Public Policy Commons^™

Torch (February 2014), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Measurement, Monitoring, And Evaluation Of State Demonstrations To Integrate Care For Dual Eligible Individuals: Massachusetts Evaluation Design Plan., Julie T. Fralich Mba, Maureen Booth Mrp, Ma, Edith G. Walsh Phd, Angela M. Greene Ms, Mba, Melissa Morley Phd, Wayne Anderson Phd

Disability & Aging

CMS contracted with RTI International to monitor the implementation of all State demonstrations under the Financial Alignment Initiative, and to evaluate their impact on beneficiary experience, quality, utilization, and cost. The evaluation includes an aggregate evaluation and State-specific evaluations. This report describes the State-specific Evaluation Plan for the Massachusetts demonstration as of December 16, 2013. The evaluation activities may be revised if modifications are made to either the Massachusetts demonstration or to the activities described in the Aggregate Evaluation Plan (Walsh et al., 2013). Although this document will not be revised to address all changes that may occur, the annual …

Torch (December 2013), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Employment Policies And Their Effect On Work-Life Balance For Caregiving Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Sara Panella

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This capstone addresses the work-­‐life conflict facing employed caregiver parents with special needs children by 1) identifying what employed parents of children with disabilities need from their employer in order to achieve a work-­‐life balance that improves economic security and emotional well-­‐being, and 2) evaluating how well policies address those needs. An investigation of work-­‐family conflict and stress among parents of special needs children is conducted by examining the current literature and conducting interviews with caregivers to explore their work-­‐life balance needs. Policy recommendations are provided, based on an analysis of public and workplace policies currently in use and policy …

Torch (October 2013), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

First Steps Phase Ii Initiative: Improving Developmental, Autism, And Lead Screening For Children, Kimberley S. Fox Mpa, Carolyn E. Gray Mph, Martha Elbaum Williamson Mpa

Population Health & Health Policy

First STEPS (Strengthening Together Early Preventive Services) is a learning initiative supported by Maine's CHIPRA quality demonstration grant to support measure-driven practice improvement in pediatric and family practices across the state on improving developmental, autism, and lead screening for children. This report, authored by research staff at the USM Muskie School, evaluates the impact of Phase II of Maine's First STEPS initiative, which was implemented from May to December 2012 and included 12 practices serving more than 20,000 children on MaineCare (Maine's Medicaid system). The authors assess changes in developmental, autism, and lead screening rates and evidence-based office processes in …

Torch (August 2013), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Sam Gen Ms 01 Jean Byers Sampson Papers Finding Aid, John D. Knowlton, Susannah Clark

Search the Manuscript Collection (Finding Aids)

Description:

Jean Byers Sampson was a 1944 graduate of Smith College. Early in her post-Smith career, she conducted and wrote the 1947, “A Study of the Negro in Military Service,” which contributed to President Harry Truman’s decision to desegregate the armed forces. Sampson moved to Maine in the early 1950s with her husband, Richard Sampson, a Bates College mathematics professor, and she played a unique and critical role in the state until her death in 1996. Over the course of her life in Maine, she served as the founder of the first chapter of the NAACP in Maine, local and …

Examining Mainecare’S Coverage Options Under The Affordable Care Act, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Trish Riley

Population Health & Health Policy

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was designed to achieve nearly universal access to health coverage in the United States—in part by standardizing Medicaid eligibility across the country so that each state’s program would cover individuals with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL), or $15,856 for an individual and $32,499 for a family of four in 2013 (see Figure 1).i However, in June 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that states could not be required to broaden Medicaid and retained the decision as a state option. States that choose to participate may do so by amending their state …

Torch (March 2013), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

First Steps Phase I Initiative: Improving Immunizations For Children And Adolescents, Kimberley S. Fox Mpa, Carolyn E. Gray Mph

Population Health & Health Policy

This evalution report, authored by research staff at the USM Muskie School, assesses the change in immunization rates in participating pediatric and family practices that serve a high volume of children insured by MaineCare (Maine's Medicaid system). The authors also summarize lessons learned in implementing changes in practices and challenges in using the immunization measures at the practice-level to inform quality improvement.

Federal Health Care Reform: An Overview, Andrew F. Coburn Phd

Population Health & Health Policy

This policy brief discusses three of the main components of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "Obamacare". These components are helath insurance coverage, delivery system improvement, and cost containment. The policy brief highlights some of the provision of the law that have already been implemented and those where importnat implementation decisions will have to be made. The brief is authored by Dr. Andrew Coburn, PhD, Professor of Public Health and Director of the Population Health and Health Policy program at the USM Muskie School, and was presented at the Maine Policy Leaders Academy Health Care …

Torch (January/February 2013), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Satisfaction Survey Results And Lessons Learned: Maine's Aging & Disability Resource Center (Adrc) Project, Julie T. Fralich Mba, Louise Olsen, Mark Richards Bs, Jennifer Pratt, Taryn Bowe

Disability & Aging

The primary goal of Maine’s Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) Project was to empower consumers to make informed decisions about long-term services and supports and to streamline access to existing services and supports through an integrated system. With funding from the Administration on Aging to strengthen and expand the number of Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) in the state, all five of the Area Agencies on Aging were committed to becoming and/or strengthening their capacity to be fully functioning ADRCs.

