Friday, November 14, 2014

MAK-AIRS Celebrates National I&R Day November 16th

Every day thousands of people find the help they need quickly, conveniently and free of charge because of Information and Referral (I&R) services. MAK-AIRS recognizes the importance of I&R in our communities on November 16, 2014 – National I&R Day! 

Information and Referral is the art, science and practice of bringing people and services together and is an integral component of the health and human services sector. 

People in search of critical services such as financial assistance, food, shelter, child care, jobs, or mental health support often do not know where to begin to get help, or they get overwhelmed trying to find what they need. Community information and referral providers connect people with resources that can help them with one simple phone call, text message, or website inquiry. 

In late 2011, at the request of the Alliance of Information and Referral Services (AIRS), the United States Senate passed S.RES.241 designating November 16, 2011 as “National Information and Referral Services Day”. AIRS is an international non-profit professional association with more than 5000 individual, public and private I&R organizational members including MAK-AIRS Affiliates. Together, we have decided to continue celebrating I&R Day each November 16 and to extend it worldwide to raise public awareness and recognize the critical importance of the I&R field.

Friday, October 3, 2014

MAK-AIRS Conference Details


When:   October 23-24, 2014
              Th 11:30am-5:00pm, Fr 9am-1pm
Where:  United Way of Greater St. Louis
              910 N 11th St,
              St. Louis, MO 63101

The conference features workshops and topics relevant to all I&R professionals, including compassion fatigue, cultural awareness, elder abuse, working with difficult personalities and more!

For a registration form, please email jennifermiller@uwgkc.org. Registration deadline 10/17/14.

MAK-AIRS 2014 Annual Meeting Minutes

The MAK-AIRS Annual Meeting was held in a conference call on Sept 18th, 2014. Members were notified through their AIRS main contact. Following are the meeting minutes. If you have any questions or comments, please contact one of the board members.

MAK – AIRS
MISSOURI, ARKANSAS, KANSAS AIRS
Minutes - Annual Meeting
September 18, 2014

CALL TO ORDER: Robin Pokojski, MAK-AIRS President called the meeting to order at 1:01a.m. and welcomed those participating in the call. 

2014 ANNUAL CONFERENCE “I&R: FALLING INTO PLACE”: Invite and hotel information has been sent out to the I&R field. Conference will be Oct 23rd and 24th in St. Louis. There will be training, opportunities to network, and AIRS certification testing offered.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Jennifer shared we still have two bank accounts at this time. In the US Bank Account there is currently $5,585.02 and in the United Way holding account there is $2,419.00. Total of $ 8,004.02. Major expenses tend to be around the conference so will have some upcoming debits. The second major expense is the scholarship to the national conference. We received a note from the IRS that our 501c3 notice has been revoked due to not filing the 990 on time. However, we did file on time so Jennifer has followed up with the IRis and we are waiting on a determination.

MEMBERSHIP/AFFILIATE COUNCIL REPORT: Marilyn explained that the Affiliate Council is made up of representatives from each of the AIRS regional affiliates. The Affiliate Council recently sponsored the Big Count and had the best response so far. The total number of calls from all members will be released soon. There are 1,075 total AIRS members at this time. Renewal notices will be going out in a blue envelop in October. There are several areas that do not have an active affiliate and this has led to excess funds and the affiliate council is proposing a scholarship program for affiliates to: create a new affiliate, expand geographically, or efforts to increase the stability of the affiliate. As of June there were 33 active MAK-AIRS members.

NEWSLETTER: Penny Adams was not on the call so Jennifer offered a brief report. The board has been discussing the possibility of eliminating the newsletter and using the blog for that purpose. We are working on finding a way to push the information out from the blog instead of users having to visit the webpage to view the articles. Patt is working on a few articles right now that could be used on the blog. Donna asked about the cost involved in the newsletter and Jennifer responded that the cost was in the time spent but since we don’t mail it out there is no physical cost. Robin re-iterated that if we are not able to push the information out from the blog then we will continue with the newsletter.

