[Serena Lowe] 15:27:54
Great. I'm not seeing okay okay it's got mine.

[Serena Lowe] 15:28:05
All right. Their transcript is on.

[Serena Lowe] 15:28:11
Okay, perfect. All right. I'm pretty excited. We will start recording once everyone kind of gets in and stuff, but… If I haven't said it, please just thank you guys so much. This is really exciting and it's an exciting time, I think, for technology in this space.

[Serena Lowe] 15:28:29
The last thing I was going to say before I bring people in, Miranda educated me. I'd spent all this time with you guys.

[Serena Lowe] 15:28:35
And I didn't know that you guys had like pulled together this kind of really cool coalition of state groups looking at that so We want to give you guys an opportunity to kind of talk about that towards the end. I think Miranda is going to be the one to bring up but

[Serena Lowe] 15:28:51
If other states want to get involved or learn more about how they can continue to engage in the conversation beyond today.

[Serena Lowe] 15:28:59
Thanks, Miranda, for educating me on that. I'm finding Milton and Jeremy are a little too humble, so they didn't share that piece with me on top of everything else.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:29:11
You know, sometimes you just run out of time

[Serena Lowe] 15:29:11
I've been doing a lot. Yeah, I've been throwing a lot at you guys. So anyways, well, I'm deeply appreciative. I'm going to go ahead and start letting people in.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:29:21
Great.

[Serena Lowe] 15:29:23
A lot of people coming.

[Serena Lowe] 15:30:12
Hi, everyone. We'll get started in just a couple of minutes. We're right at 3.30.

[Serena Lowe] 15:30:17
And so thank you for being on time. We'll let a few of our colleagues might be.

[Serena Lowe] 15:30:26
Lagging a little bit, get on and then we'll get started in just a couple of minutes.

[Serena Lowe] 15:33:18
Okay, I'm not. I think there's a lull right now in folks coming in so A good time to start our first Quarterly technical assistance meeting of the Bridging Aging and Disability Networks grantees.

[Serena Lowe] 15:33:37
And our national community of practice. I'm Serena Lowe the Contract senior advisor to the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities.

[Serena Lowe] 15:33:47
Who has the distinct honor of um helping advise on this project.

[Serena Lowe] 15:33:53
And I'm thrilled that we have such an amazing turnout today.

[Serena Lowe] 15:33:59
For what is definitely going to be a fantastic conversation.

[Serena Lowe] 15:34:06
For those who are… Part of the BADN state grantees, just a couple of announcements, quick announcements for you.

[Serena Lowe] 15:34:18
We are still moving forward with our national meeting in Missouri, St. Charles, Missouri next month, or I guess not quite next month In May, May 14th and 15th. We're really excited about that.

[Serena Lowe] 15:34:34
You will receive a registration link soon just so we have your name and all of that.

[Serena Lowe] 15:34:41
For those that are planning to attend the AAGG, The Association of Aging and Developmental Disabilities Conference beforehand.

[Serena Lowe] 15:34:52
If you haven't seen it, they do have their full brochure out.

[Serena Lowe] 15:34:56
I'm putting this in the chat for you.

[Serena Lowe] 15:35:01
And you're welcome to join that conference. It's about, I think I looked at it, the early bird registration for the entire conference is $275 in early registration goes until April 6th.

[Serena Lowe] 15:35:18
We do still have rooms in our room block. For those of you planning to attend.

[Serena Lowe] 15:35:27
And the other thing I want to just mention about the conference and also about our meeting.

[Serena Lowe] 15:35:31
For the conference, they do have a virtual option. So if you have colleagues that aren't able to come in person but want to listen in to some of that conference, they can. The registration fee is still the same.

[Serena Lowe] 15:35:44
But they do have that available. And we also are going to have some hybrid version of our meeting available.

[Serena Lowe] 15:35:54
We won't have 100% of our meeting virtually available because we will be doing breakout discussions and it's just a little difficult to do that in the being on Zoom, but we are going to try to make as much of it accessible as we can to those who can't

[Serena Lowe] 15:36:10
Be with us in person. But the expectation is that Unless we hear otherwise that states are sending individuals. So we're really excited I want to acknowledge my colleagues.

[Serena Lowe] 15:36:24
Mary Willard, the Director of Operations, and Eric Berg from the National Association.

[Serena Lowe] 15:36:31
Of councils and Developmental Disabilities, and I believe Jill Jacobs, our executive director, is also on the line.

[Serena Lowe] 15:36:37
So thank you so much for coming. And without further ado, we're going to get started. So today's discussion is about state level system strategies for leveraging enabling technologies to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan.

[Serena Lowe] 15:36:56
We are going to change these quarterly TA webinars up a bit.

[Serena Lowe] 15:37:01
I'm a big proponent in peer-led conversations and mentoring and coaching. And so in that spirit.

[Serena Lowe] 15:37:11
This topic was broached by our colleagues from the great state of Oklahoma.

[Serena Lowe] 15:37:16
And as a result, I've asked Miranda Hutchinson and Jen Randall to be a part of this conversation. They will be our moderators today.

[Serena Lowe] 15:37:26
And then we are so delighted to have colleagues from the great state of Tennessee joining us.

[Serena Lowe] 15:37:35
And they are our featured guest presenters today. And what we'll do is the moderators will have some opening remarks. They're going to have some guided questions, which I will put in the chat.

[Serena Lowe] 15:37:46
We're going to use a lot of chat time today to keep it interactive during the conversation.

[Serena Lowe] 15:37:53
And then they are going to pose questions to the Tennessee team who will be responding and also have a slide deck during those responses.

[Serena Lowe] 15:38:03
This is being recorded. So we will have this available for future use.

[Serena Lowe] 15:38:13
And we also have the transcript available for those that need it.

[Serena Lowe] 15:38:20
So without further ado, I think I'm going to turn it over to Miranda Hutchinson.

[Serena Lowe] 15:38:26
From Oklahoma's Department of Health Services Developmental Disabilities. And I think Jen Randall is also here. I just want to acknowledge her and her leadership from the Oklahoma Council on Developmental Disabilities and the BADN work.

[Serena Lowe] 15:38:43
So Miranda, take it away.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:38:46
Well, first, thank you so much, Serena, for letting us have this platform today to be able to talk about enabling technology. I know it's a huge, huge passion of mine. I know it's also a big passion of some of the other folks that are on here.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:38:57
And I have to give a shout out to our council because they have been big supporters of ours as well in some of our endeavors. So it is all hands on deck.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:39:07
When it comes to enabling technology. So we have a couple of questions that Sumerina is going to drop in the chat just to kind of get that conversation started.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:39:16
So the first question that we have for you all is, does your state currently have a tech-first initiative that includes people with IED.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:39:26
So she's dropped that question in the chat, if you guys don't mind like providing us some answers in there. Let's learn a little bit more about what's going on in your states.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:39:39
Yeah, Donald is a good friend of mine from DC.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:39:46
And, you know, while you guys are doing that, do you know if you're aging departments have any kind of technology first or approves technology and within their waivers too.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:40:20
I'm going to go ahead and have, as you guys are kind of dropping that in um I'm also going to go ahead and Have Serena drop the second question in there, which is how would you rank the offerings of your state's flavor programs in terms of supporting people with IDD to access

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:40:37
Enabling technology and assistive technology.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:40:44
Hey, Kansas.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:40:54
Iowa that's excited that you guys are starting to discuss the Tech First initiative. I love that.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:41:03
Arizona, we will help you. I have some people I can refer you to.

[Serena Lowe] 15:41:24
I love the peer support of this group. It's awesome. Don't worry.

[Serena Lowe] 15:41:28
If you haven't started. There's only going up from here, right?

