Fwd:RSDhope Info for people misplaced by the hurricane/snail mail Dr. Phil

RSD In the News : Fwd:RSDhope Info for people misplaced by the hurricane/snail mail Dr. Phil
Choose another message board
Prev Discussion Next Discussion Delete

Reply
Recommend Delete Message 1 of 1 in Discussion

From: byrd45 (Original Message) Sent: 9/9/2005 12:20 PM


HELLO EVERYONE, KEITH ORSINI FROM AMERICN RSDHOPE


HERE IS THE LATEST INFORMATION AMERICAN RSDHOPE HAS PUT TOGETHER FOR THE SURVIVORS OF KATRINA AND THEIR FAMILIES.

PLEASE PASS THIS INFORMATION ON AND GET IT ON AS MANY BB'S, WEB SITES, AND IN AS MANY SUPPORT GROUPS AND CHAT ROOMS AS POSSIBLE.


1) CRISIS HOTLINE AVAILABLE FOR VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA

2) CMS Actions To Help Beneficiaries, Providers In Katrina Stricken Areas

3) HUD Establishes Single Toll-Free Number (1-888-297-8685) To Help Disaster Victims With All Housing Concerns

4) DISASTER PLANNING - our personal preparedness plans and supplies

5) Medicaid and Medicare waiver between states housing hurricane survivors!

6)IN NEED OF EMERGENCY HOME REPAIRS FROM THE STORM AND CAN'T FIND HELP? Barrier free 954 765 5311 Broward county


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Headline: CRISIS HOTLINE AVAILABLE FOR VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA

The Department of Health and Human Services today announced the availability of a toll-free hotline for people in crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. By dialing 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255), callers will be connected to a network of local crisis centers across the country that are committed to crisis counseling. Callers to the hotline will receive counseling from trained staff at the closest certified crisis center in the network.

"We have all been touched by this tragedy, and profound sadness, grief, and anger are normal reactions that many people may experience," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "We want people to know that we have a nationwide team of crisis counseling experts available to help people through their grief and loss."

The network is run by HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and involves more than 110 certified crisis centers. People who are in emotional distress or suicidal can call at any time from anywhere in the nation to talk to a trained worker who will listen to and assist callers in getting the mental health help they need. People will be provided with immediate access to local resources, referrals and expertise.

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are

available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CMS Actions To Help Beneficiaries, Providers In Katrina Stricken Areas

CMS Office of Public Affairs

202-690-6145

For questions about Medicare please call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has acted to assure that the Medicare, Medicaid and State Childrens Health Insurance Programs will flex to accommodate the emergency health care needs of beneficiaries and medical providers in the Hurricane Katrina devastated states.

Many of the programs normal operating procedures will be relaxed to speed provision of health care services to the elderly, children and persons with disabilities who depend upon them.

Because of hurricane damage to local health care facilities, many beneficiaries have been evacuated to neighboring states where receiving hospitals and nursing homes have no health care records, information on current health status or even verification of the persons status as a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary. CMS is assuring those facilities that in this circumstance the normal burden of documentation will be waived and that the presumption of eligibility should be made.

Federal Medicaid officials are also working closely with state Medicaid agencies to coordinate resolution of interstate payment agreements for recipients who are served outside their home states.

The agency will also offer the following relief immediately:

Health care providers that furnish medical services in good faith, but who cannot comply with normal program requirements because of Hurricane Katrina, will be paid for services provided and will be exempt from sanctions for noncompliance, unless it is discovered that fraud or abuse occurred.

Crisis services provided to Medicare and Medicaid patients who have been transferred to facilities not certified to participate in the programs will be paid.

Programs will reimburse facilities for providing dialysis to patients with kidney failure in alternative settings.

Medicare contractors may pay the costs of ambulance transfers of patients being evacuated from one health care facility to another.

Normal prior authorization and out-of-network requirements will also be waived for enrollees of Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP managed care plans.

Normal licensing requirements for doctors, nurses and other health care professionals who cross state lines to provide emergency care in stricken areas will be waived as long as the provider is licensed in their home state.

Certain HIPAA privacy requirements will be waived so that health care providers can talk to family members about a patients condition even if that patient is unable to grant that permission to the provider.

Hospitals and other facilities can be flexible in billing for beds that have been dedicated to other uses, for example, if a psychiatric unit bed is used for an acute care patient admitted during the crisis.

Hospital emergency rooms will not be held liable under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) for transferring patients to other facilities for assessment, if the original facility is in the area where a public health emergency has been declared.

