First, let me just say I LOVE attending this event - it is small enough to be able to reach out and touch many folks whom we seldom see in “real time” yet large enough to attract great presenters, topics, and discussions. Everyone was so engaged and interested in learning that even the breaks between sessions were teaching moments. Thanks to this year’s attendees who so obviously came to learn.

It is important to note that the learning went both ways: members obviously received a lot of new and/or clarified information from presenters but know that the feedback from several presenters centered on what they learned from the attendees. The state officials, in particular, learned first-hand that putting new policy into operation isn’t as easy as it looks on paper; for example, there are real reasons why there was opposition to the mandatory transitional consultation proposal. They also realized that their method and timing of communicating major changes in the elderly waiver customized living (EWCL) program was not received equally by all providers who need this information. Special thanks to the members who spent time after the presentations to continue the education of the presenters! 

What about the “carry forwards” for Association staff?? First, we are hoping to build off of this year’s summit; in particular, we would like to be able to expand the “Top Gun” experience that was limited to the first 64 who signed up for it (in today’s challenging times, this new way of problem-solving is well worth repeating). We also know the town hall portion of our event continues to be of interest to attendees - it is an opportunity to express issues and concerns on somewhat controversial topics and we have no doubt that another issue will surface before next year’s summit. 

Another “take-away” for Association staff is - just like the state- we need to alter our methods of providing information to our members when it involves something that they really, really need. When we asked members in the audience about whether they had filled out required forms on line for the EWCL program, we expected a greater show of hands; we also noted from the myriad of questions that there is a lot of information that needs to be transmitted to our members in ways that are understandable and translatable over the next few months. We are already working on that.

In the meantime, we would like to hear from you—not necessarily today, but as the weeks and months move on. When there are issues of concern or topics where you wish you had more information, let us know. The breakout session ideas for this year’s summit came from a core group of members who wanted to learn more about a particular topic area. We can start collecting these topic ideas at any point in time, so feel free to contact Association staff. (You can also use the CONTACT US feature located on the Association’s website; go to the main page, choose the ABOUT US, and the third link down is the CONTACT US page. You can submit feedback, comments, ideas, questions, there any time you’d like.)