Health & Science Story Archives - Page 8 of 317 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Lawmakers Question W.Va. PATH’s Progress

Lawmakers had questions Tuesday about a seven-year project to modernize West Virginia’s public assistance programs.

The program, called People’s Access To Help, or PATH, makes it easier for the public to access programs like Medicaid, food assistance and its child welfare system.

Secretary of the Department of Human Services (DoHS), Cynthia Persily testified during a meeting of the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability (LOCHHRA) about the cost and implementation of the program.

In 2017, West Virginia contracted with Optum to develop a system to help the agency efficiently manage public access.

The client portal became accessible in February 2020. According to Persily, the project’s progress remained consistent after the Child Welfare portion became operational in January 2023, streamlining data to support DoHS staff in investigating child welfare cases.

In April 2024, the Integrated Eligibility and Family Assistance service went live, followed by the Child Support services and Integrated Eligibility and Child Care services in July 2024.

These services allow West Virginians to determine and track their eligibility for assistance programs. They will also help DoHS staff manage child support workflows and process payments to providers who care for those with disabilities.

The base $308 million contract lasted six years, with optional one-year renewals for four years. Persily testified DoHS is in optional year two.

DoHS paid in portions as the vendor satisfactorily met benchmarks and has paid $103 million as of August 2024, Persily said. The federal portion is $89 million and $14 million is the state share.

“I suspect we’re going to get close to that amount in the design, development and implementation,” Persily said. “There are additional invoices, the additional benchmarks that were met.”

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (ACF), West Virginia is the only state with an operational Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS).

However, Persily testified on Tuesday the WV PATH system needs to be certified by the federal government.

“Different agencies from the federal government will have to certify this system,” Persily said. “We are not yet certified, but we are in the process of doing that, and that’s just a part of the normal process.”

Persily said the project contract has moved from the “implementation stage” to the “management and operation stage,” which will be handled by a “reorganized Management Information Services (MIS) department” within the Office of Shared Administration.

“We are reorganizing so that our MIS system has much more ownership of this project and can assist us with a number of the different functions,” Persily said. “So that will be helpful that will lower our costs going forward when we have in-house expertise and not paying vendors.”

During questioning by Sen. Vince Deeds R-Greenbrier, Persily said DoHS will prepare a request for proposal (RFP) when the contract with Optum reaches its 10th year.

“We will constantly (need) updates, constantly need security, and so we will need a vendor to continue with the project,” Persily said. “It will depend on who responds and wins the RFP.”

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.

Solar Panels And Supporting Residents With Developmental Disabilities, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, the Department of Human Services announced the hiring of West Virginia’s first statewide Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) coordinator last month. Susan File to discusses how she will assist residents with disabilities in her new role.

On this West Virginia Morning, the Department of Human Services announced the hiring of West Virginia’s first statewide Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) coordinator last month.

Appalachia Health News Reporter Emily Rice sat down with Susan File to discuss how she will assist residents with disabilities in her new role. Christina Mullins, commissioner for the state’s Bureau for Behavioral Health, also joined the conversation.

Plus, Pittsburgh-based public radio program The Allegheny Front brings us their latest story on solar panels, and the tax credits and rebates that many consumers are unaware of.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Home Care Provider Praises Disability Rate Increase

A national organization that works to improve the home care industry’s West Virginia Chapter says a higher reimbursement will help seniors and those with disabilities live in their homes with dignity.

A national organization that works to improve the home care industry in West Virginia is celebrating a rate increase that will help seniors and those with disabilities live in their homes longer and with greater dignity.

State officials announced Thursday that the Bureau for Medical Services (BMS) will increase reimbursement rates for home care waiver programs by 15 percent on October 1st.

West Virginia’s waiver programs include services for those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), the Aged and Disabled (AD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and the personal care (PC) state plan service.

These waiver programs were designed to connect people with disabilities to home healthcare workers and financial support, helping them live outside hospitals and institutions.

Eric Hicks, board president of the West Virginia Chapter of the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA-WV), said the funds will improve the industry’s workforce shortages.

“We’ll be able to pay a living wage and provide the management, leadership, training, nursing, oversight and the things that are necessary in order to make sure that the citizens in West Virginia have people that they can count on that have been properly trained and are getting continuous training to perform the services and provide the services that they need in order to remain safe in their own home,” Hicks said.

According to Hicks, the current reimbursement rate for caretakers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is $18.92 per hour. After October 1st, it will be $25.44.

During the last year, BMS officials have testified to legislative committees that there is a workforce crisis in the IDD program.

