The Bridge of Central Massachusetts HR Director Donna Bradley; Centro Las Americas' Eric Gomez; and Tapestry Health's Leslie Tarr Laurie joined Council President & CEO Michael Weekes to testify on behalf of the important legislation. Laurie was joined by two of her staff members, Owanate Briggs and Sierra Simmons, who both said the tuition remission expansion to graduate-level courses would benefit them as they sought to go back to school and continue their education.

The legislation, Senate Bill 574 and 587, would expand the Council's already popular program, that will soon award its 20,000th certificate. Human services workers have taken nearly 20,000 courses at state schools since the advent of the tuition remission program in 2000. 

You can download the Council's testimony or for more information, e-mail Bill Yelenak.

Massachusetts voters have a huge question to answer next Tuesday, June 25: "Who will represent us in the United State Senate?"

We all can get frustrated with DC politics, but the truth is, our next senator will have big decisions to make on our behalf...

• Will we fund critical programs like Head Start, Meals on Wheels, home heating assistance, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program?
• How will we reduce our debt?
• How will we reduce staggeringly high unemployment among people with disabilities and other barriers?
• What services will we expand or limit access to?
• Will we advance the dignity and inclusion of all people?

...Just to name a few.

Elections have consequences on our economy, our community, and our family, friends, and neighbors -- not to mention our vital human services system. Will you pledge to get out and vote?

Turnout for next week's election is expected to be very low, so every vote is going to make a big difference. No matter who you support, we must send a clear message that human service supporters will have a say in our future.

Sign on to our CareVote pledge to send a clear message that you support human services and you vote!

Voting only takes a few minutes... but we're all busy. That's why it's so important to have a plan -- Will you go before work? After work? On a break? After you drop the kids off at school? If you work in a residential program, how will you ensure that everyone eligible to vote will get to the polls next Tuesday?

Take a second to think about when you'll have time to vote on Tuesday and then commit to following through by taking our CareVote pledge.

Thanks for being a voter -- see you at the polls!

The bills, House Bill 2642 and Senate Bill 1308, would give cities and towns the authority to force nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations operating for the public's benefit to make payments in lieu of taxes. The Council sent testimony on Friday, June 14 to Chairman Michael Rodrigues, Chairman Jay Kaufman and the Joint Committee on Revenue in opposition to the legislation.

"We hope you will recognize and respect the wishes of the nonprofit community and not pass these harmful proposals that seek to extract needed funds from services provided to our state's most vulnerable residents," wrote Providers' Council President and CEO Michael Weekes.

The complete testimony can be downloaded from the Providers' Council's Members Only section. To access the Members Only section, please click here and input your user name and password.

If you don't remember your username and password, please reset them. If you still have problems, please contact Ella Froggatt.

• co-worker who goes above and beyond for their staff and the people they serve?
• legislator who's committed to your agency?
• state or local official who is a true partner to your work?
• supervisor who goes the extra mile for their employees or consumers?
• volunteer who sets a positive example by generously giving their time, talent, and energy?
• provider that has launched or grown an exemplary innovative program?
• business that supports your organization and promotes a better human services sector?
• reporter, newspaper, TV or radio station, or blogger that accurately reports on your agency and positively contributes to the public's understanding of human services?

Nominate them for a Providers' Council Awards of Excellence!

Every year, the Providers' Council is pleased to honor the creativity, contributions, and accomplishments of the many individuals and organizations who help make our community-based human service industry great, but we can only do it with your input!

The nomination deadline is June 28, so please review a list of all of the awards available and then nominate someone deserving today!

If selected, the person or organization you nominate will be recognized with an award in front of more than 1,000 attendees at the Providers' Council's 38th Annual Convention & Expo and highlighted in our publications. As an added bonus, lucky award winners might even be highlighted in a video like this:

The Providers’ Council will hold its 38th Annual Convention & Expo: Champions for Change on November 6th, 2013 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. Don’t miss this exciting event which will feature over 30 workshops and is anticipated to draw over 1,000 members and friends of the human services sector.

Convention attendee registration opens in September. For information on exhibitor registration, contact Meg Helming.

Access to other pages, such as the homepage of providers.org, our news, reports, JobsWithHeart, and other resources should not be affected.

We expect full service to be restored by Monday.

