WCDD Home > What We Do > State Plan Intro

Health

Vision/Goal:

People with developmental disabilities have improved access to affordable health care tailored to their needs.

Background:

At the beginning of the current 2001-2006 WCDD State Plan, the Council had prioritized primary prevention. In several previous state plans, WCDD championed prevention activities including:

• Preconception and prenatal health information
• Newborn screening for preventable disabilities
• Prevention of neural tube defects via a folic acid public awareness campaign
• Prevention of exposure to environmental hazards, lead, alcohol, and drugs
• Prevention of head injuries via a bike helmet public awareness campaign.

Early in the current State Plan, WCDD decided to switch the emphasis of this goal from prevention to health. In 2002, in collaboration with WCA and the Waisman Center, WCDD convened a statewide stakeholder group. Stakeholders represented disability advocacy, self-advocacy, state and county long-term support systems, community providers, health care providers, health care finance officials, and educators. Former Surgeon General David Satcher provided inspiration and leadership at the event. The stakeholders reached consensus on an action plan, presented it at a statewide conference on health disparities, and continue to convene in work groups to pursue system improvements.

Objectives

1. Improve the capacity of organizational and financing structures within the health care system to assure efficient and effective delivery of services to people with developmental disabilities.
2. Improve community capacity to support people with the dual diagnosis of developmental disability and mental illness.
3. Improve the capacity of local and statewide services providing information, assistance and advocacy regarding supports and health care options for adults and children with developmental disabilities.
4. Improve access and affordability of dental services needed by individuals with developmental disabilities.
5. Promote improvements in the Wisconsin Medicaid program by advocating for reforms in its prior authorization process recommended by the Legislative Audit Bureau and endorsed by WCDD.

Funding:

2001: $15,000 (Prevention)
2002: $30,000 ($20,000 Medicaid reform; $10,000 Health)
2003: $8,000 (Medicaid reform)
2004: $15,000 (Health)
2005: $0

Collaborators:

Waisman Center, Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy, Department of Health and Family Services, Arc-Wisconsin, People First Wisconsin, provider associations

Strategies:

• Objective 1
  Partner with Department of Health and Family Services, Waisman Center, Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy, and Arc-WI to engage stakeholders in refining and implementing the Organization and Financing Action Plan generated by the Health Disparities Conference.
• Objective 2
  Partner with Waisman Center, Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy, Department of Health and Family Services, People First Wisconsin, counties, psychiatric services and community providers to design and test a model of building community provider capacity to support people with the dual diagnosis of developmental disability and mental illness.
• Objective 3
  Partner with Waisman Center, Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy, Department of Health and Family Services, family advocates, self-advocates, and specialized and generic information, assistance, and advocacy providers to undertake a statewide initiative to identify and address gaps, duplication, and other issues in the current environment of information, assistance and advocacy systems.
• Objective 4
  Partner with Department of Health and Family Services in improving access to specialized dental care and dental consultation. Partner with Waisman Center in promoting dental self-care practices. Partner with Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy on reforming health care financing practices and policies that limit access to dental care by individuals with developmental disabilities.
• Objective 5
  Partner with Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy, Waisman Center, therapy associations and parent advocates to advocate for improvements in the prior authorization policies and practices that limit access to pediatric therapies covered by Medicaid. Promote the recommendations from the audit by Legislative Audit Bureau. Seek legislation to streamline administration of prior authorization process.