Sign Up Advocates Stuff to KNOW Stuff to DO Who's behind Freedom Clearinghouse? What is our mission? What's Happening Now? Home page       Photo Credits

Our Feb. 4 meeting with the Feds by Candace Hawkins Freedom Clearinghouse Organizer and Missouri resident Jefferson City, MO, Feb 4, 2000 -- The room was already packed with feds and advocates when I arrived early for the meeting on Missouri's compliance with Olmstead. There were 75 of us packed into a room with capacity for 50. State agency folks -- the ones who are expected to follow this plan -- were scarce. But there were feds everywhere -- John Halverson, Regional Manager of the HHS Office of Civil Rights, and three of his staffers attended. There were also 3 staff from the Kansas City Regional HHS office. Sheila Foran from the office of OCR director Tom Perez, in Washington, DC, also attended. Foran set the tone for the meeting: we were there to see that the Olmstead decision got implemented. The feds went over with us what's required in a state plan that implements the Olmstead decision. We also listed everyone who wasn't in the room who needed to be there. State agency folks slipped out to make furtive calls at the lunch break. Agencies in the hot seat -- state hospitals, habilitation centers and the state Division on Aging -- lined up to use the phones. Curiously, MANY of them had not returned after lunch when the group got busy identifying issues and organizing to formulate the Plan. Two state legislators who attended reminded the crowd that we needed allies in the Missouri General Assembly to assure thatOlmstead implementation is funded and that state impediments are removed. Our deadline is July 26, 2000.     Freedom Clearinghouse is a project of Free Hand Press, publisher of Mouth magazine. Website developed by Cliffwood Organic Works. Website hosted by DIMENET. | E-mail | Home |