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:41:41
Oh, thank you, Jennifer. That's good information. That's great.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:41:52
Yeah. There's still a lot of barriers that we're talking about and trying to break down so that we can get that tech into the hands of people we support.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:42:01
Thank you guys. Go ahead and keep dropping your comments in the chat. That's really great information.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:42:07
So Serena asked me just to talk a little bit about how our our history here in Oklahoma, like how we started what enabling technology looks like in Oklahoma and kind of our And so let me, real quick, I'm going to give you that and then I'm going to give you to the key people today, which is our friends from Tennessee.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:42:28
So in Oklahoma, we really began our journey digging into enabling technology and early 2020. So COVID's hitting the entire nation. Things are going crazy. And Oklahoma was like, look, we need to really take a good look at enabling technology and see how it can really support people with IDD.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:42:48
To be more independent and how it can also help us address the direct support workforce crisis.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:42:53
Which every one of us was experiencing at the time and all of us continues to experience is that now.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:43:01
And so we really during that time period, relied heavily on the expertise of our friends out there and our state partners and our vendors.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:43:11
We talked to Tennessee was one of our pre-pop that provided us with a lot of assistance and guidance.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:43:15
A shout out to Milton and Harold. Wherever girls is out there right now and his journeys in the world. We talk with a lot of states and we continue to talk with our state partners to build our programs, to figure out ways to be

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:43:28
Better at getting technology out there for people. So since… In March, and when I say enabling technology, just real quick, let me say that in Oklahoma, we define that as any type of technology that helps a person with IDD to be more independent in their home, community, or work setting.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:43:47
So it's a pretty open definition and we did that on purpose.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:43:52
Because if we were very specific with it, then we would have created barriers. And we most definitely did not want to do that. So we kept that general.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:43:59
That definition pretty open. On purpose.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:44:04
We began authorizing enabling technology through our waivers in March of 2021. And the first thing that we authorized was an automated medication dispenser Which that person continues to use very successfully to this day.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:44:20
We are using technology in our programs in a variety of different ways. These include helping people get access to technology just so they can participate participate more independently in their daily living skills, such as using a button to turn on and off a light.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:44:37
Rather than having to be having to physically get up to do it or ask staff to turn on and off that light.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:44:43
Using technology such as automated medication dispensers to be able to do their medications more independently.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:44:50
Bed shakers, whatever is needed. We're also using enabling technology to help people that are still living at home with their families or that are living in those congregate settings with direct support professionals.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:45:02
Where they get that 24 hour support. Using those enabling technologies to help people safely and naturally transition out and into independent living, which has been a really big deal.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:45:12
And then, of course, helping people to age in place. That's very important as well.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:45:18
So Serena asked me about my lot. And for me, my why for asking for this session. If you guys were there when we were all together in DC last year.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:45:28
You probably saw that I'm pretty passionate about this. It's pretty easy.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:45:35
So I just kind of, for me, I look back over the last five years of us birthing our program and then seeing and all I have to do is look back and remember all the different stories that have impacted so many of the people that are using technology

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:45:51
From independently taking their medicine, living by themselves Being able to be out in the community alone without having to wait for a staff person or having to go in groups, you know, but being able to have that independence in their lives.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:46:05
And remembering each story is a story of how technology has really changed our lives to be better.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:46:12
I want other states to hear these stories. And I want other states to be able to learn and join states like us in Tennessee and others in our initiatives to make technology a first support option.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:46:27
And to make it available to people with IDD. I truly believe if anybody asks me, and Milton has heard me say this before, that I believe, and I think Jen's heard me say it too, that at least 90% of the people that we serve in Oklahoma

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:46:42
Can be better served with some piece of technology if they are just asked.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:46:47
So once again, Serena, I really appreciate you giving me this opportunity to talk about enabling technology.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:46:52
For Tennessee, who is one of our top leading states in this area and has provided so much support to a lot of us, including Oklahoma, to have the opportunity to talk and for people to learn about the things that is going on out there. So with that being said.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:47:08
I am going to look to Jordan. And I am going to ask Jordan Can you please go ahead and introduce your team?

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:47:19
And then give us a sense of what your overall vision has been during your time at the department for promoting the optimal socioeconomic independence an advancement for people with IDD.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:47:32
And really talk to us about how your tech first work has fit into this overall vision. So I'm going to hand it off to you guys.

[Jordan Allen] 15:47:40
Well, thank you so much. First and foremost, we're thrilled to be here. It's an honor.

[Jordan Allen] 15:47:46
To be in a room and be able to have conversation with colleagues across the country on something that, Miranda, as you said, I think is of such great import to the people we all serve together. I'll go through the team very quickly here, but you'll get to hear from each of them today.

[Jordan Allen] 15:48:03
I'm a little biased, obviously, but I consider these folks to be some of the leaders across the country in both innovation and thought.

[Jordan Allen] 15:48:12
But also as advocates. And so I appreciate so much Or both of those things so deeply. Jeremy Norton Paul's on today. He is our state director of innovation.

[Jordan Allen] 15:48:23
Within that division follows our enabling technology division, our employment first activities and then various other innovative projects. Essentially, in fact, the other day I was talking to a group of people, including our commissioner and some others. And our thought, my thought personally for Jeremy and his team is

[Jordan Allen] 15:48:43
If they're not almost getting us shut down every day of the week, then they're probably not doing their job as innovators within the department, but a pretty unique experience.

[Jordan Allen] 15:48:54
For me and maybe any of us who've spent some time in the private sector.

[Jordan Allen] 15:48:58
To be embedded within state government, but also be afforded the trust And the opportunity to really innovate. And the result of that for us, and Milton will talk a little bit about that.

[Jordan Allen] 15:49:10
Here in a little bit, Milton New and Schwanger is our director of our enabling Technology Division within the Division of Innovation.

[Jordan Allen] 15:49:18
And is a primary driver. And our experience with enabling technology here in the state, and probably most importantly.

[Jordan Allen] 15:49:26
Has laid the pathway and the foundation to allow for up to almost 2000 people now within our waiver system that are utilizing technology as some portion of their support package. We also have Alex Gomm with us on today. Alex drives our program development and our program alignment vision.

[Jordan Allen] 15:49:47
When we say alignment here in the state of Tennessee, really what I'm talking about is we have multiple demonstrations all occurring at the same time. And I know that that's not inconsistent with many states across the country, but we have an 1115A managed care program and we have three different 1915C waivers

[Jordan Allen] 15:50:05
And then we're fortunate enough actually to have some state funded programs One of which our director of the Medicaid Alternative Pathways Program.

[Jordan Allen] 15:50:15
Literally the most sterile name we could think of for the most exciting program. We just call it maps. Jay Camperlino is on with us today. That program, and Jay will get to some of that, I'm sure, this afternoon, but that program is built completely

[Jordan Allen] 15:50:28
On the foundation of how technology has impacted people within the IDD service system, but even more broadly, folks in our aging community and now We're utilizing technology within our custodial youth populations here in the state of Tennessee.

[Jordan Allen] 15:50:44
Miranda, I'll give you a very quick overview of our experience here because we're fortunate enough to be almost eight years into this now.

[Jordan Allen] 15:50:53
But one of the things you said really rung true for me. We were lucky that we started, you referenced Harold Sloves, who is since retired and is now a part-time professional barbecue cook and sends me pictures regularly.

[Jordan Allen] 15:51:08
I'll share with the group if you want, but probably after lunch and not before.

[Jordan Allen] 15:51:12
We were lucky enough to start around 2016. And I remember Harold saying hey There's something going on out here. And I think that it's getting legs and gathering steam. And I really want you to afford me the opportunity to dive deep in some research relative to how

[Jordan Allen] 15:51:29
Technologies, things that had become so common in our own lives are now being pushed forward and more accessible in ways that they haven't been before, certainly more affordable and available.

[Jordan Allen] 15:51:42
And I think that we could really impact our population if we understand how this could be best utilized and how we can develop training And then begin to shape norms around utilization within the IDD population.

[Jordan Allen] 15:51:55
So that started around 2016. Fast forwarding through a whole bunch of bureaucracy. I'll tell you that we were able to submit a plan to the governor's And the legislature, they were Fortunately for us, they trusted us enough to approve

[Jordan Allen] 15:52:10
Funding for us and we launched several pilot projects starting Like you said, with automated medication dispensers. But since we were operating with state funds and operating in a pilot environment, we got a little bit more adventurous, I think, with some of our early pilots. And our thought was, let's test a low level, medium level, and high level population, support need population.

[Jordan Allen] 15:52:35
And let's see how these various tools of technology might be able to enable or impact each portion of that population.

