Successful County Indigent Seminar

	Paula McNeese, Directorate Manager for the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) Division for Disability Determination Services

Meeting the requests of statewide county employees who oversee their local indigent programs, the DSHS County Indigent Health Care (CIHC) group hosted a community resources seminar on September 20, 2007, held at the DARS Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center.

Over fifty attendees representing twenty-nine different counties, hospital districts, and third party vendors were present from all over the state. The focus of the seminar was to allow county and hospital employees, responsible for indigent health care, to have an interactive discussion of services. Additionally, the seminar presented a forum for participants to learn of the supplementary resources that could benefit their local residents.

The seminar opened with a welcome and overview provided by Jan Maberry, Program Manager. Keynote speakers were Gloria Bailey, from the Social Security Administration; Paula McNeese, the Directorate Manager for the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) Division for Disability Determination Services; Rachel Hines and Imelda Garcia with DSHS Breast and Cervical Cancer Services Program; Stacey Pogue, HHSC Senior Policy Analyst for the Women’s Health Program; Susan Young, Nurse Consultant with DSHS Diabetes Program and Michael Maples, Director of the Program Services Section of Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

The CIHC group plans to continue making a presence by participating in regional meetings hosted by county employees throughout the state. The result will be continued improvement of communications with more informative seminars. In addition to the seminars, the CIHC group offers quarterly training sessions for new county employees. The 2008 training dates are scheduled for January, April and July 8 – 10 th.

For More Information Regarding This Article Contact:
Stephanie Atkins, Program Specialist, Primary Care Group
ph. 512.458.7111, ext. 3529