This report provides a summary of the results of consumer satisfaction surveys that were conducted for three years …

Maine Direct Service Workforce Survey Results 2012 [Chartbook], Julie T. Fralich Mba, Eileen Griffin Jd, Danielle Wescott

Disability & Aging

Direct service workers play a central role in the quality of the long-term services and supports provided to older people and people with disabilities in home and community settings. Nationally, and at the state level, there is a critical need for more information about this workforce in order to inform workforce policy and measure improvements in workforce quality and stability over time. Maine was one of seven states to administer baseline surveys under a grant funded by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service. Survey questions focused on workforce volume, stability, and compensation, as well as, cultural competence, workforce …

Torch (November/December 2012), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Members Dually Eligible For Mainecare And Medicare Benefits: Mainecare And Medicare Expenditures And Utilization, State Fiscal Year 2010., Catherine Mcguire Bs, Tina Gressani, Stuart Bratesman Mpp, Julie T. Fralich Mba, Eileen Griffin Jd

Disability & Aging

This report is one of a series of reports prepared by the USM Muskie School on MaineCare members who are dually eligible for MaineCare and Medicare Services. This first report provides a high level overview of the MaineCare and Medicare use and expenditure patterns for all members who were dually eligible in state fiscal years (SFY) 2008-2010. This report provides baseline data on the characteristics of Medicare-MaineCare members who are dually eligible, the distribution of expenditures across categories of service for MaineCare and Medicare, and the cost of care for people with select chronic conditions. The report includes information on …

Torch (September/October 2012), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

What Incarcerated Women At The Women’S Center Say They Need From The Criminal Justice System, Jillian Foley

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to give a voice to Maine’s incarcerated women and potentially influence the ongoing policy revision process in Maine. The researcher conducted 3 focus groups with 18 residents of the Women’s Center- a gender-responsive facility that houses about 70 to 80 incarcerated women at the Maine Correctional Facility in Windham, ME. The perspectives of the participants varied, however, the findings of the study were largely in line with the literature guidelines for gender-responsive policies and practices.

2012 Maine Child Support Guidelines: Review And Recommendations, Sally Ward Mppm, Janice Daley Msw, Barbara Fraumeni Phd, George Shaler Mph, Eileen Griffin Jd, Melanie Knox Ba, Laurie Hallett, Louis Mandeville Ms

Children, Youth, & Families

This report summarizes the quadrennial review of Maine's child support guidelines conducted by the USM Muskie School , which complies with federal law requiring each state's child support guidelines be reviewed at least once every four years. Principle findings of the extensive review by the Muskie School show that many aspects of Maine's child support system work well. Maine's low deviation rate reflects a reasonably high level of consistency in apply the guidelines, and in large part, protect the needs and interests of the children. The report provides background and overview of child support modes and the Maine guidelines, and …

Torch (May/June 2012), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Creating A Benefit Index For Targeting Investment In Pedestrian Connectivity Improvements East Bayside Neighborhood: Portland, Me, Damon Yakovleff

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This project demonstrates how a GIS-based analysis of pedestrian accessibility to selected amenities from locations in and around the East Bayside neighborhood of Portland, Maine can help identify and guide decisions about public investment in improving such access. Two street network configurations are analyzed: the current (2011) condition, and a hypothetical configuration including several connectivity improvements currently under discussion or in the process of construction. The GIS tools are used to calculate the network distances between the centroid of the area’s census blocks and two amenities: the nearest full-service grocery store, and an outdoor fitness station available to the public. …

Torch (March/April 2012), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Torch (January/February 2012), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Personal Experiences With Mainecare Services From People Who Use Elder And Adults With Disabilities Waiver And Private Duty Nursing/Personal Care Services., Julie T. Fralich Mba, Katherine Rosingana, Mark Richards Bs, Louise Olsen, Vanessa Bell, Jennifer Pratt

Disability & Aging

This report provides the results from a survey and personal interviews that were conducted with MaineCare members who use long term services and supports -- specifically those who are on the Elder and Adults with Disabilities Waiver and those using Private Duty Nursing (PDN) Services. People who are eligible for these services generally need nursing care and assistance with a combination of activities of daily living (e.g. eating, toileting, mobility, transfer) and instrumental activities of daily living (e.g. meal preparation, grocery shopping, housework). People on the Waiver are medically eligible to be in a nursing home. The purpose of the …

Personal Experiences With Long Term Care Services And Supports, Julie Fralich Mba, Mark Richards Ba, Louise Olsen, Vanessa Bell, Jennifer Pratt

Disability & Aging

This report captures, in a direct way, the first hand experiences of older and disabled consumers of long term care services and supports. In addition, it includes the collective experiences of eight Maine communities regarding the long term care service delivery system in our state.

Torch (November/December 2011), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Torch (September/October 2011), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Public Debt Management In The State Of Maine 1993 Through 2010, John B. Greenwood

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

An analysis of Maine's public debt position was undertaken in order to: 1) review the history of Maine's public debt position; 2) compare Maine's public debt position against the U.S. average; 3) determine whether Maine's public debt position has been doing progressively better, worse, or about the same; and 4) if possible, make immediate-future hypotheses about Maine's public debt position.

Torch (June 2011), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.