In the meantime, we encourage you to take a moment today to:

• Register for any events or trainings you would like to attend
• Nominate a deserving co-worker, legislator, business, or other deserving individual or organization for our Awards of Excellence
• Post a job on JobsWithHeart
• Check out the latest news from the Council

Should you have any questions or concerns or experience any errors while using our website, please email Kevin Gilnack.

We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience.

The Providers' Council is launching its second year of The Leadership Initiative, an inter-agency mentoring program that aims to grow future leaders of the human services sector and to create a collaborative environment to share ideas and knowledge in the sector.

This year-long program will begin in October and is open to employees of Providers' Council member agencies. Mentor-mentee pairs will meet monthly and work towards defined goals throughout the mentoring relationship.

Mentors are senior management-level professionals who would like to empower a developing leader in the sector by sharing their knowledge and experience.

Mentees are employees with supervisory responsibilities that would like to grow within their organizations. Mentees will cultivate their leadership skills and work with an accomplished mentor at a fellow human services agency.

Learn more and download an application. Contact Lore Stevens with any questions.

The deadline to apply as a mentor or mentee is June 28. The program will begin in October 2013.

The Providers’ Council is hiring a summer intern to assist Council staff in supporting our agenda and communications with our diverse membership. The Intern will focus on projects related to trend spotting within the human services sector to improve the Council’s capacity for providing high-level support to its members. The Intern could have an essential role in framing the Council’s messaging to the human services sector and developing marketing material to increase awareness of the Council’s work and benefits for its members.

Click here to download the full position description. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 7.

Please direct any questions to Meg Helming at 617.428.3637 x111 or meg@providers.org.

The below e-mail from Harrison to stakeholders describes the new timeline for the demonstration. Please let us know if you have any questions.

###

Dear One Care stakeholders,

We are writing to share with you a revised timeline for the implementation of One Care.  These changes have been agreed to by MassHealth and CMS following careful consideration of the time needed to achieve key milestones before enrollment of members into One Care plans begins. 

Key dates in the revised timeline include:

Thank you for continuning to work with us on this important initiative. 

Best,

Catherine

______________________________
Catherine Harrison
Senior Policy Manager
Executive Office of Health and Human Services
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
One Ashburton Place, Suite 1109
Boston, MA  02108
617.573.1812
617.573.1894 (fax)

Congratulations to Marina Lozano at Providers' Council member agency River Valley Counseling Center as well as Michael Ciappone at Ministry for Hope in Port Jefferson, NY and Liz O’Rourke at Milton Residences for the Elderly in Milton, MA!

For more information about Interior Resources, please contact Ann Walsh at 978.464.5055. For more information about the Providers’ Council and benefits of membership, please contact Meg Helming at 617.428.3637 x111.

And on Thursday, May 23 at 10 p.m., those efforts were rewarded! The Senate -- in a unanimous, 39-0 roll call vote -- has adopted Senator Karen Spilka's amendment to include a one-time $11.5 million Salary Reserve for low-paid workers in its FY '14 budget proposal. Congratulations!

The Providers' Council must also thank Senate President Therese Murray and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Stephen Brewer for their support of this critical amendment that will help direct care workers. Thanks also go out to the amendment co-sponsors, including Sens. Michael Rodrigues, Joan Lovely, Katherine Clark, Michael Knapik, Patricia Jehlen, Stanley Rosenberg, Michael Moore, Michael Rush, Cynthia Creem, Benjamin Downing, Mark Montigny, James Eldridge, James Welch, Michael Barrett, John Keenan, Thomas McGee and others.

But our work isn't over. Now we will turn our attention to the Conference Committee. As you recall, the House included a $7.5 million reserve in an outside section of its budget proposal for workers' salaries. Both chambers will now come together to discuss the Conference Committee budget, and the Council will be supporting the Senate's Salary Reserve figure.

The tireless advocacy and incredible efforts of Council members made this Salary Reserve happen, and we once again appreciate all you do for the human services sector. The Council will communicate to members soon on next steps and what you can do going forward.

If you have any questions or comments about the budget process or the Salary Reserve amendment, please contact Bill Yelenak.

Click here to download the full position description. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 31.

Please direct any questions to Meg Helming at 617.428.3637 x111 or meg@providers.org.