[Jordan Allen] 15:52:44
Again, kind of fast forwarding through a lot, I can tell you very proudly that we did not have a single negative experience throughout the entirety of those pilot projects, we had varying degrees of success. Some people In fact, the guy that we kind of consider the godfather, the trailblazer here in the state of Tennessee for ET utilization amongst the IDD population.

[Jordan Allen] 15:53:07
Ended up moving from a developmental center where he had over a thousand roommates and hated that the entirety of that experience to live in completely on his own on a piece of land and one of our favorite stories about carl

[Jordan Allen] 15:53:22
Now, Carl was his name is that he eventually, his life became exactly what he wanted. And one of my favorite photos is of him on his way to a journey concert with a buddy he met.

[Jordan Allen] 15:53:34
And ended up going to church with and they headed out on a weekend trip to go watch Journey. You know, his taste in music might be questionable but Nobody can question the fact that he was unable to do that.

[Jordan Allen] 15:53:46
So we had success amongst each of those pilots. Then came the pandemic. And as you said.

[Jordan Allen] 15:53:52
We were still kind of getting our sea legs at that point. We had done we invested An overwhelming amount of time and stakeholder feedback and communication efforts and documenting video documentation of successes across the populations that we were supporting.

[Jordan Allen] 15:54:10
So there was at least an understanding and a foundation of how technology was impacting in a positive way. And then the pandemic set in and we were in the very fortunate position of already understanding how technology could very quickly be deployed and the impact that it might have

[Jordan Allen] 15:54:30
For people, even those that were living in congregate settings. And we deployed that as rapidly as we possibly could. We made it available.

[Jordan Allen] 15:54:39
As a waiver funded service, just as we were shutting down in March.

[Jordan Allen] 15:54:44
Of 2020 and we got to I think we impacted the crisis, the staffing crisis that ensued after the pandemic.

[Jordan Allen] 15:54:53
In a pretty positive way for a lot of people. Since that time, we have, as the public health emergency faded and as all the states rolled back the flexibilities that were allowed through their Appendix K and And each of the flexibilities that accompanied a lot of the public health emergency allowances

[Jordan Allen] 15:55:12
What stuck for us, thankfully, was the utilization of technology across a broad spectrum.

[Jordan Allen] 15:55:19
And today, the state of Tennessee actually has a uniquely designed residential funding opportunity that contemplates utilization of technology and then shares a portion of that savings with the provider agencies that are supporting people who are utilizing technology and thus costing less on a per person basis, which to us then avails additional funding for us to try new

[Jordan Allen] 15:55:46
Innovations. So that's kind of a very quick overview of about a 10 year history here in the state. And our journey is far from done. And like you, we have learned and been so fortunate to have shared time with states like Ohio and Missouri and Pennsylvania. And then we were fortunate to develop relationships

[Jordan Allen] 15:56:08
With some of the most brilliant and innovative minds in the private sector, some of whom were developing their own technology, others who were developing packages of technology for the IDD population. Many of those folks have gone from colleagues and become friends of ours at this point. And again, had it not been for their guidance and the patience of those that had experience in this as we were beginning to

[Jordan Allen] 15:56:37
Kind of wade into these waters. I think our curve would have been much longer. And despite the fact that it's been eight years for us, without that communal support, without the ability to reach out and have direct contact and conversation with others.

[Jordan Allen] 15:56:52
Who had tried some before us, I don't think we would be close to where we are here today.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:57:00
Thank you for that, Jordan. I have to 100% agree. It is a community. If you are deep in this, I mean, it is a community. We are all besties, I tell you. Okay.

[Miranda Hutchison] 15:57:11
Jeremy, can you share with us a little bit about the Division's Office of Innovation and how technology fits into the larger innovation strategy?

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:57:22
Absolutely. Thank you, Miranda. So first of all, let me just say thanks again from the Tennessee team. It's really a pleasure to be here alongside so many of our colleagues. I see a lot of familiar faces out there.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:57:32
My goal is to get out of the way as quickly as possible and hand the steering wheel over to Milton and Jay and Alex to tell you more about our programs.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:57:41
But I wanted to start a little bit more zoomed out.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:57:44
Because typically when we think about innovation in Tennessee, and this is probably true in your states.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:57:50
One of the first things that comes to mind is technology or enabling technology. And that is absolutely true.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:57:57
And it continues to be our major flagship program enabling technology? How do we figure out ways of getting technology into the hands of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and older adults and other people more broadly But I wanted to zoom out from there because our enabling technology work wouldn't be possible

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:58:18
To the magnitude that it is successful today if we didn't have a dedicated team of people working on innovation more broadly. And so I think that we're pretty unique and outstanding in the sense that a lot of states have enabling technology programs.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:58:34
I don't know that there's a lot of other state agencies out there. I don't think that there are that have gone the step of establishing a formal office or division or program of innovation we consider ourselves very lucky that we have one and we have a growing team, now more than 20 people who are working every single day

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:58:53
To identify innovative solutions to some of the most persistent challenges facing the people we serve.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:59:00
So I wanted to start there. And you can see from the title of these slides that we view ourselves as architects of innovation.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:59:08
There's a lot of ways you can innovate. You can be DD councils, provider agencies, advocacy organizations.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:59:16
Private businesses. There are so many ways to innovate. But our challenge to ourselves and honestly, our challenge to any other state agency out there is that we must see ourselves as responsible for innovating because if not us, then who?

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:59:30
So that's the sort of the premise and title of our presentation here.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:59:33
Milton, can you go to the next slide, please? So Jordan gave the history of enabling technology and where we got to today. And so just to zoom in a little bit more closely on 2020, We were a formally established as a division of our agency in 2020.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 15:59:51
And our mission is clear. Our job is to create innovative pathways to advance our department's mission Forgive, there's a little bit of a typo here just because we recently had a name change of our department. We used to be DIDD. We're now DDA. So that's why you see DIDD there.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:00:09
But the mission of our department hasn't changed. Our mission is to support people with intellectual disabilities and older adults.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:00:15
But the way that we go about doing it is different. And so that's what we do on my team.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:00:20
And I'm so lucky to be here with several of our team members.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:00:25
Enabling technology continues to be a persistent through line in everything that we do. So almost everything that we touch has some aspect of technology as a tool to help people be more independent.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:00:37
And our division also supports what we call the pillars of transformation There's a diagram here it looks a little bit complicated. It's really quite simple.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:00:48
And the most important thing at the very top there is independence and quality of life.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:00:53
Every single thing that we do, every single innovation that we undertake, every single partnership that we forge.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:00:59
Should all be in service of increasing the independence and or quality of life of the people we're supporting. It's a very simple litmus test. And the three pillars upon which we build all of that are employment first.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:01:12
Technology first and person-centeredness. So it's a very simple framework, a very simple diagram, but it drives every single thing we do and every single decision we make.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:01:22
Next slide, please. So our goals are quite simple. We focus at three levels. So at the individual people level.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:01:31
Our job is to help give people tools to increase their independence and quality of life, achieve goals.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:01:41
And accomplish the things that they want to accomplish in their daily lives. So we do a lot of work with individual people who receive services and their families.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:01:48
We also do a lot of work with provider organizations and other community organizations. We focus a lot on training and capacity building.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:01:55
Because they are the backbone of our service system. And we know that if we're not investing in the training, the skills, the expertise, the confidence and competence of our providers.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:02:05
That nothing that we do at a state level is going to be successful.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:02:09
And third, we focus a lot at the service and program level. So we're literally designing brand new services and programs Maps is a great example, enabling technology is a great example, and I'll share a few other examples with you in just a minute.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:02:22
Next slide, please. So for a lot of you on the call today, especially those that work for DD councils.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:02:29
This logic model is not going to sound this is not earth shattering. This is not revolutionary, but I think it's important for us to be transparent and very clear about how we are operating.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:02:42
So we, and when I say we, I'm talking about our department as a whole and in particular our innovation team members.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:02:47
We are constantly engaging with and communicating with people with intellectual developmental disabilities, older adults, families, and providers, the people who are closest to the issues, because we know that they're going to give us the best sense of what those issues are and what the solutions are most likely to be.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:03:03
We're constantly researching innovative practices to address those challenges, and in many cases, a solution doesn't exist. And so we take it upon ourselves to invent new solutions. We design pilot projects and programs and services If and when they're successful, and sometimes they're not, but in most cases they are, our job is to figure out how to