More information about CMS emergency relief activities, including a detailed explanation of billing and payment policy revisions, and phone numbers for the state medical assistance offices can be found can be found at www.cms.hhs.gov. Frequently asked questions and their answers on the site will be updated daily by 2pm.

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/media/press/release.asp?Counter=1546


Marcie Roth

Executive Director/CEO

National Spinal Cord Injury Association

6701 Democracy Blvd Suite 300-9

Bethesda, MD 20817

(301) 717-7447 (Direct)

(301) 214-4006 (VM)

(301) 963-1265 (Fax)

(800) 962-9639 (Helpline)

mroth@spinalcord.org

www.spinalcord.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


HUD Establishes Single Toll-Free Number (1-888-297-8685) To Help Disaster Victims With All Housing Concerns


------------------------------------------------------------------------

DISASTER PLANNING - our personal preparedness plans and supplies


Thanks to Gwen Gillenwater at aapdgwen@aol.com

During this three-day weekend, many of us will continue put fund raising and response plans in place to assist the huge numbers of people with disabilities affected by the aftermath of Katrina. Many will be watching and listening to the horrific reports from the Gulf States, awesome in scale, and hopefully we will finally see emergency response get into gear.

As we watch and hear about our brothers and sisters with disabilities:

die, suffer, or somehow muddle through?. It is a good time to take stock, review and update our personal preparedness plans and supplies as well as those of the organizations we are a part of? here are some resources

"Emergency Evacuation Preparedness: Taking Responsibility For Your

Safety- A Guide For People with Disabilities and Other Activity Limitations" http://www.cdihp.org/products.html

Disaster Resources for People with Disabilities and Emergency Managers http://www.jik.com/disaster.html

Emergency Preparedness Initiative (EPI) ? National Organization on Disability http://www.nod.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageID=11

<>June Isaacson Kailes

Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions Western University of Health Sciences jik@pacbell.net || www.cdihp.org


------------------------------------------------------------------

Medicaid and Medicare waiver between states housing hurricane survivors!

PROGRESS AND IMMEDIATE NEEDS


I have been asked to inform you that Dr. Margaret Giannini, Director of the US HHS Office on Disability has gotten word from Dr. Mark McLellan, Administrator of the US HHS Centers for Medicaid and Medicare that there will be a waiver between all of the states housing hurricane survivors who were already receiving Medicaid to have their Medicaid accepted in their current location.

And, there will be an expedited process for Medicaid eligibility for those who may now be eligible due to their hurricane related situation.

Also, we need to provide a clear picture of the actual needs in the affected states and in the receiving states. Please send me the following information ASAP so we can make our case for disability specialists to be put into place to address disability specific issues from an advocacy perspective to address both medical and non-medical needs.

I need as much information as possible in the following categories:

Location (town, state)
Current living situation
Disability
Immediate needs (medicine, foor, water, sterile catheters, DME wheelchairs, airmattresses, seat cushions, for example)
Additional needs (accessible housing, special education services, for example)
Age
Single or family/companions
--
If you are a CIL or other service provider, what is your current situation?

What staffing and other resources (computers, cell/SAT phones for example) are needed?

Address, phone, email

Anything else that will help decision makers to address the additional disability specific needs of survivors

--

Please send to mroth@spinalcord.org

You can reach me at 301 990-6559 or 301 717-7447.

If you need to reach Dr. Giannini, you can call her at 202-205-1016.

Thanks!

Marcie Roth

Executive Director/CEO

National Spinal Cord Injury Association

6701 Democracy Blvd Suite 300-9

Bethesda, MD 20817

(301) 717-7447 (Direct)

(301) 214-4006 (VM)

(301) 963-1265 (Fax)

(800) 962-9639 (Helpline)

mroth@spinalcord.org

www.spinalcord.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

IN NEED OF EMERGENCY HOME REPAIRS FROM THE STORM IN FLORIDA AND CAN'T FIND HELP?

Call "Barrier Free 954 765 5311 in Florida.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

BACK TO RSD BUSINESS FOR JUST A MOMENT



RSD MEDIA TARGET FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER



LET US KEEP POUNDING AWAY AT DR PHIL. HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE HAVING PAULA ABDUL ON TO TALK ABOUT HER "SERIOUS DISEASE", WHICH I AM HOPING IS RSDS.


LET US TRY A SNAIL MAIL CAMPAIGN THIS TIME INSTEAD OF EMAIL. I KNOW MOST OF US HAVE A HARD TIME WRITING SO JUST TYPE IT ON THE COMPUTER AND PRINT IT OUT. HERE IS THE SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS;



Dr. Phil show 5482 Wilshire Boulevard #1902 Los Angeles, CA 90036