the success of our flagship program,
we now offer a Graduate Senior Statesmanship Program for those who want
even more intensive training on specific issues and to work on their
public speaking skills so that they can effectively testify at pubic
hearings.
The Proposal:
Overwhelmingly, older people have told us that health and long-term care
issues top the list of their concerns. Because Governor Doyle has called
for the statewide expansion of Family Care and because CWAG has strongly
supported this expansion, we feel it critical that older people and people
with disabilities be educated and able to participate in the process of
structuring Family Care locally. Consumer input during the planning and
implementation phase will be critical to ensuring that the needs of all
citizens remain at the forefront. It is essential that consumers (older
people and people with disabilities) have a strong voice in each of the
multi-county regions during the implementation process. Educating
consumers on the issues that will shape the Family Care system regionally,
and identifying the opportunities for consumer participation in the
process (e.g., advisory committees, public meetings, etc.) are critical
components of successful implementation.
Building on our many years of experience operating the Senior
Statesmanship program, we propose to launch the Family Care Consumer Corps
to recruit consumers and train them to have a positive impact on the
outcome of the Family Care planning process. This will include intensive,
on-going education on the issues surrounding Family Care implementation,
organizing strategies that capitalize on opportunities for input and
leadership development to maintain regional citizen input during the
implementation phase. From its inception, Family Care has demonstrated a
great potential to provide consumer choice in receiving long-term care
services, and also cost-effective services from the state (Medicaid)
perspective. But consumers must be educated and ready to provide input at
the early stages of this statewide implementation to accomplish desired
outcomes. The Family Care Consumer Corps will provide that leadership.
Methods and Reach:
CWAG will work with partners in the aging and disability networks to
identify older people and people with disabilities who have an interest
and a stake in the Family Care implementation. We will hold one day-long
training session in each of the Family Care implementation regions where
participants will learn about the issues and the process for having input
into the development of the new system. We will follow up each one-day
session with a second session in each region where additional information
will be distributed and participants will hone their advocacy skills. We
will further maintain contact with participants alerting them to new
developments as the process unfolds.
We estimate that a minimum of 200 people will be directly involved in
this project (20 people per region x 10 regions).
Partners:
The following organizations have endorsed this proposal and have expressed
interest in partnering to help assures its success:
Disability Rights Wisconsin
Wisconsin Area Agencies on Aging
Wisconsin County & Tribal Offices on Aging
Wisconsin Counties Association
These organizations will work with CWAG to 1) recruit consumers; 2)
develop the curriculum; 3) identify key leaders, such as Human Service
Directors and others that should participate in the training program; and
4) evaluate and adjust the training as needed.
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Last Revised: December 16, 2008
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