In 2023, an actuary firm called Myers and Stauffer LC was hired to conduct a rate study of BMS waiver programs by the agency formerly known as the Department of Health and Human Resources. The study recommended a $6.5 million rate increase for the IDD waiver program to hire and retain direct care professionals.

According to state officials, the 15 percent provider rate increase meets the recommendations of the study.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.

IDD Waiver Rate Raised 15 Percent After Years Of Advocacy

After years of advocacy, IDD providers were notified Thursday that the Bureau for Medical Services will increase their rates.

West Virginia’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Waiver program connects people with disabilities to home healthcare workers and financial support, helping them live outside hospitals and institutions.

According to a Wednesday afternoon press release from Gov. Jim Justice’s office, IDD providers were notified Thursday that the Bureau for Medical Services (BMS) will increase their waiver rates by 15 percent on Oct. 1.

During the last year, BMS officials have testified to legislative committees that there is a workforce crisis in the IDD program.

Gov. Justice addressed the rate increase during his weekly press briefing.

“We worked really, really hard at this,” Justice said. “We got the money, and a lot of people, you know, working, pulling the rope together.”

A waiver rate increase will also take effect in October for family support and personal care rates.

Justice also touted his administration’s efforts to clear the IDD waitlist during his tenure.

“When I got here, we had a terrible waitlist on IDD. It took a little while, but we completely cleared the waitlist,” he said. “Now we got a new one. So we’ve got some folks that are on this new waitlist that we have now, and a goal absolutely before I walk out the door is to clear the waitlist again.”

According to the press release, BMS will remove 50 IDD members from the waitlist, in addition to the 99 members who were removed from the waitlist on July 1, 2024.

BMS will monitor the results of increased rates on member access to services as well as worker pay and turnover rates to determine if the increased rates are improving rates and retention in the Bureau.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.

With Dog Bites Rising, USPS Preps W.Va. Mail Carriers For Risks

Kentucky and West Virginia reported 113 dog bites last fiscal year. This year, that number rose to 119. The United States Postal Service wants to better prepare workers.

This year, the number of dog bites on mail carriers in West Virginia and Kentucky is on the rise, according to Alan Lewis, United States Postal Service (USPS) safety manager for the two states.

The states reported 113 dog bites last fiscal year, which ended in September 2023. This fiscal year, that number has risen to 119, with more than a month to go.

“I need the customers to know that we’re providing a service for them,” Lewis said. “The only way we can provide that service is to be safe.”

For USPS, part of keeping workers safe is training them for the reality of encountering aggressive pets on their delivery routes.

This week, USPS brought trainer Hector Hernandez and his dog Chankla to post offices across the Mountain State to teach them the best practices for handling dogs.

During a Wednesday training session in Martinsburg, tens of Berkeley County mail carriers recounted experiences of being chased or bitten by aggressive dogs.

Robert Miller, a rural mail carrier who delivers to the greater Martinsburg community, said he’s been bit by three separate dogs at three separate households.

“No matter how much you train or try to prepare yourself, what I’ve learned from this experience is it happens so quick,” he said. “Most of the time you don’t have time to think.”

But Hernandez said it is important for mail carriers not to panic and take steps to keep themselves safe.

This includes not turning one’s back to an angry dog or putting an alternative item — like a hat or carrier bag — in their face to bite instead. As a last resort, mail carriers are also equipped with pepper spray and horns, which can be used to scare a dog away.

A volunteer demonstrates how to free up a hand and use pepper spray on an attacking dog during Wednesday’s training session.

*Photo Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Still, Hernandez said the issue often does not end with a dog. Pet owners, even those who let their dogs out unsupervised, can be protective over their animals, and even hostile to mail carriers who take steps to keep themselves safe.

During the training, Hernandez showed several videos of mail carriers getting violently confronted by residents for warding off angry dogs, even as they attempted to bite the workers.

Hernandez said mail carriers should not engage in altercations with residents, keep distance from angry pet owners and contact their supervisor or animal control to report instances where they feel unsafe.

“If ever you have to use pepper spray, make sure you have the supervisor, animal control or the police make contact with the owner so they do not retaliate against you,” he said. “That’s number one issue.”

Ultimately, Hernandez said it can be hard to train mail carriers for every possibility out there. Residents can own multiple dogs, or even be away from their homes when their dogs attack.

He said the most effective way to prevent injuries like these is by requiring residents to be more responsible over their pets. And, when a moral responsibility does not change a resident’s behavior, being notified of their legal liability in the event of a dog bite can also be effective.

“We have to manage and control them for the safety of not just the letter carriers, [but for] anyone who can go onto their property without permission — utility workers, police,” he said.