PUBLIC POLICY REPORT:  Robin reported that the last bit of public policy she has was from 2013. AIRS has been focused on the Affordable Care Act. They have provided several webinars that were advertised through the I&R Networker. Robin encouraged everyone to create an account for the I&R Networker and offered her help to get started to anyone that emails her. AIRS has also been following Senate Bill 1562 from the Older Americans Act.  AIRS was looking for co-sponsors for the National I&R Day. No one has heard anything further.

MAK-AIRS BOARD SOLICITATION: Robin shared we currently have five people sitting on the board and would really like 8-10 people on the board representing all areas of I&R. There is currently representatives from Aging and 211 but we would like representation from other areas. Robin sent out nomination forms with the agenda and urged participants to nominate persons they feel would represent I&R well. Mary with the St. Louis AAA asked if we have a listing of all I&R providers in our three state area. Robin said that everyone who has paid dues did receive the nomination forms as well as the information for this call. Last year Robin did research to find information for all the Centers for Independent living, Area Agency on Aging, and other small I&Rs to reach out to them about membership. Robin shared the current costs for membership.

GOAL SETTING 2015:   Robin shared that each year we want to have a conversation with the general membership about what they need from us so that can help us set our goals for the next year. Our focus so far has been on the annual conference which has moved around to different locations (mostly in Missouri) to try and reach the membership. Robin’s first question was to whether or not we should continue to have the conference each year. Michelle asked what the average attendance has been. On average we have 20-30 in attendance. The question was raised if we could piggy-back onto another conference like the MA4 Conference. Donna asked about looking at other locations. Marilyn offered the idea of applying for the new AIRS scholarship to try and increase membership in Kansas and Arkansas. Heather said she thought the AIRS scholarship could be used to bring in a speaker for an affiliate conference. Robin said we should make it one of our goals to look into applying for the AIRS scholarship once the forms are available. Robin asked the question if the conference still had value and if it should be every-other-year. Heather and Donna shared they both felt there was enormous value to the conference but maybe we could look at the every-other-year model. Robin shared she would like to see online training being developed. Mary asked if there were any classes available to help study for the AIRS test. Robin echoed that is a good idea and we could look into a possible online study session. Marilyn raised the questions as to whether or not we should do a physical mailing as opposed to email to recruit members.

AIRS NATIONAL CONFERENCE AND SCHOLARSHIPS:  MAK-AIRS plans to once again offer a scholarship to the annual conference. The 37th AIRS Annual Conference will be in Dallas, TX May 24-27th.  Last year we were able to offer a scholarship to someone from the Voluntary Action Center in Columbia, MO. The scholarship is given away through a raffle. Each member agency gets one automatic entry and if someone from your organization attends our regional conference then your agency gets one additional entry into the raffle. The scholarship is done by a random drawing. AIRS offers additional scholarships for the national conference and when those forms become available Robin will send those out to the member agencies. Donna asked how many people from MAK-AIRS usually attend and if we should consider sponsoring a MAK-AIRS after hours event during the national conference. Robin shared we have purchased MAK-AIRS ribbons to add to your name tag to help identify people from our affiliate at the conference. Heather suggested possibly using the Welcoming Reception as a time to gather for introductions and connections.

CLOSURE: Robin closed the meeting at 2:00pm.
Respectfully submitted by Heather Pierce, Secretary

Thursday, September 4, 2014

CIRS - Aging Changes to CIRS - Aging/Disabilities

The Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) recently announced important news regarding the professional Certified Information & Referral Specialist for Aging (CIRS-A) certification.

AIRS, in partnership with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) and National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD), have instituted a newly created national certification incorporating both Aging and Disabilities services. The existing CIRS - Aging (CIRS-A) designation will cease to exist and transition into a new certification referenced as CIRS - Aging/Disabilities (CIRS-A/D).

The AIRS Certification Commission is offering grandfathered CIRS-A holders the opportunity to obtain the CIRS-A/D certification at no additional cost. Existing CIRS-A holders will be offered free online training and free self-administered test, to obtain the CIRS-A/D designation.