The proclamation, signed on May 14, recognizes social enterprises as "businesses having a primary purpose as the common good that seek to use the power of the marketplace to advance social, environmental, and human justice agendas." Many social enterprises in the Commonwealth are affiliated with human service organizations and often provide job training and employment opportunity to clients and consumers of those organizations.

The Council sent out a media advisory on Social Enterprise Week on May 17.

Social enterprise has been a growing area of interest among Providers' Council members who are looking for innovative ways to deliver services, to create jobs and work experience opportunities for their clients and consumers, and to diversify their revenue streams.

In recognition of Social Enterprise Week, the Council is releasing a directory of its members' social enterprises offering a wide variety of products and services. Visit the Social Enterprise Directory to learn more about businesses affiliated with peer human service organizations and support them with your patronage.

The Council encourages its members that have social enterprises to recognize this special week by inviting local legislators and local press to tour their facilities or by offering special Social Enterprise Week promotions to increase awareness of the social and economic benefit these businesses provide to the Commonwealth.

In addition, anyone interested in learning more about social enterprise is invited to register to attend two related upcoming events:

Building an Economy on Purpose - June 5, 5:30 - 7 p.m., Boston

A discussion with Kevin Lynch, President and CEO of Social Enterprise Alliance about how a vibrant and diverse social enterprise ecosystem (public, nonprofit, for profit and academic) within Massachusetts advances a vision of an economy built on purpose.

How Are We Leading The Way? - June 17, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., Boston College

A presentation of findings in Leading The Way: Social Innovation in Massachusetts Human Services; a joint report produced by Boston College and the Providers' Council. This report is based on interviews with more than 20 human service organizations in the Commonwealth that are practicing social innovation. The conversation will include a discussion of types of social innovation initiatives being implemented in Massachusetts; steps taken by practitioners; examples of success; and lessons learned by the master social innovators.

For more information on the Providers' Council's involvement with social enterprise in Massachusetts, please contact Rachel Lurie.

Senator Spilka is introducing a $16.6 million Salary Reserve amendment after the Senate budget -- released Wednesday, May 15 -- did not include the fund for direct care workers.

Please take a minute and ask your senator to co-sponsor Senator Spilka's budget amendment.

We have heard that Senator Spilka intends to file the amendment Friday, May 17 in the morning, so timing is critical. Please ask your senator to co-sponsor Senator Spilka's Salary Reserve amendment today!

It is our understanding that:

• Those who did not pass the Appendix A "Joint Standards" can expect notification on Monday, May 13.
• Those who passed the "Joint Standards" and are on the approved contractor list for non-competitive services will be notified on Tuesday, May 14. That information will also be posted on Comm-PASS.
• The non-competitive services will start on July 1, 2013.
• Award decisions for competitive contracts will be announced shortly. Competitive awards will be implemented on October 1, 2013.

* You may discuss this decision to determine if there are actions you may make to attain a "passing" determination.

Please let Bill Yelenak know if you have additional questions.

The Providers' Council is now accepting applications for the 2013-2014 Certificate in Nonprofit Human Service Management program in partnership with Suffolk University and Clark University. This year-long, graduate-level certificate program designed for mid-career professionals in nonprofit organizations. The program consists of five blocks that directly address the skills necessary to excel in human service management, with an optional sixth block in administration and finance.

To learn more from faculty and students, come attend a free information session:

Clark University: Wednesday, May 15th, 5:30 p.m. in Worcester

Suffolk University: Tuesday, July 16th, 5 p.m. in Boston

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the program is full. Space is limited so apply now to reserve your spot.

Contact Lore Stevens with questions.

More than 80 attendees learned about setting up high performing third party billing systems and effective corporate compliance programs. In the Third Party Billing half of the seminar, Stephen Greene of PCG covered the basics of third party billing including attributes of a successful program and types of billing models. Ken Bates of Advocates, Inc. followed with an in depth examination of the steps in the billing process. Jim Frutkin of Service Net applied the information shared in a presentation of Service Net’s practical approach to successful billing operations including lessons learned.

The second half of the program focused on effective Corporate Compliance programs. Madeline Becker of Vinfen and Candy Darcy of Behavioral Health Network co-presented on the seven essential elements of compliance programs and issues providers should be thinking about. Hilary Croach of Bay Cove Human Services shared another perspective on Corporate Compliance, addressing the issue from a technology standpoint. 