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:03:22
Fund it and scale it to reach as many people as possible.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:03:25
And then it's rinse and repeat. We're constantly engaged in this continuous cycle of research, communication, and feedback.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:03:31
Next slide, please. So we often get asked, how is it that you do everything that you do? And it is about the technology. But as Steve Jobs says, technology alone is not enough. And there are so many other ingredients that we depend on

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:03:45
To be successful. And we could spend a whole day seminar talking about how we're able to innovate and change people's lives. But I just wanted to give you a quick flavor of some of those key ingredients that we often think about.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:03:58
We have amazing state agency partners, including our Medicaid agency, TennCare. We have three managed care organizations we work closely with.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:04:06
We're very tight with our network of home and community-based service providers There are independent support coordination agencies that we work closely with Of course, there's our program innovation team that I talked about a few minutes ago.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:04:20
We have a variety of enabling technology vendors that make up our enabling technology provider network.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:04:25
We work very closely with advocates and families to make sure that what we're doing is meeting people's needs.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:04:31
We're very blessed to be a part of a national consortium of technology states alongside Oklahoma.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:04:36
And there are a variety of other innovation partners we work with. Nothing we do is alone.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:04:40
And it's always about more than just the technology. It's about what we're doing with that technology and what we're doing with innovation to help change lives.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:04:49
Next slide, please. Okay. I'm just going to leave you with this. Hopefully this is just enough information to get your head spinning a little bit.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:04:59
And if any of this piques your interest and you want to talk in more detail, we'd be happy to set up another time Whether it's doing another meeting like this or just meeting separately and privately to talk about these examples.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:05:10
This isn't even the full list of stuff that we work on, but this is just a sample of some of the programs and projects that we do on our innovation team.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:05:18
So working with individuals, we have created independent travel training programs.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:05:23
We're always working on ways of delivering remote support. We've worked on virtual reality projects, particularly around public transportation And employment exploration.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:05:33
We've developed something called a virtual community resource map that Jay is going to talk to you about in a few minutes.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:05:40
We've created a self-advocate training program that we've made available openly to the public. We have enabling technology model homes that are open for tour to the public. We have an annual technology camp that's really amazing coming up just in a couple months.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:05:56
We have an online guided journey database that we call Tennessee Tech Connect to help people understand what their technology options are.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:06:05
We've invested significantly in providers. We provide training and scholarships and grants to help them get tech-first training.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:06:11
We're doing the same thing for employment first training, making sure that providers have access to the latest and greatest opportunities.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:06:19
We have a travel training certification. We put out provider innovation grants, and we've also co-created something called the DSP Academy Which I think originally was out of Washington DC, but we helped bring that to Tennessee.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:06:32
And at the service level, we've created the maps program that you'll hear more about from Jay. We recently created something called a flexible residential support model, which is all about changing the way that people receive support in their homes to be as flexible and innovative as possible.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:06:47
We're constantly exploring value-based payment initiatives across our waiver services, Alex is really spearheading a lot of those efforts.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:06:54
We're currently working on an innovative dental health project aimed at increasing oral and dental health outcomes for people with disabilities and older adults. And we're also working on a project with Vanderbilt University aimed at better equipping service providers to support people who have complex behavior needs. So that was

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:07:14
Just fast enough to maybe blow your hats off And I'd love to talk to you about some of those things in more detail another time.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:07:21
But with that, I'm going to say next slide. I think that my time is up. And Milton, you can take the wheel.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:07:30
All right, Milton. Thank you, Jeremy. That was great information. Ken, Milton, can you please share with us how Tennessee defines enabling technology And what some of the key principles are around enabling technology.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:07:46
Yes, thank you, Miranda. And so I'll go to the next slide here.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:07:54
Their week.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:07:59
So yeah, so I like to first start out before I define enabling technology, I like to show a video. And the reason I show a video is because it's very helpful in explaining how technology sees how Tennessee sees technology from our department and how we are supporting individuals

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:08:21
At a state level with getting the technology that they need to be to live their desired lives as independent as possible as they want so This video that I'm going to show, I kind of feel like it brings all of our concepts together in one cool video with Larry.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:08:41
One thing about Larry, he was always, he started out in an institutional setting. He was always had some staff there 24 seven, you know, looking over her shoulder Because of his medical needs and his support needs that he needed.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:08:59
But being able to kind of shift that culture to then allow him to use technology to give them some extra privacy in his new home.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:09:11
Like this video is going to show really allows him to feel like the man he wants to be in his home and in the community and do the things that he wants to do I'm going to go ahead and show this video and then we'll talk about

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:09:26
How our definition enabling technology comes together to allow Larry to live this lifestyle.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:09:43
I own my own home and staff help me throughout the day. Through the use of enabling technology, I can open my front door or by myself.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:09:53
This provides me a way to get out in an emergency.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:09:57
I can FaceTime family and friends using my iPad. I can also send text messages and send pictures.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:10:05
I've actually known Larry for about 14 years now. He's a very, very smart person. He enjoys sports.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:10:12
Very independent. It's awesome. Just something as small as like be able to See at your front door. You know, whenever I first met Larry, like, you know, years and years ago You would never thought that would have been possible because the technology just wasn't there.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:10:24
But now with the technology there, he can be alone for two hours a day and he can do whatever. But if you were to need help, if there's any kind of emergency.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:10:32
He's able to press a button. So, I mean, it makes it like so much better for him as far as being able to be independent. Larry has lived in an institution his entire adult life. Then he came to Core Services about 20 years ago. He's lived in his own apartment.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:10:47
But he's always had staff with him 24 seven. Larry has an iPad that allows him to express himself with words in a way that he's not able to without that technology.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:10:56
I like to watch wrestling. Like a UT Sports. Larry's home has been equipped with some smart home technology so that he has control over the lights, the television, the door.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:11:07
He has a way to get a hold of staff if they leave for a period of time so Larry can spend several hours a day in his own home by himself. He appreciates that time. I think it makes him feel more like

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:11:19
The adult that he is, the independent person that he is. He really does value that time.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:11:24
So had you always, Larry, wanted a place of your own?

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:11:28
Are you happy? Technology makes that all possible. There's all kinds of environmental controls, some of them just over the counter, very cheap to purchase.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:11:38
And just opened a whole new world for him. It's made a huge impact on his life and it's made it a lot easier for people that aren't as familiar with him to get to know him better.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:11:48
Bye. See you later.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:11:54
So the one nice thing I really love about that video is that it really illustrates how we defined enabling technology here in Tennessee is very similar to how Oklahoma define their enabling technology program We wanted to keep our definition open to new suggestions of technology.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:12:15
And flexible so that we can add some of these newer emerging and innovative technologies that are coming out every day.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:12:23
You know, now and even in the future. The one thing you would notice about Larry's video is that our definition includes what we call assistive technology and what we've known assistive technology for the last 20 years. And so we didn't want to miss out

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:12:39
On utilizing idea of assistive technology that we've been trying to utilize for the last 20 years But we also wanted to be able to add some of those newer technologies like smart home technologies and environmental control technologies like you saw larry using

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:12:57
On that iPad to open his front door to control his TV, to reach out to staff and have video calls and so on and so forth.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:13:07
But we also wanted to include the remote support technology solutions. And so underneath our enabling technology definition, we capture that those topics and those ideas all in one definition And the big main thing about using technology, as you can see in our definition, is that