More details regarding organizational collaboration, history, and guidelines are conveyed in the following communication sent out to all CIRS-A certified professionals on August 18, 2014. Reissuance of this communication has been approved by AIRS for publication in MAK-AIRS blog:


We would like to thank you for your professional commitment to your clients and community as a Certified Information & Referral Specialist – Aging, and to provide more details about significant changes to this credential that reflect the changes underway within our sector. 
As shared in earlier correspondence, AIRS in partnership with n4a and NASUAD, has been working with subject matter experts to move the credential from a CIRS– Aging (CIRS-A) to a CIRS – Aging/Disabilities (CIRS-A/D).
In January, we sent all CIRS-A holders a draft Job Task Analysis that outlined the knowledge and skills required for the CIRS-A/D, and requested comments which in turn, influenced the final document. One of the questions asked was “Do you support the idea of having a single Certification that covers the work of I&R/Specialists serving both older adults and persons with disabilities (and their families and caregivers)?” The response was an overwhelming 91.9% in favor of the initiative. 
Since that date, we have been engaged with more frontline specialists to work through the numerous psychometric stages needed to develop new exams for a new credential. We expect these exams to be ready around November/December of this year. 
During this time, the AIRS Certification Commission has been consulting with stakeholders to determine the best way to grandparent existing CIRS-A holders to the new CIRS-A/D qualification. The challenge was to provide the best balance between recognizing the new influences, respecting existing professionalism, ensuring no additional expense while also being as equitable as possible. 
The discussions have been long and serious, involving a range of diverse opinions, not all of which started in the same place. Here is what was finally decided:
  • As stated at the beginning of this project, once the CIRS-A/D comes into the field, it will be the only option available for individual practitioners in the Aging and Disabilities field (i.e. there will be no separate certification relating only to Aging or only to Disabilities)
  • A free online training module will be made available by NASUAD to all existing CIRS-A holders at the time when the new CIRS-A/D exams come into effect. Once available, this training will be offered on the NASUAD IQ Online Learning Center (http://www.nasuadiq.org/).The course could be used to account for 2 hours of professional training towards the 10 hours required for AIRS Recertification
  • This training would be on issues relating to providing I&R/I&A to persons with disabilities and their caregivers, and will also touch on some basic awareness issues regarding persons with disabilities
  • The training would conclude with a free self-administered (i.e. non-proctored) online quiz of not more than 20 questions. This quiz would have to be passed (cut score of 75%) but could be taken multiple times without penalty
  • Upon passing the quiz, individuals will be emailed a confirmation of course completion
  • A CIRS-A holder may take that training at any time from when it is available until the existing date of their AIRS Recertification. However, to recertify they will eventually have to complete this required training
  • After receiving the completion confirmation from NASUAD, an individual holding a CIRS-A could immediately use the designation of CIRS-A/D. However, they would not receive a CIRS-A/D Certificate from AIRS until they had recertified on their existing renewal date. When completing their recertification application, they will be asked to include a copy of their NASUAD confirmation. At that stage, the individual will receive their full CIRS-A/D Certificate from AIRS. (For example, supposing the CIRS–A/D exam becomes available in December 2014. An individual holding a CIRS-A who is due for recertification in August 2015, may choose to complete their NASUAD training module in February 2015 and upon completion may refer to themselves as a CIRS-A/D. When recertifying with AIRS on their scheduled date in August 2015, they will include their documentation from NASUAD with their application and will then receive their formal CIRS-A/D Certification.)
The only caveat refers to individuals who originally passed a CIRS exam (before the CIRS-A came into being) and then took the supplementary exam to acquire their CIRS-A. These practitioners may choose to recertify as a CIRS rather than a CIRS-A/D (in which case, they would not need to take the NASUAD course). 
We appreciate your understanding of the process and the value which this new qualification will bring to yourself, your organization and your community. One of the noticeable benefits of AIRS Certification has been the enhanced mobility this has introduced within the sector as the qualification is nationally recognized. This fundamental change will only strengthen that value. 
If you have any questions or require additional clarity, please email info@airs.org
Sincerely, 
Charlene Hipes
Chief Operating Officer
Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS)
P.O. Box 33095
Portland, OR 97292 
Sandy Markwood
Chief Executive Officer
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a)
1730 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Suite1200
Washington, DC 20036 
Martha Roherty
Executive Director
National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD)
1201 15th St. NW, Ste. 350
Washington, DC

