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| ARC of Bismarck |
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ARC of Bismarck
A Dedicated Board of Directors, A Strong Effort and A Solid Future
Since last November, the Consensus Council has had the pleasure of working with the Board of Directors, the staff and members of the Arc of Bismarck in an intense, but enjoyable effort to develop a strategic plan for their organization.
A private, not-for-profit corporation dedicated to education, advocacy and research efforts on behalf of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, the Arc of Bismarck has a rich history of service and advocacy.
With a relatively small staff (lead by Mike Schwab, the Executive Director), the Arc depends heavily on volunteers to support its various services and their thrift store operation. Rita Geitzen heads their all-volunteer Board of Directors.
A highly motivated group of Board members, staff and general members dedicated three long evenings to the strategic planning process. They reviewed and revised their vision, mission and values statements; identified the organizations strengths; discussed and outlined the trends (local, state, regional and national) that are and will affect the organization; and listed and prioritized a series of opportunities/goals that they will focus on during the next 2 to 3 years.
Their goals included:
• Increasing the “Active” Membership of the Arc;
• Supporting local and statewide self-advocacy groups;
• Implementing community education and training programs;
• Increasing awareness of the Arc of Bismarck (expanded marketing efforts);
• Pursuing an active legislative and policy platform (local/state/national);
• Expanding and stabilizing the organizations financial structure;
• Initiating a community-wide employment initiative for individuals with disabilities; and
• Promoting community collaboration, cooperation and partnerships.
The participants have initiated their work on this ambitious list of goals by identifying a variety of activities and action steps and establishing several committees to continue the development process. In addition, the participants developed a process to make their strategic plan an integral and dynamic component of their routine functions.
As one of the participants observed, “The plan is good, solid and exciting. We need to move forward with it to continue the Arc’s growth.” The Consensus Council is grateful for the opportunity to play a part in the fine work Arc of Bismarck.
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| Catholic Charities of North Dakota |
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Catholic Charities of North Dakota
The Consensus Council has been asked to facilitate a process that will enable Catholic Charities of North Dakota not only to plan strategically but also to plan in such a way that the plan will identify the type of leadership for the future of the organization, otherwise known as succession planning. In order to accomplish this, over the next year, the Council will facilitate sessions with staff, with the board and a combined staff and board meeting.
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| Joint Powers Agreements |
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Joint Powers Agreements
A joint powers agreement (JPA) is a agreement between a group of government entities that allows them to do together any function that is authorized by law for any one of them to do separately. JPAs can include cities, counties, school districts, park districts and tribal governments as well as political subdivisions of neighboring states and provinces. Since its authorization under the North Dakota Century Code, the JPA has been used by a number of entities in a wide variety of ways to pool resources and efforts and provide services in effective and efficient ways that could not have been achieved by individual governmental units. This has been especially true of the development and use of JPAs in North Dakota’s public education arena. Over the past 5 years, 9 JPAs have been established, covering 90% of the land mass, 89% of all school districts and serving 94,472 of the states 97,2120 students (97%). This has allowed large and small/urban and rural school districts alike to share their expertise, resources and energies to provide expanded administrative and student services, secure additional grant and governmental funds and provide more accessible, quality education opportunities to many more students. The Consensus Council has been involved in the JPA effort from its initiation in 2000and has played an active role in supporting and assisting the regional education JPAs across the state with consensus modeling and strategic planning.
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| Legislators Forum |
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6th Annual International Legislators Forum
In May 2006, the Sixth Annual International Legislators Forum was held in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Forum is comprised of legislators from Manitoba, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. It is non-partisan, and the legislators addressed issues including pharmaceuticals, methamphetamine, renewable energy, cross border identification issues, rural access to health care practitioners, water issues and other issues. The seventh annual meeting will be held in Pierre, South Dakota, May 23-25, 2007. The Consensus Council provides design, facilitation and documentation services.
