Helping Restore Ability- Annual Report 2004

Annual Report

FAQ
Map to Offices
Client Testimony

Letter from the Executive Director

HRA 990

Helping Restore Ability was originally named “Arlington Handicapped Association” (AHA) and was founded in Arlington, Texas in 1977 by Sam Provence along with John Dycus and friends. As a 501(c) (3) non-profit agency, HRA provides through its programs thousands of hours of services per year to clients with severe physical disabilities throughout the state of Texas, primarily in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area.

Our mission: “To promote independence and enrich the lives of those we serve”

CLIENT MANAGED PERSONAL ATTENDANT SERVICES (CMPAS) - is a personal care assistant program offered to adults with various disabilities. The CMPAS program is funded through the Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS) to serve Tarrant County, Dallas County and the nine surrounding counties.

CONSUMER DIRECTED SERVICES (CDS) - is an option for children & adults with disabilities throughout the state of Texas. The program provides Personal Assistance Services and Respite Services within the home. Referrals are received through TDHS.

HOME HEALTH SERVICES – At the direction of your doctor, home health services are provided to those living in Dallas, Tarrant and the thirteen surrounding counties may include but is not limited to:

· Skilled Nursing Care following the physician's plan of care.

· Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy.

· Medical Social Services to help patients and their families with emotional, social and environmental difficulties which may hinder the patient's recovery.

· Home Health Aide Services to assist with the patient's personal care and activities of daily living.

PRIMARY HOME CARE PROGRAM – The PHC program has three types of services available in Dallas, Tarrant and the nine surrounding counties. All three programs provide in-home attendants for adults and/or children whose health problems cause them to be functionally limited in performing activities of daily living.

COMMUNITY LIVING ASSISTANCE & SUPPORT SERVICES (CLASS) – The CLASS program provides home and community-based services to individuals (Tarrant, Dallas, & thirteen surrounding counties) who have a qualifying disability, other than mental retardation, which originated before age 22 and which affects their ability to function in daily life. Services include: Adaptive Aids & Medical Supplies, Case Management, Habilitation, Minor Home Modifications, Nursing Services, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Psychological Services, Respite Care, Specialized Therapies, and Speech Pathology.

MR Services – HRA also provides services to individuals with mental retardation or autism living in their own homes through contracts with the local Mental Health Mental Retardation (MHMR) centers in Fort Worth and Dallas. Screening, eligibility and referrals are determined by the local MHMR center.

Elder Care – HRA partners with the local Area Agency on Aging to provide habilitation and in-home supports to the elderly living in our community while working to link them to long-term supports that are available. The Senior Emergency Fund assists in providing funds for emergency needs that are unavailable anywhere else.

Accomplishments and Milestones in 2004

HELPING RESTORE ABILITY (HRA) is the primary agency in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area with a 27-year history of providing awareness, information, case management, assessment, and in-home services and supports to the residents with disabilities in our community.

In partnership with the Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS), HRA provided services and supports to 82 adults with disabilities through the CMPAS (Client Managed Personal Assistance Program) in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

HRA was awarded a contract with TDHS in April, 2004 to provide Primary Home Care (PHC) Services to both adults and children with non-medical support needs, and served 10 people referred this year.

Consumer Directed Services (CDS) is our largest program, providing financial case management and support to over 130 people throughout the state of Texas , including adults and children with significant disabilities.

Home Health Care has been provided to 22 people this year, providing skilled nursing care, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and social work services to people with short-term health care needs as ordered by local physicians.

HRA was certified as a Medicaid and Medicare provider, thereby expanding our ability to serve people through these programs. Services were also expanded to people with third party insurance provided by such carriers as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Amerigroup, and Primary Healthcare Systems (PHCS).

Community Living Assistance and Support Services (CLASS) program began in October, providing extensive supports to people with significant disabilities. HRA has already received clients through transfers from other agencies in this newest program.

Services were further expanded to people with developmental disabilities, including mental retardation and autism, through contracts with Mental Health Mental Retardation of Tarrant County (MHMRTC) and Dallas Metrocare Services. Habilitation, nursing and therapies are provided to persons living in their family homes. Although this is a relatively new contract, six persons have already been served through this new program.

Homemaker and Personal Assistance Services were provided to 12 elderly residents of Tarrant County through an arrangement with Area Agency on Aging (AAA) to provide short-term care while we assist clients in enrolling in other, long-term care programs.

In collaboration with the Wheelchair Foundation and Rotary International, HRA assisted in providing 270 free wheelchairs to clients in the community and over 30 other social service agencies, enabling people to mobilize and fully access their community.

As a recipient of Virginia Hulse grant funds, HRA partnered with First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth to establish a Senior Emergency Fund. This program has provided adaptive aids such as walkers, shower chairs, and wheelchair and scooter repairs, installed grab bars, built ramps, purchased electric blankets and wheelchair batteries, and assisted with prescription medication costs for almost 100 elderly people in Tarrant County who have no other place to go for help.

HRA staff continued to reach out into the community, attending multiple job and health fairs which reached over 1,500 people.

An estimated 2,000 people have received information about various disabling conditions and the services available to assist individuals and families through educational presentations that have been given by HRA in a variety of forums, including businesses, Chambers of Commerce, churches, Rotary, Optimist, and Kiwanis Club meetings, and other locations.

Over 60 people have provided in excess of 1,000 hours of volunteer service to HRA, valued at $30,000 in donated services and supports.