Any questions regarding the new CIRS-A/D certification should be directed to AIRS at info@airs.org.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

2014 AIRS Conference Experiences Series: Jackie Wilmes

Jackie Wilmes
Social Services Specialist
Voluntary Action Center
Columbia, MO

Jackie was the lucky recipient of this year's MAK-AIRS scholarship to the AIRS conference, and shared the following about her conference experience...

Being chosen to represent Voluntary Action Center at the 2014 National AIRS Conference after Voluntary Action Center won a scholarship through MAK-AIRS to attend the event was amazing. My mind flooded with the opportunities that were before me: traveling on my own, meeting new people, learning new things, visiting a place I had never been. The possibilities seemed endless. I was ecstatic that this chance had been given to me.

As time grew near for the Conference the worrier came out in me, but as the Conference began a new level of excitement hit me. Being somewhat new to Voluntary Action Center and a “recent” graduate in the Social Services field I was still somewhat unaware of what all I&R had to offer. The Conference and what it taught me blew me away. The Conference gave me opportunities to learn, connect, communicate, and grow.

I quickly learned, as with much of what Voluntary Action Center does, our agency was truly unique. Much of the information seemed based towards call centers such as 211 and their affiliates. I knew 211 existed but had no idea of the extent that they can provide. Learning about these differences led me to wonder what kind of connections could be made in our area to better serve our clients and make our assistance more connected and efficient. Through the sessions I attended I was able to learn more about databases, referrals and follow up, marketing, outreach, and transportation. The sessions and activities at the Conference allowed me time and space to communicate with other attendees. I got to ask questions about other agencies and how they worked and functioned. It was wonderful to meet people with the same interests and working in a similar field and experiencing similar obstacles.

As the time approached for the Conference to end I scrambled to make a choice for my last session. I sat down in a session and I quickly realized this was not one of the sessions I had intended to attend in that time slot. I decided I would just stick it out and attend this session anyway. It turned out to be one of my favorite sessions from the Conference. The session was called “From the Training Room to the Call Center: How to be a Success!” While I do not work in a call center, that did not matter. The main focus of the session was to discuss learning styles and how to help everyone learn their own way yet still provide consistent service. The presenters were great and enthusiastic. This session was the perfect end to my time in Atlanta. This session, and my time at the Conference, reminded me that we are all growing and changing. We are all doing the best we can each day to impact the lives of the clients we serve. We all attempt to come together, despite varying viewpoints, and help people in need.

It was great to be introduced to a world of service possibilities outside of my area. I greatly appreciate all of the opportunities that were provided to me in this trip. I look forward to the possibilities that are even still yet to come from the things I learned and the people I met at this Conference. Thank you for allowing me this chance to learn, connect, communicate, and grow. I will always be grateful for the opportunity.​

Friday, August 15, 2014

2014 AIRS Conference Experiences Series: Heather Pierce, continued

Heather Pierce
2-1-1 Call Center Coordinator
United Way of the Plains
Wichita, KS

Continued from previous post...

“A Humorous Introduction to Disability Culture” was my favorite workshop this year. Pat Puckett with the Statewide Independent living Council in Decatur, Georgia and Roger Howard with LINC Center for Independent Living in Boise, Idaho did a bang up job of giving a brief historical perspective on disability. From their presentation we learned, disabilities of all kinds have been a part of humankind since the dawn of time. While some societies welcomed and accepted theirs citizens with disabilities, many did not. Until the early 1800’s most people with disabilities lived with their families in the community but some were left to a life of begging on the streets (cap-in-hand = handicapped). Some cities established ugly laws such as this example from the Chicago Municipal Code: “No person who is diseased, maimed, mutilated or in any way deformed so as to be an unsightly or disgusting object or improper person shall be allowed on the public ways or other public places in this city, nor shall expose himself to public view, under a penalty of not less than one dollar nor more than fifty dollars for each offense”. Because of such widely-held attitudes, but also out of a sincere desire for more humane treatment, institutions were established as early as 1817. But over time, institutions had proliferated, and many degenerated into human warehouses at best. By the 1970’s the movement towards deinstitutionalization began, and institutions began to close. Services and supports became available outside of institutional settings. With the advent of Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), people with even the most significant disabilities were able to live active, independent lives in the community. To end the presentation both Pat and Roger shared examples of humor in disability culture from bumper stickers to T-shirts, books and cartoons, to personal stories from their own lives. One wonderful example is a stand-up routine by Michael Beers that you can watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG2QFEARbeg. Check it out if you need a laugh!