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:13:28
It needs to be in a way that provides a means to support individuals to increase their independence.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:13:35
So those technology solutions have to help the individual and justify the use of those technologies.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:13:42
For maintaining and creating new opportunities for people to take on their own responsibilities and do their own things in life.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:13:53
And the last thing with our definitions is that we envision using technology in a variety of different environments. And so it's just not confined to a person's home.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:14:05
It also includes them using technology out in their communities and also in their workplaces so that they we can grasp all three of those pillars of employment first, technology first.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:14:17
Being part of your communities and having those good quality of life.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:14:21
And independence. Additionally, when we look at technology, we're not just gathering a whole bunch of iPads and start handing them out because We want to make sure that the technology that we provide to the person is a person-centered technology solution.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:14:38
That is something that interests them, that's something they're comfortable with. It's something that they're going to be able to use That's going to be driven by their outcomes, their preferences, their priorities.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:14:51
And, you know, their likes and dislikes when it comes to understanding technology.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:14:57
We want to make sure that any technology solution that we put in somebody's hands is going to help them promote that independence and continue to build their skills and provide them with more access to their home, to their work, or to their community.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:15:14
More importantly, we wanted to make sure that we expanded the idea of using technology that it wasn't just for durable medical equipment. It wasn't just for adaptive equipment.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:15:27
It was for this idea of how you and I can go to a store and get off the shelf technologies that can support us in our own environments and our own homes.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:15:37
That people within our services can do that same thing, that they can ask for these same type of technologies that are off the shelf and don't require a doctor's recommendation or a healthcare professional recommendation.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:15:51
For them to use everyday technology items that URI use. So we wanted to create this idea of enabling technology integration specialists that knew how to integrate technology into a person's services and into their lives So it can best support them.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:16:10
And so like Oklahoma, like many other states, we came up with a technology first initiative.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:16:17
And like many other states will say, this is not a technology only strategy but It's an approach where we try to balance out our services so that people can consider technology ideas and solutions along with your paid supports and in-person direct supports.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:16:37
The technology initiative is to introduce people from the very beginning. This idea of using technology as part of their services. And that's where we have our service coordinators Start that conversation at the very beginning of, hey, we know you have outcomes and goals. Would you be interested in using technology to help achieve those outcomes and goals?

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:17:00
And then we want to make sure that through this technology initiative that we're meeting the person where they are with their understanding of technology.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:17:08
And providing them with whatever training, education, and building their knowledge so that they completely understand how technology can be used.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:17:16
As part of their services and helping support them in their quality of life.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:17:22
So there's a lot of different levels that we have when it comes to our definition and how we support people.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:17:41
So I guess I can… Sorry, I was going on a tangent. Miranda, I was waiting for your your question.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:17:44
Sorry.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:17:48
I know. My bad. Excuse me. Okay. My next question for you um falling down on my job here. What are some of the different areas of enabling technology you have focused on to address common challenges experienced by individuals with IDD.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:18:07
Yes, thanks, Miranda. And what I was going to say is that Whenever we look at technology, it's driven by a person's outcomes and goals as to why they want to use technology.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:18:21
If you don't have it organized by outcomes and goals.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:18:26
People can get really lost in this idea of technology and the sea of all these different types of technology equipment and gadgets and And devices that are out there. So you really need to focus on that person-centered outcome and goal that that person wants to achieve to build their independence, to build their quality of life and how technology can be

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:18:50
Used to help address that goal and achieve that goal. And so we have really come across within our program a lot of different situations and areas in which people can use technology to achieve goals and to build their skills towards managing their own life.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:19:12
And you can see a big list here of different ways that technology can help support people.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:19:19
A lot of these things people you know are very familiar to individuals You know, calling for help, cleaning and housekeeping, fall risk and inactivity, you know, being able to put together a technology solution Just to… timely notify somebody if they don't make it.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:19:38
Back to bed in the middle of the night or they fall while on their way to the bathroom A lot of these technology solutions can be life-changing. A lot of them can help people age in place.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:19:52
A lot of them can be the difference between somebody Being able to stay in their family home and or having to go into a a higher level facility of support, like a nursing home or a a um a home that has 24 seven you know paid services so

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:20:13
We are really looking at these different technology solutions to help them maintain the lifestyle that they want to live and not have to always be reliant on higher levels of need needed services and other types of paid supports.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:20:30
And so I'm just going to kind of jump into some of the technologies that we have really focused in on in Tennessee.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:20:38
One of the biggest focus has been remote support technology solutions.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:20:43
Using those, putting together a technology solution that includes like smart home technologies That can trigger alerts and notifications to caregivers to natural support to family members, whoever is on the receiving end to then connect the person remotely through video and audio communication systems so that they can receive the on-time assistance

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:21:14
Whenever they need it, rather than having somebody at their home or in their space 24 seven.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:21:21
And by putting these technology solutions in place where they can trigger a request for assistance.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:21:30
That, you know, the technology can trigger that request for assistance really empowers them to do more things on their own and not always have to rely on support staff to be there 24 seven Now, we have a whole bunch of videos that we can show you as part of this slideshow, but

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:21:52
We include those so you guys could always go back and watch them.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:21:55
We also have a DDA playlist of enabling technology videos on YouTube that you guys can also go and watch them later.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:22:06
Just for a matter of time, I'm not going to show every single video.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:22:10
But we do have videos, this one of Christie and Mindy kind of explaining how they use remote supports in their home.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:22:18
And it's a wonderful video about two young ladies who live together and enjoy living together and they enjoy their their um kind of their privacy to be able to live together without staff being there 24 seven and and they just enjoy each other's company

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:22:38
And don't have to always rely on staff to do the things that they want to do.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:22:42
But the big thing I want to kind of explain is that remote supports and independence doesn't necessarily mean loneliness. It means living with the people that you want to live with in your home and enjoying the space with other people that you want to be with.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:22:58
We also have automated med dispensers that we use as part of our program.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:23:06
As well as telehealth systems, these are very important in helping people better manage their health and And also get the timely help and support through telehealth and such.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:23:22
One big thing that we have learned, especially with the older adults.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:23:28
And the aging space is that One of the biggest factors with people having to go into nursing homes is not being able to manage their medications and being able to introduce a simple automated med dispenser that organizes and alerts

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:23:43
And notifies when notifies when medications need to be medications need to taken is a game changer in helping people just stay in their homes and age in place.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:23:56
This is an example of one of our telemedicine partners, Station MD. They have a program nationwide where they're supporting People with IDDs.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:24:09
With IDD in different states. And they specifically specialize in their doctors understanding people with IDD and helping to organize that help and support through that telehealth and telemedicine type of program.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:24:28
That has been really helpful. A cost-effective approach, especially in some of our homes that are really high medically necessary homes.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:24:37
Trying to mitigate the need to go into hospitals and emergency rooms whenever a telehealth doctor that understands IDD can help coordinate some of those services.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:24:51
Personal emergency response systems is something that I've always been around. It's just that nowadays they have become more advanced. They're now in watch forms. They're in pendants.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:25:03
They have fall detection. They have text messaging. They have built in SOS buttons and And travel notifications when people get to certain places through GPS.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:25:14
They're easy to carry. Some of them are even stylish if you like an Apple Watch. And so we've been looking at how can these wearable type devices really help people be more engaged in their communities and and do more things in their communities.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:25:32
Without having to rely on support staff to always take them into the communities And be there with them.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:25:40
Another big component of our program is mobile technology. And I don't think I have to explain to everybody the usefulness of mobile technology because I believe everybody probably has mobile technology in a piece of mobile technology either in front of them or in their pocket.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:25:58
And have used it themselves. But a couple of the great things about mobile technology is it's travel friendly. It can be connected to Wi-Fi or internet 24 seven.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:26:13
It has built-in accessibility features, especially a lot of your iPhones. It has assistance like Google assistance and And, you know, now AI with Gemini and chat gpt And, you know, with a smartphone If somebody needs help with something, we can always find the app for that. You know, with the saying, there's an app

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:26:35
We have found a lot of free apps that people can just put on their phones that can truly help them with building their skills and maintaining their lifestyle just by a really useful free app that people have shown has been really beneficial.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:26:54
This is, I believe Miranda talked about able link And being able to use AbleLink as part of their programs We have partnered with AbleLink as well, and we put together a whole travel training, smart travel training system with them here in

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:27:12
Tennessee, where individuals can learn how to safely travel using public transportation, rideshare transport bus systems, so on and so forth.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:27:22
Which, again, was one of our challenges here in Tennessee is people getting transportation. But now we have technology and a training system that can help them understand how to use technology to travel safely in their communities.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:27:35
Able link also has a whole suite of apps for picture schedules.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:27:42
For prompting, task prompting, picture reminders, step-by-step tasks directions, full video modeling.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:27:48
So there's a number of apps that we use according to that.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:27:53
Creatability, we have another partner that has very similar apps for step-by-step directions and full video modeling.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:28:00
We also have Employment Pathfinder where it's just a whole assessment and interests and skills that then provides recommendations for technology to continue to build job readiness skills and and interests.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:28:17
And, you know, we got another provider map habit that kind of puts it all in one where it's like a a app that provides direction through their maps They're mapped step-by-step direction, but also as a social network for all their support team to be able to