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| Minot State University/HCBS |
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Real Choice Systems Change Grant - Rebalancing Initiative
The Real Choice Systems Change Grant - Rebalancing Initiative was awarded to the North Dakota Department of Human Services, Aging Services Division and contracted to the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities at Minot State University. The project is working on a plan for rebalancing of funds between long-term care (nursing home/institutional) services and those services provided in home or community settings. The project is also looking at developing a new system for providing a single point of entry for services for elderly and persons with disabilities who are considering long-term care and home and community-based services. This type of service, commonly referred to as an Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), is common in many states but will be new to North Dakota. The project involves bringing together representatives from public and private organizations that play a role or are interested in assuring that North Dakota elderly and persons with disabilities have options and access to the continuum of long-term care services in North Dakota. The Consensus Council has provided meeting facilitation to the project participants since the beginning of the initiative in 2004.
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| Minot State University/MIG |
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Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Project
Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Project
The Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Project is a statewide project operated under the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities at Minot State University. Initially, the project focused on the passage of legislation that would allow North Dakota citizens receiving Medicaid and working to “buy in” to Medicaid health care coverage, much like a premium payment for health insurance, thus providing individuals with disabilities the opportunity to be employed without the risk of losing much needed coverage. The legislation was passed during the 2003 session and has been successfully implemented and is currently being monitored. The work and efforts of the MIG project have expanded to a encompass a wide variety of projects impacting and affecting persons with disabilities throughout North Dakota. These include:
• A 5-year initiative to research, develop and implement a statewide plan for a Comprehensive Employment System (CES) to assist persons with disabilities to secure and maintain meaningful employment;
• A statewide Housing Task Force working to identify and address housing issues and concerns related to individuals with disabilities;
• A Transitional Jobs Task Force that is developing a pilot project to assist individuals who are transitioning from incarceration to the community to secure and maintain meaningful employment;
• An effort to develop and implement a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness in the Bismarck/Mandan area;
• An effort to address problems and concerns relative to the access to, provision of and payment for personal health care services by Qualified Service Providers (QSP); and
• An initiative to study the need for and current levels of availability of Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) in the state.
The Consensus Council has provided a variety of planning and facilitation services to the MIG projects participants since 2003.
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| Minot State University/SENI |
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Self-Employment Network Initiative
Self-Employment Network Initiative is a statewide project operated under the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities at Minot State University. A group of concerned professionals, advocates, people with disabilities and their families have joined forces to create greater self-employment opportunities for people with disabilities and to remove barriers that prevent such opportunities. While not a common or traditional type of employment for people with disabilities, many successes have been realized in matching the right home-based or small business with the right worker. The Consensus Council has provided meeting facilitation to the SENI project participants since the beginning of the initiative in 2004.
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| Missouri River Educational Cooperative |
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Missouri River Educational Cooperative
The Missouri River Educational Cooperative signed a joint powers agreement for improved educational services on March 18, 2003. The Council has provided facilitation and documentation support services to the 23 school district leaders.
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| ND Board of Pharmacy |
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North Dakota Board of Pharmacy
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| ND Department of Human Services |
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North Dakota Department of Human Services-Professional Development in Early Care and Education Settings
The Department of Human Services, Division of Children and Family Services, is working to develop standards of professional development for childcare educators and providers. The Consensus Council is pleased to be a facilitator for this effort that brings together professionals, parents, advocates and providers to make decisions about the important continuing education for those who care for and educate North Dakota’s youngest citizens. In the consensus-based process, the participants will review historical and current data, examine best practices from around the state and elsewhere, and make recommendations for career development, professional recognition and assuring provider quality into the future.
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| NDACo |
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NDACo
The Consensus Council has facilitated strategic planning and many other meetings for the North Dakota Association of Counties (NDACo) since 1997. During that time, NDACo has grown from a relatively small association of counties to a very significant force in State public policy. With its affiliates, such as district judges, states attorneys, highway directors and social service directors, among others, it has gained a broad base of support and strength. The Association attributes a significant part of its success to regular and consistent strategic planning and collaboration and ensuring implementation of agreements that have been developed.
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| North Dakota Community Action Assn |
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North Dakota Community Action Association
North Dakota Community Action Association is a statewide organization that includes membership of all regional Community Action Agencies in North Dakota. Community Action Agencies provide assistance and training for people to increase their independent living and self-reliance skills. The Community Action Agencies work with people living in poverty, and others, to assure a better quality of life for their clients and communities. The Consensus Council assisted the NDCAA in developing a strategic plan and will continue to provide follow-up services to assist in the plans implementation.
