Meeting Date: December 8, 2005

POLICY & PROCEDURE POINTS

• The State Office is now limiting the submission deadline for documentation to enroll to 30 days. Termination notices are being sent to let providers know their application will be terminated if the paperwork is not received within 30 days.
• Roxanne Rice is the FRS now serving Okaloosa and Walton Counties. Her office is at CHS in FWB.
• The State Office is considering a recommendation that the Battelle be used for Part C entrance and exit to establish progress from EI services.
• Karen Anderson with the State Office SHINE Program has met with School District representatives in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties to see if they would be willing to serve as the Part C SHINE providers in those two counties. No decision has been made yet. She is also working with SKI-HI to see if we have any of their providers in Okaloosa and Walton Counties to provide SHINE services.
  

NOTES OF INTEREST:

• The CSPD has a new name—Professional Development Partnership (PDP)
• The Provider Bulletin Board is now active on the UWF website
  http://uwf.edu/pdp click on “Early Steps” for our home page and you will
  see sections at the top for updates and information. Links are listed
  at the bottom of the page for the Calendar and Discussion Board.
• Team Training Modules are active on the UWF Distance Learning
  Site but providers who need the training have not enrolled. Contact
  Rusty if you need help to enroll and complete the training.
• Up the Learning Ladder books are being printed this month and Joy will be meeting with
  the EI teams after the first of the year to introduce this new parent involvement tool.
• Irma is setting up a Parent and Provider Resource Library with materials purchased by the CSPD/PDP. A list of materials currently available was provided at the December meeting. When the additional materials have been received a new list will be posted.
  

PROVIDER CONCERNS/ISSUES:

• Retention of therapists has become a major concern due to the inability of provider groups to compete with salary and benefits with large companies and school districts. A recommendation was made to research the possibility of organizing provider groups in order to access a health insurance program.
• Joy was asked to determine if the University could provide CEUs for the Team Training Modules.

DON’T FORGET!

• The free ITDS modules will be removed from the state website as soon
  as the Universities have the classes available locally. UWF anticipates
  that their classes could begin as early as the Spring 2006 session. There will
  be a charge for the training by the University.
• Joy will check into the possibility of new locations for Provider meetings
  beginning with the June 2006 meeting. The March 9 meeting will be at IHOP.