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:28:34
Connect with them via texting and video calls and picture albums and sharing different calendar invites and such all in a nice secure system.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:28:47
It's all about using technology to coordinate efforts. To coordinate caregiver supports, but also to empower individuals to do things on their own with some reminders and tasks and prompts.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:29:02
And picture modeling and so on and so forth so Technology can be used in so many different ways.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:29:14
Thank you for that, Milton. I mean, you could sit there and really honestly just keep talking about technology. Have you thought about this? Have you thought about this? What about this? There are so many things.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:29:25
And then one thing to keep in mind when we talk about enabling technology, it's not always the high tech. I think you mentioned that, Milton. Sometimes it's also the low tech. Like you might not need a tablet. What might work for you is just kind of a

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:29:40
Paper system or something else that's on the wall that's your reminder. It just kind of depends on what works best For you. And we all do that through a person-centered approach. It's all about and it all goes around the person. And I think you, Milton and Jeremy and Jordan all spoke very

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:29:57
Very much around that. So, okay. Jordan, I got a question for you.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:30:03
And what are the technology benefits currently available Hold on. I'm sorry.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:30:11
There's one more question for you. Milton, what programs initiatives has the state put in place to help individuals with IDD and their families explore various technological solutions.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:30:23
Skins to your discussion about training.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:30:26
Yeah, thank you, Miranda. And I'll go ahead and hand it off to Jordan right after this.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:30:31
Just real quickly, you know. Like Miranda was saying You know, we use a whole bunch of technology, but the technology is not really good unless the person is comfortable with using it, whether it's high tech or low tech.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:30:45
You need to supplement whatever technology solutions you have with training On all levels. And so we have partnered with Other organizations, this is a example shift Tech first shift where they have developed different levels of technology training to include certifications for enabling technology specialists

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:31:10
Certifications for support coordinators to understand how to guide people with having discussions about technology.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:31:18
Certifications for providers with leadership, as well as an accreditation program where you can actually take a provider agency that's interested in building their own technology program and help educate them and develop a plan and help them become accredited as a technology first program so that basically you're taking this idea of a provider agency that understands caregiving and provider supports and helping people with IDD

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:31:48
And helping build their skills to also now include the incorporation of technology into a technology first organization.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:31:57
We mentioned this before as one of our program innovation initiatives, but We put together a technology training for self-advocates and older adults Called My Tech for All. It's just a general online free training where people can come and just learn about basics about technology, being safe on the internet.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:32:18
Learning how to use different technology accessibility features. Different ways to use technology for like cooking and navigation and travel and so on and so forth.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:32:28
That's been a lot of fun and we use a lot of self-advocates and it's just been a blast just getting on there and just talking technology and being a nerd.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:32:35
About technology and learning about other types of technology. This is a little bit more information about Tennessee Tech Connect. Not going to go too much into it, but I'm going to ask you just to go to the website and and

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:32:51
And take the guided journey and learn about the different technology resources we have in Tennessee.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:32:57
And how people can find those. And then we also discussed demonstration areas and we've been helping We've been having our own enabling technology model homes, but we've been helping others provider agencies and senior centers develop little demonstration areas like this in their own office buildings and facilities.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:33:19
So that people can come in and learn about technology and how it works and become comfortable with it and understand where they can go to ask for funding.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:33:29
And get help with getting some of that technology for their own supports.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:33:34
And so… With that, this is a slide of some of the technology funding that we have across our HCBS waivers, but I'm going to hand it off to Jordan.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:33:45
So that he can talk a little bit more about how the steps that he took and the conversations that he had to take.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:33:52
In order to get some of these approved for waiver authorization and amendment and our grants and such.

[Jordan Allen] 16:34:04
Thank you so much, Milton. So benefit availability. Milton is far better to articulate the specifics of it. I will tell you that As it stands today, we have an available benefit throughout each of our, whether it be the 1115A or the 1915C programs.

[Jordan Allen] 16:34:25
And as Milton has put on the screen here, it's limited to $5,000 A year which we have found, and I'm sure many of the states that are pretty actively participating in utilization of ET, that an annual expense Even for one of the most extravagant packages

[Jordan Allen] 16:34:42
For someone very rarely reaches that benefit limit. I want to go back very quickly to one of the other things that Milton was kind of highlighting, and I've seen it pop up in chat.

[Jordan Allen] 16:34:53
Here too. The biggest barrier for us wasn't so much writing the definition in a way that we could get federal participation approval or continuing to refine our expectations around the availability of service. And I put some in the chat

[Jordan Allen] 16:35:11
Relative to our assessment process and how we're trying to differentiate or at least section off more immediately available and accessible portions of technology, things like ring doorbells and things like automated medication dispensers and microwaves and induction stoves, things that allow people

[Jordan Allen] 16:35:33
To mitigate the fears that candidly, most often it's mom and dad and the people around folks that assume that if the stove isn't an induction stove or there's not a protection around that, then immediately someone's house is going to burn to the ground.

[Jordan Allen] 16:35:48
If they don't have staff there sitting on the couch 24 hours a day. Far bigger for us was the challenge of surmounting The barrier to technology that families and even some of the advocacy agencies here in our state and even some of the support coordination

[Jordan Allen] 16:36:07
Agencies. So the benefit availability is there. And again, like I said earlier, it's being widely utilized at this point.

[Jordan Allen] 16:36:16
I feel like even with the work that we've put in that we're still addressing the approach avoidance that I think is is inheritably intuitive for people, for moms and dads as a father i can speak to this very directly, I think that reaching that 30 or 40% of the population

[Jordan Allen] 16:36:36
That still isn't sure that technology can be utilized for people in the IDD service systems, regardless of their acuity, that's the biggest challenge ahead of us. The availability of services has been the easy part, candidly.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:36:55
Thank you, Jordan. I think that takes us to Matt.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:37:02
Okay. Jay, are you the one that's going to be telling us all about the MAPS program?

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:37:07
I am, and thank you, Miranda. It's always tough to follow Milton and Jordan. They're just so influential and passionate and so darn intellectual about all of their approaches. I get a little piece of this pie to talk about one of the newer programs that has been implemented here at the Department of Disability and Aging called the Medicaid Alternative Pathways to Independence. And I'll just reference it from here on out as maps.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:37:11
Okay.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:37:32
Essentially, all of that history that Milton Jordan and Jeremy both are all articulated sort of culminated into this idea, this thought project that taking those initiatives of those pillars of transformation, focusing on employment, focusing on enabling technology.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:37:51
Could we help divert participants from traditional utilization and or dependency of long-term service? And so out of that thought concept came the MAPS project. And I'm only going to give you a little bit of a snippet today and try to hit some of the high points.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:38:06
Jeremy indicated earlier, if at any point down the line you'd like to take a little deeper dive under the hood and look at some of the inner workings of this program, I'll be happy. I talk maps all day, every day. I love it. And I'd be glad to embark on some of that information for you. Milton, if you'll go ahead and go to the next slide, please.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:38:24
So for starters, MAPS is a short-term service. When we begin delivering supports and services, we recognize that we're going to deliver three years worth of services and support. So when we begin, we have an end in mind. And that end is going to ensure that we have done everything that we can to fade out

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:38:44
Of that participant's life. And really the only way to do that is to equip them with the necessary skills, independence, access to their community, as well as introducing enabling technology solutions that will empower and equip those participants to continue to live the life that they design and they imagine for themselves.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:39:04
The primary goal, however, is to promote the independence through community integration, improved quality of life.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:39:10
All focusing on those person-centered supports and all the while we're using value-based payment methodologies for our provider partners, essentially paying them when outcomes and what we call milestones are achieved through enabling technology, employment supports, and focusing on independent living.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:39:29
Next slide, please, Milton. It's a flexible service model, recognizing that if we wanted to empower our providers To truly be in control of their outcome to achieve, to help those participants achieve their goals, we had to give them the tools to drive the car. And so right from the beginning.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:39:50
We demonstrate flexibility by ensuring that our providers are empowered to deliver services through every mechanism at their disposal, whether it's in-person supports.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:40:01
Virtual supports, hybrid supports, you name it, we really give the keys to the provider to help those participants achieve those key milestones. And I'll show you in a second some of those exact milestones, but these milestones are geared to help folks navigate their communities, build some of those social, those meaningful social connections