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| North Dakota Department of Health |
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North Dakota Department of Health-Healthy ND Early Childhood Alliance
Healthy North Dakota Early Childhood Alliance (HNDECA) is a statewide organization of professionals and parents convened by the North Dakota Department of Health as part of the Governors Healthy North Dakota Initiative. Federal funding was received by the Department of Health for the state to plan, develop and ultimately implement collaborations and partnerships to support families and communities in their development of children that are healthy and ready to learn at school entry. The plan has been approved by the federal funding agencies and has now moved into the implementation phase. The Consensus Council assisted the group in developing the comprehensive plan, using consensus building, in the five essential component areas including Access to Health Insurance and Medical Home, Mental Health and Social/Emotional Development, Early Care and Education/Childcare, Family Support and Parent Education.
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North Dakota Department of Health-Heart and Stroke Prevention
The Consensus Council is providing strategic planning services, including pre-meeting planning, on-site meeting facilitation and follow-up documentation, for the North Dakota Department of Health, to develop a comprehensive state plan for heart disease and stroke prevention. The plan will ultimately provide a roadmap for working to reduce disease, disability and death related to heart disease, stroke and related risk factors through education, policy, systems and environmental changes. Funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health brings together members of the public and private sector to review the burden of disease in North Dakota, build and nurture partnerships and develop the step-by-step framework needed to promote heart health in the state.
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| North Dakota Disabilities Advocacy Consortium |
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North Dakota Disabilities Advocacy Consortium
North Dakota Disabilities Advocacy Consortium is a non-profit association representing over twenty advocacy groups from across North Dakota relative to services for people with disabilities. The NDDAC representatives include organizations concerned with issues relating to developmental disabilities, mental health, physical disabilities, cognitive disabilities and traumatic brain injury. The Consensus Council has been assisting the NDDAC in developing a long-range strategic plan for the organization that includes financial stability and membership, preparation for legislative advocacy efforts and infrastructure building.
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| Protection & Advocacy Project |
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Individual Justice Planning
Individual Justice Planning (IJP) is a statewide project convened by the Protection and Advocacy Project to review and revise the state’s IJP manual with the specific intent of expanding its availability as an optional tool for working with individuals with disabilities who have become involved with the criminal justice system. Originated in the 1980’s, the manual specifically focused on individuals with developmental disabilities, however, the need for the manual’s updating became obvious to the Protection and Advocacy Project staff in their work with individuals with other disabilities. The effort has brought stakeholders together (including the Attorney General’s Office and Departments of Human Services and Corrections) to collaborate in a process to produce an effective, but optional, tool for law enforcement, attorneys, judges and corrections staff to deal appropriately and effectively with persons who have disabilities and come into conflict with the law. The revised manual will soon be used in several area pilot projects to evaluate its effectiveness and utility. The Consensus Council has been providing assistance to the project through meeting planning, facilitation and documentation since it began in 2004.
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| RiverWatch and Prairie Public Broadcasting |
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RiverWatch
Basin-wide broadcast media partnership for flood mitigation involving Prairie Public Broadcasting and other public and commercial broadcast media outlets.
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| Roughrider Education Services Program |
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Roughrider Education Services Program
The Roughrider Education Services Program works to establish open communication and proactive solutions among 19 schools districts and education partners in southwestern North Dakota. Please see the RESP website at www.edutech.nodak.edu/resp.
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| Sheyenne Valley Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) |
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Sheyenne Valley Coordianted Resource Management (CRM)
The Sheyenne Valley Coordiand Resource Management Pilot Project is an innagural North Dakota effort among ranchers, recreationists, environmentalists and government leaders to build agreement for on-the-ground solutions.
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| Sinner Symposium |
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Governor George Sinner Public Policy Symposium
The third in a series of three annual symposia on public policy issues was held on the campus of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota on November 28,2006. Sponsored by Tri-College University and funded with a grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation and other private sponsors, the symposium attracted community leaders, legislators and other public policy makers, students and faculty to address the issue of addictive drugs in the region.
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| Wyoming Arts Council |
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Wyoming Arts Council
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