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One key concept emerged from navigating the pandemic over the past year — self care.


How can leaders of community providers across post-acute and human services navigate self care for themselves and their team members?


In this episode of Netsmart CareThreads, Sonnie Linebarger, Chief Operating Officer at Bristol Hospice, talks about how caregivers can maximize their effectiveness by prioritizing self care. Sonnie’s words of advice transcend all communities of care where clinicians are caring for the vulnerable in our society including mental health, addictions treatment, senior care, and home care.


Specifically, Sonnie discusses:
- What self care means (and doesn't mean) for caregivers
- Exploding the myth that self care is selfish
- How hospice leaders can model great self care for their team members


This discussion with Sonnie Linebarger was taken from our show Netsmart CareThreads. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.

Missed Developmental Disabilities Month in March? Don't worry – let’s continue the conversation together.


Individuals with developmental disabilities often face unique barriers that can make it challenging to fully connect to their communities. In order to create a more inclusive environment for all, whether that be regarding employment, social experiences or available resources, open and consistent communication is paramount. 


On a recent episode of the CareThreads podcast, Paige Rockers spoke with Sue Walker, Chief Program Officer, Hammer Residences, about the developmental disabilities community and how we can all create a more inclusive world together.


Barriers to Inclusion

Most barriers to inclusion are not as complex as we might imagine. But they're not easy to solve, either. Humans have an innate tendency to seek out people we feel comfortable with and have similar ways of interacting. When people appear, act or respond differently than us, we are inclined to feel uncomfortable or uncertain. This often sparks a gap that affects individuals with developmental disorders, as their interactions, needs and ways of communication are sometimes different.


Individuals with developmental disorders also face challenges with employment. We want to say that people should be employed wherever they want, with whatever their skill is. But in reality, businesses face an array of challenges when it comes to hiring and supporting people with disabilities. There are financial and regulatory issues involved that most folks don't think about.


People with developmental disabilities are highly capable of a wide array of employment opportunities. Employers often need to make adaptations and instill support for people with disabilities in the workplace. It's a space where we have a lot of work to do. And we can all do our part.


We don't always think of everything that people with developmental disabilities might need to feel included. At a business or social event — even in a community, such as accessing a building or a resource — people with developmental disabilities may feel ostracized.


Creating a More Inclusive Community

The more we talk to each other, the more we learn about the barriers other people face. Through honest and genuine conversations, we can work to better understand one another, despite the differing challenges or disabilities.


Communication is the easiest way to overcome barriers for people with developmental disabilities. Hammer's mission emphasizes that we're all people — just humans — and forming relationships is the most important part of the human experience. It's how we get to know, appreciate and support one another.


Whether someone has a disability or not, we need to keep empathy and respect at the forefront of all of our interactions and thinking. It's important to search out all the opportunities we have for communicating with new people in order to grow as a cohesive community that welcomes all walks of life.


While Developmental Disabilities Month of 2021 is in the past, that doesn’t mean the efforts, communication and collaboration should stop. If you’re interested in getting involved or learning more about developmental disabilities a great first step is to volunteer. Simply spending time with individuals helps break down barriers while forming understanding relationships.


The more we participate with one another, without feeling uncomfortable, the more inclusive and accepting we will naturally become.


This discussion with Sue Walker was taken from our show Netsmart CareThreads. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts here.


If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.


Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for CareThreads in your favorite podcast player.

Congress passed and President Biden signed the $2 trillion American Rescue Plan Act. How will it affect your organization?


In this episode of Netsmart CareThreads, Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer for Netsmart, and Kevin Scalia, EVP, Corporate Development at Netsmart Technologies, discuss this significant legislation. What's included in it? What does it provide for the human services and post-acute provider communities we serve?


Here's what Tom and Kevin talked about:
- Funding and grant opportunities for human services and post-acute care providers in the American Rescue Plan Act.

- The impact of COVID-19 on the scale of this legislation.

- How Netsmart collaborated with leading industry associations to build a common agenda to highlight the funding needs of providers who need technology as the bridge to fully integrate with other key components of the healthcare ecosystem.

- Potential future legislation with levels of funding that could fundamentally change the way Netsmart clients deliver Home and Community-Based Services.

- Move fast: Some providers wait too long to put together a business plan and strategy. Lots of money being allocated, it will be spent fast. Also non-traditional competitors are moving into the space.

- Think big: Look beyond vertical thinking like opening new facilities…to horizontal thinking like how to leverage current service lines and expertise in new settings


This discussion with Kevin Scalia was taken from our show Netsmart Care Threads. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.


If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.

The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be challenging for all healthcare organizations, especially for those who didn’t have some kind of crisis plan in place. In order to adapt and prevail through an unexpected event that could disrupt service lines, organizations need to strategize ahead of time and define their roadmap to success.


In this episode of Netsmart CareThreads, Danielle Ross, Virtual CIO and Vice President at Netsmart, talks about discovering your path to value.


Specifically, Danielle discusses:

- The core foundational requirements needed to address a crisis

- Management planning considerations when optimizing processes and tools

- Best practice solutions to get on the right track


 
This discussion with Danielle Ross was taken from our show Netsmart CareThreads. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.

Some things — just a few — changed in 2020. Are those changes here to stay, or are we only having a moment?


What does the behavioral health landscape look like post-COVID?


On this episode of Netsmart CareThreads, we talked about the future of behavioral healthcare post-COVID with Dr. Ron Manderscheid, President and CEO of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Directors and the National Association for Rural Mental Health, and an adjunct professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.


Here's what we discussed with Ron:
- “Modernizing” virtual care to engages all of a person’s providers to create a more integrated care environment

- Closing the chasm between community-based and institutional care settings to create a “center” while also respecting the recovery movement

- Embracing consensus-built (not top-down) data systems

- Artificial intelligence systems that support the provider...help them decide more quickly on appropriate meds or interventions

- Better use of good apps that are evidence-based

- We have to change behavioral health training practices

- The ultimate goal is recovery and the well-being of the persons we serve



This discussion with Dr. Ron Manderscheid was taken from our show Netsmart CareThreads. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts here.


If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.


Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for CareThreads in your favorite podcast player.

Every dollar lost to fraud, waste, or abuse is a life impacted negatively.


Kristy Pyles, Principal at In Your Corner Consulting, LLC, joined Hannah Patterson on this episode of Netsmart CareThreads to talk about implementing electronic visit verification (EVV).


Kristy designed and implemented an EVV solution which was the first in the United States to achieve CMS certification using the Outcome Based Approach. This design can help providers, states and EVV vendors avoid bumps in the road and have a positive impact on the people they serve.


What we discussed with Kristy:
- The challenges related to implementation of EVV

- Tips and best practices for a successful EVV launch


This discussion with Kristy Pyles was taken from our show Netsmart CareThreads. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts here.


If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.


Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for CareThreads in your favorite podcast player.