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:40:22
All while securing and maintaining the employment and empowering the provider agencies to deliver those innovative supports.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:40:31
If we are successful, which we are, we are seeing the results of validated milestones and increased independence, we believe that we can alter that trajectory of otherwise utilization of traditional long-term services and supports, whether entirely or partially folks Predominantly that transition aged group coming out of high school, if we can equip them with enough technology and independence.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:40:58
They may not need us for five years, 10 years, 20 years or 30 years if we achieve the goals that we set out for ourselves. Next slide, please, Milton.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:41:09
I like to categorize this next slide sort of as the menu of maps. It really sort of captures the outcomes and the milestones that we make available for the participants to choose on a year-to-year basis. Essentially, we are helping participants over three areas of their life. We wish to offer milestones in their area of their home life

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:41:31
Their work life and their community life. And on a year to year basis, the participants will choose which milestones They are interested in achieving over that course of that year. And so, for example, you will see there are four milestone available, there are four available milestones within the home section, which gear at the individuals being able to stay at home safely or improving their personal hygiene

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:41:57
Skills and or learning how to manage their supports individually themselves. And lastly, we can help participants become more independent with managing their finances.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:42:07
Their finances.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:42:08
Over the course of the three years, there are 11 available milestones. And if theoretically the concept is once a participant has achieved a milestone, we cross it off, we move on to the next one. And at the end of this culmination project of three years.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:42:22
The participants will have achieved greater levels of independence in all of these three outcome areas thus promoting their opportunities for diverting from traditional long-term services and living the life that they envision for themselves.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:42:37
You heard Jeremy mention something earlier called a virtual community resource map or a VCRM.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:42:43
If you're not familiar, I would encourage you guys to put some work and research into learning the power of what a virtual community resource map is. Think of this sort of like an online Rolodex that is individually programmed to each particular participant that identifies and transcribes all of the people.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:43:04
Places of interest and goals that that participant has that is immediately available out through a mobile device that we provide for the actual MAPS participants. I often tell people I have a 16 year old at home and that kid carries his phone with him everywhere he goes. And I hope that we hope within the MAPS program, we can harness Some of the continued utilization of those mobile devices to be more than just social media platforming apps or communication devices through text and FaceTime. There are mobile applications and the power of a virtual community resource map that is immediately accessible on a mobile device that we make readily available for each of the MAPS participants.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:43:46
The bottom of this slide are essentially the services that are being delivered from our MAPS partners in which we are delivering community navigator services, which help people become more independent in around their community. There's independence coaching supports.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:44:01
Which helps participants become more independent at home, all enabling technology is introduced in every milestone. And then we wrap up with offering employment innovation supports And peer mentoring supports.

[Jason "Jay" Camperlino] 16:44:14
Next slide, please.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:44:22
All right. Milton or Jeremy, this question is for you guys. We understand that Tennessee has developed a playbook to help other state governments and partners to develop or expand their efforts to increase access to and embed enabling technologies into the overall.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:44:40
Can you please walk us through the main phases and components of your playbook?

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:44:46
Hey, Miranda, before we do this, I just want to do a quick time check with Serena. I just want to make sure we're being respectful of the time allocation and questions

[Serena Lowe] 16:44:56
Yeah, we appreciate that. If you guys can probably wrap up this question in the last one on In the next five or six minutes, that'd be great. We at least would have 10 minutes for some conversation. And then I think we'll go ahead and maybe schedule another follow-up conversation for interested BAGN grantees to jump back on a call in the next month or so.

[Serena Lowe] 16:45:17
Peruse the conversation further. This is way too important to rush. And I know there's a lot of people on the phone that would love to have further conversation about it.

[Serena Lowe] 16:45:25
Thank you

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:45:28
Yeah, absolutely. I see if I can wrap this up real quick here. So there's just a couple of slides I want to show you that I think will be a nice bookend to this before questions.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:45:36
And the first is that this is a timeline of the last now seven years of our journey.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:45:41
And the overarching message here is let our seven-year journey be your gain. I know that we're not the only one on this journey, but we've been at this for seven years now and we're still learning and we're still making mistakes and we're still growing and we're still trying to do a good job. So our hope is that if there's a state out there who's interested in

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:46:02
Learning with us or working together on something that we can share with you some of the lessons learned and sort of that playbook, so to speak. And we actually do have some slides in here that I know that Serena shared out with you that kind of summarize our playbook on In hindsight, how we've approached the last seven years, we didn't know we were making a play because we went along, but now that we've been through it for seven years.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:46:23
We sort of understand that. And I'll just say that we started back in January of 2018 with a tiny little pilot project with a handful of people receiving services and a few provider agencies.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:46:34
And now we're close to supporting, I think we may have surpassed 3000 people across our waiver programs, receiving enabling technology services. And so, Milton, if you just want to fast forward to those charts real quick, I think it's just

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:46:49
Kind of underscores this growth that I'm talking about that even the last few years These are annual referrals to our enabling technology program. And this isn't cumulative. This is just each year.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:47:01
And so if you go to the next slide, you'll see the growth.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:47:06
Truly exponential, starting with seven people back in 2018, and it took a few years, but starting around 2021, 2022 is really when we started taking off exponentially. And in last year, we were at a little over 2,300. And I believe that we're getting close to 3000 people now.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:47:23
And just one more slide. There's also a commensurate growth with the provider agency network.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:47:24
Yeah.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:47:29
Jeremy, real quick, I just wanted to also illustrate on this participant, these are non-duplicate participants. So these are all individuals that are using it and it's not one person getting a referral twice it's If they're in our program, they're in their program for life and we continue supporting them throughout their service life.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:47:52
Exactly, Milton. So it's not an overstatement or an exaggeration to say there are literally thousands of people in Tennessee using their waiver funding to use technology to enhance their independence and quality of life. And you'll see a commensurate increase with the provider agencies. They're our back

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:48:07
And if we weren't constantly investing in awareness and education and training and skill building with our providers.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:48:15
We wouldn't be able to have the success that we have. So we're now more than 200 provider agencies across our network that are helping people use enabling technology.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:48:24
So with that, I'm going to stop. Oh, and sorry, one more. You'll see with maps, we're seeing a very similar but actually faster trajectory because we've learned a lot about how to make this work. And so we've gone from having zero participants a couple of years ago

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:48:39
To now surpassing more than 600 MAPS participants as of today on track to reach 1,000 by the end of 2025.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:48:47
So we're learning, we're growing, we're changing, we're evolving, and we'd love to be able to share this with you.

[Jeremy Norden-Paul (DDA)] 16:48:53
As part of our national community. So with that, I want to make sure that we have some time for some questions. Serena or Miranda, I'll hand it back over to you.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:49:02
Yes, I see we have David from Arizona. Your hand is up, so we'll let you answer your question. We've got five minutes for questions and then we're going to have to hand.

[David Carey, AZSILC] 16:49:11
Quick question. Just quick question. Will we be getting the slides?

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:49:11
Yes.

[Serena Lowe] 16:49:17
Yes, we will. Thanks to the Tennessee team, we will send those out.

[Serena Lowe] 16:49:23
If for some reason this email invite or calendar invite was forwarded to you, I'll just make sure we ask our BADN state team leads to make sure they forward along the materials. But we will absolutely make sure you get it.

[Serena Lowe] 16:49:37
Thanks, David.

[David Carey, AZSILC] 16:49:38
Sounds good. Thanks.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:49:42
Pedro, you had a question?

[Tedra Jackson] 16:49:46
Hi, it's Tedra. I want to know, have you all had, have you seen had any issues with telehealth or any of the services that are available, any of your provider services that are available that require the internet Since the elimination of the subsidy, you know, since the low income individuals can no longer get internet for the $10 a month.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:50:15
Yeah, I can go ahead and jump in to talk a little bit about Tennessee. So yeah, it was very unfortunate that that FCC kind of discontinued that that subsidy for internet services One big thing that we have been trying to do is we have a broadband initiative here in Tennessee that we

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:50:37
Have really focused on being a part of to try to find solutions to those those internet issues out, especially out in the rural areas and such and We have found other alternatives as well. So looking at cellular services.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:50:56
Wherever you can get cellular services. We're looking at satellite availability for those internet services. So looking at those alternatives as well as working with some of our internet service providers to make sure that they can provide programs to not only individuals in school, but also individuals that might have disabilities and

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:51:19
In our services to benefit from those low cost internet service provider packages as well.