Next I attended a workshop by Pabitra Rizal and Diana Bui both with the Center of Pan Asian Community Services in Atlanta, GA titled “Newly Arrived Refugees: Cultural and Linguistically Competent Services”. First they quizzed us with some tough questions like: Do you know how many refugees resettled in the U.S. in 2012? (58,238) What documents can be used as proof of the refugee status? (I-94) Do you think most elderly refugees are educated in their native language? (No, not usually) A refugee is a person who is outside his or her country of origin because they have suffered (or fear) persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because they are a member of a persecuted “social group” or because they are fleeing a war. The resettlement process starts with submitted an application to the office of UNHCR. The UNHCR takes on average 3 months to review the application and conducts several rounds of interviews to determine there is no criminal history, no political affiliations, and no combat trainings. The Office of International Migration conducts a health screening and brief orientation. During this time there is typically delay after delay and the family has no information on which country will accept them. Once approval has been granted they receive their flight information and are moved to a different shelter where they receive additional health screenings. Once they arrive in the country they are faced with many barriers: language, education, transportation, chronic health conditions, clash of cultures, etc. Best practices for serving the refugee communities in your area include building trust, taking the time to understand their culture, offering step-by-step assistance, access to translation and interpretation, clear and understandable communication, and most importantly patience.



Demian Laudisio and Alexandra Rose Schneider with the Switchboard of Miami gave a high energy presentation “From Burnout to Self-Care: Inspiring Staff Wellness”. How many of us go through the work week like this?:


First we need to recognize if we are dealing with stress or burnout. Stress is typically characterized by over-engagement where burnout by disengagement. When you are stressed your emotions are over-reactive but when you are burntout they are blunted. Stress produces urgency and hyperactivity but burnout produces helplessness and hopelessness. So if caring about your work or home life seems like a total waste of energy and you feel like nothing you do makes a difference or is appreciated and the majority of your day is spent on tasks you find either dull or overwhelming you might be burntout. The “Three R” Approch will help you deal with burnout.
Recognize – watch for the warning signs of burnout
Reverse – undo the damage by managing stress and seeking support
Resilience – build your resilience to stress by taking care of your physical and emotional health

Developing a self-care plan might be a good strategy or if you are a manger creating a staff self-care plan to help your staff help themselves. Demian and Alexandra provided time for agencies to share what their wellness programs looked like. Examples ranged from yoga classes and cloud lighting to agency picnics and visits from dogs. So, what do your wellness program look like? Do you have a self-care plan?

Monday, August 11, 2014

2014 AIRS Conference Experiences Series: Jennifer Miller

Jennifer Miller
2-1-1 Resource Center Manager
United Way of Greater Kansas City
Kansas City, MO

I have attended multiple AIRS conference in years past and gotten a lot of good information and training. This year was unique in the focus of the workshops I attended; many of them focused on individual agency experiences and innovations that covered a broad range of topics.

The Innovative Collaborations workshop featured several I&Rs from around the country that were partnering with outside organizations. Tampa Bay Cares is partnering with their homeless services system to provide prevention and diversion services. One of the forms it takes is call specialists providing almost immediate financial assistance in qualified situations. In the Twin Cities of Minnesota, Call for Justice (a legal I&R) is partnering with the local United Way 2-1-1 to provide greater access to legal referrals through regular training on legal resources for 2-1-1 staff who can field the calls. Something that both partnerships endorsed was continual convening of the partnership and communication to ensure quality service and improvements.