‘Period Poverty’: Reducing Barriers To Menstrual Product Access

Activists call barriers to accessing pads and tampons “period poverty.” They say its impact is felt across American life, from the classroom to the prison system. But some in West Virginia and beyond are working to change that.

Roughly one-third of American women have struggled to afford products like pads and tampons, according to a 2023 survey conducted by data analytics firm YouGov.

Activists call this barrier to access “period poverty.” They say its impact is felt across American life, from the classroom to the prison system.

Lacey Gero is director of government relations at the Alliance for Period Supplies, a nonprofit network working to expand access to period products nationwide. She spoke to reporter Jack Walker about the danger of period poverty, and efforts across the country to address it.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Walker: What exactly is “period poverty,” and how is it impacting lives across the United States?

Gero: 2 in 5 people have struggled to purchase period products, and that’s period poverty. It’s the inability to afford an adequate supply of period products to manage one’s menstrual cycle. What we see is that period poverty exacerbates this vicious cycle of poverty by forcing menstruators to withdraw from daily life, lose pay or miss educational opportunities — or even risk infections by using proxy products such as socks or toilet paper, or not changing products as often as needed.

Our organization, I’m sure you saw on the website, is a national network of individual nonprofits that are working in their local communities to address period poverty. Those individual nonprofits collect, warehouse and distribute period supplies, so they’re doing that on-the-ground work. We also do awareness raising, research and advocacy to truly target and eradicate the issue of period poverty in the U.S.

Walker: What are some reasons an individual might struggle to afford period products?

Gero: One of the reasons that period products can be difficult to access in the U.S. is the cost. They’re quite expensive for something that is basic, essential and needed by anyone who has a period. In some states, they’re even more expensive because they’re charged a sales tax on the products, which is the case in West Virginia. Additionally, period supplies are not covered by any government assistance program like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). It forces people that have periods to spend their own money on products, and that can sometimes be challenging, especially for young individuals.

Walker: I know one setting this plays out is in the classroom. Actually, just last year state lawmakers considered — but did not fully pass — a bill to provide free period products to all schools in West Virginia. Could you speak to how this issue is affecting students?

Gero: Definitely. We see that students are impacted by a lack of access to period products, and the impact on the educational setting is quite tremendous. A study was actually conducted by PERIOD, another national organization that we work closely with, and Thinx, and they worked together. … The first time the study was done was in 2021, and then it was repeated again in 2023. Both times, that study found that 1 in 4 students have struggled to purchase period products. So that’s caused them to miss school and class time because they don’t have the products they need. So they’re staying home, or maybe they’re in class, but they’re distracted thinking about where their next product will come from, or if they’ll have to use some sort of proxy item just to make it through that school day.

Walker: Obviously, this issue doesn’t just affect youth. I know your organization also advocates for expanding period product access in prisons and jails. Could you speak to that work, too?

Gero: Yeah, this is really complicated. There’s laws around period products and prisons across the country, but they vary in outline and implementation. Some states require that period products are available for those that are incarcerated, but they have to request them, or they have to pay for them at the commissary. Sometimes, they don’t say how much that’s going to be. So it’s quite a challenge across the country in many states where there’s this barrier to access. You don’t know if you’re going to get the adequate amount of period products that you need to get through your period. We’re even seeing and hearing in some states that this is causing an issue between guards, who might be the ones that have the products, and those that are incarcerated. It creates a kind of unequal balance of power for somebody who’s just trying to manage their period. So, not having that access in prisons is a health problem and it’s also a dignity problem.

Walker: Beyond just buying and distributing more period products, what are some solutions people are pursuing nationally to end period poverty?

Gero: At the federal level, there’s been a few bills that have been introduced. But the really big one, the comprehensive bill, is called the Menstrual Equity For All Act. It was introduced by Congresswoman Grace Meng. She’s been introducing this legislation for quite some time, and every year there’s another layer added, because we’re realizing that we need products. In addition to schools, we need them in shelters, we need them in prisons. This bill really works to comprehensively address that. It targets access in schools, prisons, shelters, public buildings, so it would provide funding for that.

Walker: And at the state level?

Gero: At the state level, we talked about schools. There are 28 states and D.C. that have passed bipartisan legislation to increase access to period products in schools. Then there are efforts across the country in the 20 states that still charge sales tax on period products to get rid of that tax so the items are seen as basic necessities and not luxury goods. I think that issue particularly is making people really frustrated, because it’s a very unfair tax that only one portion of the population has to pay.

For more information on period poverty and efforts to expand period product access, visit the Alliance for Period Supplies website.