HOME AND COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES

Children’s Home and Community Based Services (HCBS)

HCBS Waiver is a strength-based program that serves youth ages 0–21 years with serious emotional difficulties, developmental disabilities (if in foster care), and medical fragility. The program is certified through the New York State Department of Health and provides services and supports to families to prevent out of home placement for their child. Enrollment in the program is voluntary and no fees are charged to the family. Staff meet with the family/youth in their home and other locations chosen by the family.

Program Goals

Enable children to remain at home, or in the community, thus decreasing institutional placements. Use the individualized care approach to services emphasizing a partnership with family members and service providers. Service plans focus on the unique needs of each child and builds on the strengths of the family unit. Expand funding and service options currently available to youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Provides services that promote better outcomes, cost-effective and demonstrates a model that fosters a transition to manage care.

Services

• Caregiver and Family Supports and Services
• Pre-vocational Services
• Community Self- Advocacy Training and Support
• Supported Employment
• Respite-Planned
• Respite- Crisis
• Community Habilitation
• Environmental Modifications
• Vehicle Modifications
• Adaptive and Assistive Equipment

In each HCBS Waiver site there exists an Individualized Care Coordinator (ICC) Agency, or lead agency. BHSN has been designated the lead agency and is required, in consultation with Clinton County Mental Health Services, to ensure that a network of services providers is available and to guarantee access to the full array of HCBS Waiver services to enrolled youth. This includes recruiting additional providers should a service area not be available or accessible, as the population requires.

Adult Home and Community Based Services (HCBS)

BHSN is an approved provider of Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for adults in Clinton County. These services are for adults (age 21 and over), for Health and Recovery Plan (HARP) eligible enrollees who are Medicaid beneficiaries with behavioral health needs within New York State’s Behavioral Health System. These individuals are diagnosed with a serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders and meet designated criteria as designated by New York State.

Services

• Psychosocial Rehabilitation
• Community Psychiatric Support and Treatment (CPST)
• Habilitation Services
• Family Support and Training
• Education Support Services
• Peer Support Services
• Pre-vocational Services
• Intensive Supported Employment
• On-going Supported Employment

Adult Behavioral Health Home and Community Based Services (BH HCBS) were created and developed collaboratively by New York State’s Office of Mental Health (OMH), Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), and the Department of Health (DOH) as a part of the State’s Health and Recovery Plan (HARP) for individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorders. Through these efforts, the BH HCBS manual was created to outline the requirements for each service.