Other call centers were partnering through shared quality projects and contracts for providing service. Iowa Nebraska AIRS members have begun several projects within their affiliate. They have approached creating a shared resource database between several aging, disability and 2-1-1 organizations. They have also created a "mystery call" type call monitoring project that encompasses multiple organizations, which allows them to monitory quality standards across the states. The Epilepsy Foundation found a partner in Heart of Florida United Way, who could provide coverage of calls for their national hotline. This partnership helped the Epilepsy Foundation reach the staff coverage they needed, and provided funding diversification, training and recognition for Heart of Florida United Way.

These collaborations and partnerships were inspirational in a way; they reminded me that there are many ways to accomplish a task, and that not all of the burden for a project has to be carried by a single organization (or person for that matter!). I brought a lot of ideas and questions back to the office that I plan to look into. Things like... what more can our affiliate be doing? ... what services in my community can I help to increase access to? ... and skills do my staff have that I am not taking advantage of?

AIRS 2013 Annual Report

The AIRS 2013 Annual Report was released in July and you will find a link to it below:
Please share it with anyone inside and outside of your organization that may be interested in learning more about our activities last year. A copy will also be available on the AIRS Networker for our members to access.
Thank you for being part of AIRS and helping make our organization a success!

Thursday, August 7, 2014

2014 AIRS Conference Experiences Series: Heather Pierce

Heather Pierce
2-1-1 Call Center Coordinator
United Way of the Plains
Wichita, KS

I had the pleasure of attending the AIRS National Conference in Atlanta, GA this year and although the highlight for me was attending a Braves game at Turner Field, I also attended some great workshops. In this series of blog posts I would like to give you are brief synopsis of each of the workshops I attended and what I learned from them.


“Managing, Surviving and Thriving on Change Within the I&R Sector” – this workshop was presented by Faed Henry who is with Findhelp Information Services in Toronto, Ontario. Change is a constant in all of our lives, but it is especially present in the field of I&R. As Faed said, “shift happens”. There are external forces such as funding and market changes and also internal forces like our strategic plans and new staff. Typically change in the workplace is first met with resistance. As managers it is our job to help guide our staff through change and one of the keys for success is communication. We must recognize that change is not just about the new processes but about the people. “Only when the people within it have made their own personal transitions can an organization truly reap the benefits of change.” The ADKAR 5 Elements for Individual Change can take us through the process:

Awareness of the need for change
Desire to support and participate in the change
Knowledge of how to change
Ability to implement the change

Reinforcement to sustain the change


“The Intersection of Mental Health Services and Supports for Veterans, Older Adults and Their Caregivers” – Stephanie McCladdie, a Regional Administrator with SAMHSA, shared with us a profile of the typical Army soldier: 24 yrs of age, moved from home family and friends. Has resided in two other states and has traveled the world (deployed). Been promoted four times, bought a car and wrecked it. The typical soldier is married and had children but has seen relationship and financial problems. This typical soldier has seen death and maintains millions of dollars worth of equipment; and yet gets paid less than $40,000 a year. In 2005 grantee/provider agencies noticed an increase of military/veteran populations who sought community-based services and requested guidance from SAMHSA. A new strategic initiative was created to support America’s service men and women – Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve, and Veterans – together with their families and communities by leading efforts to ensure needed behavioral health services are accessible and outcomes are positive. Some staggering behavioral health facts among this population include: almost 18.5% of service members returning from Iraq of Afghanistan have post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, and 19.5% report experiencing a traumatic brain injury (TBI); in 2008, 47% of all current DoD service personnel were binge drinkers. The strategic plans address increasing access to appropriate care; closing gaps in the system; building the system’s capacity; increasing interagency communication/collaboration; incorporating promising, best, and evidence-based practices; sustaining efforts; and dialogue with military. For more information and further resources visit www.samhsa.gov/militaryfamilies.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

MA4 Summit August 26-28, "It's All About Aging"

Each year, the Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging brings together some of the best people in America to explore strategies to help Missouri’s senior population.


