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Canton-based health center offering help to older people make healthcare decisions and stay in homes

Posted 9/30/15

CANTON -- Community Health Center of the North Country (CHCNC) is giving new emphasis to its participation in a program to help older North Country residents make more decisions about their health …

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Canton-based health center offering help to older people make healthcare decisions and stay in homes

Posted

CANTON -- Community Health Center of the North Country (CHCNC) is giving new emphasis to its participation in a program to help older North Country residents make more decisions about their health care, and to stay in their own homes.

CHCNC recently "rebranded" its Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) under the CHCNC umbrella, after initially being part of Cerebral Palsy Association of the North Country’s programs.

The CDPAP is a Medicaid program providing services to chronically ill or physically disabled individuals who have a medical need for help with activities of daily living or skilled nursing services.

Recipients must be able and willing to make informed choices regarding the management of the services they receive, or have a legal guardian or designated relative or other adult able and willing to help make those informed choices.

CHCNC operates the CDPAP program in St. Lawrence, Franklin, and Jefferson counties. Any resident who is eligible for Medicaid and who currently receives or is eligible to receive personal care assistance can apply for the program.

“The whole point to consumer direct is to give individuals who want to remain in their own homes the opportunity to do so,” said CHCNC CDPAP Director Donna Elliot. “If you have the ability and the desire, why should you not be given the resources to make it happen?”

The healthcare system across the North Country, and indeed the nation, has been going through an immense transformation in recent years. The goals behind this transformation are to improve quality of care, return to a patient-centered model, and to reduce overall costs. The Consumer Direct Personal Assistance Program achieves all three, according to CHCNC's Director of Marketing and Communications Ray Babowicz.

The community center is one of Northern New York’s providers of health and human services for people of all income levels.

“Our health centers are always evolving to ensure that our patients are getting the highest quality and most comprehensive care possible, and that includes care outside the physician’s office," Babowicz said.

"You do not need a developmental disability to qualify for CDPAP, so it made more sense to move it to the health center’s array of programs," he said. He believes that making the consumer direct program part of the Community Health Center in Canton would give it more prominence, Babowicz said.

Florence Armstrong of Massena turned 90 this past February and still remains in her Massena home surrounded by her flower gardens, her piano, her kitchen knick-knacks and photos of many special people and events from those 90 years. Most importantly, she is surrounded by comforting memories and familiarity her own home provides.

At one point, Florence’s health had declined to the point where her family could have easily moved her to an assisted care facility or nursing home. But they looked into other avenues so their mom could stay at home and continue to enjoy the lifetime of memories she had accumulated there. In 2004, Florence applied for and was accepted into CDPAP.

Over this time, she has had a number of caregivers that have been with her: Marianne Layo, Christine Guthrie, Judy Bleau, and Donna Raymo. Others such as Tara Church have spent over a decade taking care of Florence. Gena Thomas, a neighbor who in 2002 offered to help the family out, is one person who spent over 12 years not only being a caregiver, but being a friend.

“She loves each one of them and frequently tells them so," said Florence's daughter Mary Good. "Each has her own special talents that they bring, and they all know how to brighten mom’s days,” Good said.

To find out more about how you or someone you know can utilize the resources of CDPAP, contact CHCNC's Donna Elliot at 386-1156.