[Tedra Jackson] 16:51:28
Thanks so much. We've had a really we've had a decline in people with IDD using some of the telehealth as part of the K waiver.

[Tedra Jackson] 16:51:37
Exemptions just because they lost their internet and can't afford it.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:51:37
Yes.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:51:41
I would highly recommend reaching out to some of your local internet service providers and seeing if you can come up with some kind of program with them specifically that can address some of those situations.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:51:54
And every state should have a lifeline program through their Medicaid services. In Oklahoma, through our Medicaid, a person can get a cell phone, an Android phone with unlimited data on it.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:52:06
Or a hotspot with unlimited data for free if they're Medicaid eligible or They can also get low-cost internet, which could range from $10 to $30, depending on the provider and the area the person lives on.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:52:20
So that has been very successful for us in Oklahoma with getting people connected.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:52:24
But of course, we do have pockets where we don't have internet access.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:52:28
Readily available. We also work with our broadband office as well on that endeavors so We have, does anybody else have any other questions?

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:52:46
Real quick, Serena, before I hand this off to you and you take us home, I just want to add something in here about this discussion.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:52:52
I know our discussion focused on the person with IDD and how enabling technology can support them. But I also want to remind us, you know, we're bridging aging and disability. So we're here to support the entire family.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:53:04
And so in our efforts, when we are looking at the person, we're also trying to look at that family as a whole. So if they're living with an aging caregiver.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:53:13
Having an automated medication dispenser for both mom and son. Might be what you need to support that family so they can be independent together.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:53:22
Or other reminder systems or technologies. And so I would say since that is what we're doing, aging and bridging aging and disability and supporting the whole family.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:53:32
That when we're looking at technology, we're looking beyond just the IDD, but also like our aging caregivers as well.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:53:40
So I just want to kind of add that little snippet in there.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:53:42
Serena, it is all yours. Thank you.

[Serena Lowe] 16:53:45
I think the reason people are being quiet right now is because they are literally absorbing everything and might have a little information overload but Just a couple of things. Number one, thank you so much to Miranda and Jen for helping bring

[Serena Lowe] 16:54:00
This idea to life for monitoring today and really bringing this topic forward We want your TA sessions to be relevant to you and what you're doing in the here and now.

[Serena Lowe] 16:54:16
If you've got a burning idea, please bring it to me and we'll make it happen.

[Serena Lowe] 16:54:24
Number two, a sincere thank you to Jordan, Jeremy, Milton. Alex, just you guys are such a dynamite stand-up team Your commitment, just your oozing in passion and enthusiasm. You know, this is the work like this is the staff that we're going to look back

[Serena Lowe] 16:54:44
20 years from now and say we were a part of that. Remember these early conversations we were having and we were all like trying to figure this stuff out.

[Serena Lowe] 16:54:52
And now look at it. And I can tell you that from my own experience 20 years ago, I was part of the first continuous glucose monitor to hit the market.

[Serena Lowe] 16:55:02
And now look for people with diabetes and now look at it like and everybody's using them right and so Just stick with the work. It's hard and it's grueling, but you can see what happens when you have a team really dedicated to this.

[Serena Lowe] 16:55:17
Last but not least, I'm going to just put it right in one more time. Please help me out and spend a minute to just take our evaluation. This is so important so that we get feedback from you on how we're doing.

[Serena Lowe] 16:55:35
And we're still learning. Obviously, an hour and a half was not enough time for this breadth and depth of this really important conversation.

[Serena Lowe] 16:55:44
And we want this to be conversational. So we will offer and host within the next month another and it's totally optional, but another community of practice discussion Maybe we'd love to have the Tennessee team, whoever can join us, come back and maybe do a little bit more detail about the playbook and talk through those last few slides of like, okay, how do we do this work? Like, how do we get started? Because as you saw, there are a lot of states

[Serena Lowe] 16:56:12
They're still really at the early stages of building any kind of technology initiative and this will bring, this will give everybody an opportunity to digest everything you learned today, review the slides and information and come with your burning questions.

[Serena Lowe] 16:56:30
Ideas and we're just going to have a really informal office hours discussion. So it's going to be what the people that come make of it, right? Like bring your ideas, your suggestions, what you're doing.

[Serena Lowe] 16:56:42
And with that, I really just want to open it up for any more comments.

[Serena Lowe] 16:56:48
Questions, verbal feedback from the community of practice. Can we all just do like a little emoji or like thank you little wave hands for our speakers today and for Miranda and company. It's really Thank you guys so much. This was awesome.

[Serena Lowe] 16:57:11
I've heard this about three times and I'm still learning every time I hear like four more things I didn't hear the last three times so Thank you, guys. Really so much.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:57:12
Yes.

[Serena Lowe] 16:57:22
Please do your evaluation. We're going to keep this open for the next few minutes to encourage people to complete the evaluation before you leave.

[Serena Lowe] 16:57:30
So please do that and um I just thank you guys again. Really, really appreciate the great participation today.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:57:41
Tarina, just real quick, I just want to thank you for just letting us come on. You heard it from me and you heard it from a lot of our colleagues. If you guys are interested in learning more about these programs that we highlighted in this PowerPoint presentation.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:57:55
That we were talking about as part of this. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We love talking to people about what we do.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:58:03
Providing you guys with resources. Miranda talked about a consortium of technology states earlier that We would love if you could be a part of that, if that's something that you're interested in.

[Milton Neuenschwander] 16:58:17
So that you can learn from other states of how they do this. Yeah, and so please don't hesitate to reach out and we'd love to be a part of this and just keep everybody With this movement of enabling technology, because the more that people do around the nation, the more support we get to keep doing it here in Tennessee.

[Serena Lowe] 16:58:38
Amen.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:58:38
Same from Oklahoma. We are here to help anybody. We love making friends just like Tennessee, you know, and anything we can do to help support other states.

[Miranda Hutchison] 16:58:48
In these initiatives, we are all about it.

[Serena Lowe] 16:58:52
I love it. We're going to keep learning and working together.

[Serena Lowe] 16:58:56
And building great things so Thanks, everyone. Just so appreciate Team Fennessee, your dynamite.

[Serena Lowe] 16:59:04
Team Oklahoma. Thank you so much. You guys are great. And thanks to all of you for being here. I think we had A full 17 days. Jill, I see you. Do you want to say anything real quick?

[Jill Jacobs] 16:59:14
Oh, I just want to say amazing, fantastic work. I love what I saw and heard today.

[Jill Jacobs] 16:59:21
Really, really proud of what everyone's doing and how far this project has come so thank you.

[Serena Lowe] 16:59:28
Thank you. Thanks for being here. All right, everyone.

[Jill Jacobs] 16:59:32
Hi, everybody.

[Serena Lowe] 16:59:34
Keep it up. Keep it up. Keep our spirits up. Have a great month and enjoy the spring and I'll be in touch about a second meeting.

[Serena Lowe] 16:59:43
Okay, thank you again Thank you, guys. You guys were awesome. Thank you so much.

[Jordan Allen] 16:59:46
Thanks, Serena. You guys take care.

[Jordan Allen] 16:59:51
All right. See everybody soon.

[Serena Lowe] 16:59:53
Okay, take care.

[Eric Berg, NACDD] 17:00:10
I have the chat saved for you.

[Serena Lowe] 17:00:12
You are the best. I'm just saving the transcript myself.

[Serena Lowe] 17:00:19
All right. This makes me very happy to save this stuff.

[Serena Lowe] 17:00:23
Because last time I didn't know how to do it. So I want you to do it too, because between the two of us, it's better to have two copies than both of us have neither, right?

[Eric Berg, NACDD] 17:00:35
I hear you on that one.

[Serena Lowe] 17:00:37
Yeah, I'm going to shut off the… recording really quick.