MA4's 11th Annual Show Me Summit on Aging and Health will feature "Age of Champions", the award-winning documentary following five competitors at the National Senior Olympics. The summit will also feature workshops on advocacy, wellness, management/administration, elder abuse and other special topics. Register by July 26th for a discounted rate!

MORx Enrollment Suspended After June 30, 2014


Per Missouri Department of Social Services:

"...The Missouri Rx Plan (MORx) is unable to approve applications for enrollment after June 30, 2014. This action is being taken due to state budget constraints on the MORx Program. The suspension on program enrollment will remain in effect until further notice. 
Applicants submitting applications after June 30, 2014 will receive a letter explaining the enrollment suspension and advising their application will remain on file and processed when the program enrollment suspension is lifted. If after 9 months we are unable to restart enrollment, we will return the MORx enrollment form to the applicant and advise they will need to reapply by sending in a new application. 
The budget restrictions will not affect members already enrolled in the program. Current members will continue to receive the same benefit of MORx paying 50% of the members out of pocket prescription drug copayment cost."

You may contact the MORx Program at 573-522-3064 should you have any questions about this notice.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Thoughts from the President

I'm going to start my post with a quote that I have always found to be true, "Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results." As a manager of a mid-size 2-1-1 call center, this is something I continue to struggle to overcome. It is easy to get stuck in a rut, hoping for something or someone to come and change things. That is why I feel it is critical to network with other I&R Service Providers to share ideas and best practices, to use as a soundboard and to just vent frustrations and limitations to someone who "knows." This year, I had the opportunity to attend the National AIRS Conference in Atlanta, GA and was surprised at all of the connections, conversations and ideas I was able to take away. My focus for this year, as an I&R Service Provider, is to ensure that all of my staff aren't doing just a 'good' job but are doing the 'best' job, providing the 'best' service experience and being the 'most' helpful to the community that we can be. The National Conference gave me some insights on quality assurance, utilizing technology to better serve the community, thinking outside of the box in terms of operations and many more. MAK-AIRS hopes to be able to provide a similar opportunity for its members in October (CORRECTION!!! 23rd and 24th, save the date!), when we host the annual MAK-AIRS Conference in St. Louis, MO. Keep a watch for more information to follow soon.

-Robin Pokojski
MAK-AIRS Board President

Monday, April 28, 2014

Web-based Training Survey

From MAK-AIRS President, Robin Pokojski:

The MAK-AIRS board is conducting a poll about it’s member’s interest in online training opportunities. The survey is only two questions and shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. Feel free to distribute to other members of your staff as well. Thank you in advance for your participation. Click the link below to begin.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MAK-AIRSMembershipSurvey

Monday, March 31, 2014

Community Needs Assessment Survey Conducted by Care Connection for Aging Services

Community need information is import to all information and referral services and there are many ways that organizations can assess the needs in their communities, gaps in services, accessibility of services, etc. Care Connection for Aging Services is currently conducting a survey to gather this valuable information in 13 counties in western Missouri. From Care Connection Director of Care Management, Marilyn Gunter:

“Care Connection is currently conducting a needs assessment survey to insure that going into the future the services we provide are appealing to and meeting the needs of our current and future clients. All individuals age 60 and over residing in Care Connection’s 13-county service region are encouraged to complete and return the survey in order to let their voices be heard. Care Connection’s service region includes Bates, Benton, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Henry, Hickory, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, Saline, St. Clair and Vernon counties in Missouri.”

The survey asks residents about their problems accessing many kinds of services, including medical, nutrition, transportation, legal, mental health, etc. It also asks about problems concerning family issues, financial support, access to information and allows participants to comment on their highest priorities and other concerns not listed. Information from this survey will inform the next planned survey of activities and services that the community would like to see the senior centers offer.

The survey process began March 15, 2014 and will continue through April 15 of 2014. Surveys are located at each of Care Connection’s senior centers, or may be found online at www.goaging.org. Surveys may be returned through the mail to PO Box 1078, Warrensburg, MO 64093 or by leaving them at any of Care Connection’s senior centers.