For more information on the program, please contact Rachel Lurie.

The Providers’ Council is interested in receiving a workshop presentation proposal from you or your staff for our 38th Annual Convention and Expo. This event is the largest of its kind in New England, with over 1,000 individuals from nonprofit human services providers, businesses, and state agencies expected to attend. The convention will be held on Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at the Boston Marriott Hotel at Copley Place.

Convention workshops are 90 minutes long and are attended by 20 to 100 convention participants. The convention provides wide exposure to the human service community, and the workshops are advertised in our registration brochure, on our website, and in the Convention program booklet. Convention presenters receive complimentary admittance to the entire Convention & Expo, including all meals. We reimburse presenters’ fees for copying workshop materials up to $30.

How to Respond
If you would like to share your professional knowledge and skills, please complete and return the downloadable Presentation Proposal form or online proposal form by May 31, 2013. The information requested on the Presentation Proposal form is needed for CEU applications and for the convention registration materials.

Selection Criteria
Proposals will be judged on how well they meet the following criteria:
• Clear workshop description, written for the lay person
• Three well-defined, measurable objectives for the workshop
• Strongly relates to human service providers’ interests
• Experience and credentials of presenters related to the workshop topic
• Presenter’s knowledge of human service providers
• Timeliness of the topic

The Providers’ Council will notify all applicants of their proposal status by June 28.

Please contact Lore Stevens at 617.428.3637 x117 or lstevens@providers.org with any questions.

Check out the full announcement from Secretary Polanowicz:

Today, I am pleased to announce Olga Roche as acting commissioner of the Department of Children and Families. Olga is an experienced health and human services administrator with more than 30 years of management experience in child welfare and juvenile justice.

Olga has served as DCF deputy commissioner for field operations since 2007, helping the Patrick-Murray Administration advance programs to assist thousands of families in becoming stronger and better prepared to protect and nurture their children.

Today’s announcement follows the departure of Angelo McClain, who recently left DCF to lead the National Association of Social Workers in Washington D.C.

As deputy commissioner, Olga oversaw 29 area offices and 3,000 employees. During this time, DCF field offices increased the number of children placed with relatives by nearly 30 percent and completed over 700 adoptions annually. Olga has also worked for DCF in previous roles as regional director of the northern region and area director of the Lawrence, North Central and Worcester area offices.

She also brings extensive experience in juvenile justice, having served as a manager and direct care worker with the Department of Youth Services over six years. She is fluent in Spanish and has worked in Puerto Rico as a probation officer in the Juvenile Court of Guayama, and as adjunct professor at Catholic University of Puerto Rico.

A licensed social worker, Olga holds a Masters of Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas; and a Bachelors of Social Work from Catholic University of Puerto Rico. She is a resident of Worcester.

Please join me in welcoming Olga to her new role as acting commissioner of DCF.

Thank you,

John W. Polanowicz
Secretary, Executive Office of Health and Human Services

• Ken Bates, Vice President of Behavioral Health & Day Supports, Advocates, Inc.
• Stephen Greene, Senior Consultant, PCG
• Jim Frutkin, Vice President of Clinical Services, ServiceNet

10:45 a.m. - Effective Corporate Compliance
Learn about the essential elements of an effective corporate compliance program from provider experts. Presenters include:

• Madeline Becker, Vice President of Quality and Research, Vinfen; Chair, ABH Compliance Committee
• Hillary Croach, Vice President of Technology/ CIO, Bay Cove Human Services
• Candy Darcy, Vice President, Behavioral Health Network

Register online before Friday, April 26 at 5 p.m. to reserve your spot. Please contact Lore Stevens at 617.428.3637 ext 117 with questions.

The Providers' Council is incredibly grateful to Representative David Linsky, one of our champions in the House; Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, House Ways & Means Chairman Brian Dempsey and other House leadership for supporting direct care and early education workers; and nearly 80 representatives who co-sponsored an amendment Rep. Linsky introduced during the budget process.

We also could not have done it without your help -- you contacted your legislators and asked them to support the reserve. We greatly appreciate your efforts. Unlike previous years, the budget amendment does not appear at line item 1599-6901 or any other line item. It can be found in an outside section of the budget, Section 74, that is tied to net surplus revenue. The Providers' Council will be studying this language as work on the next steps in this long process begins. We will be in touch with our members about this shortly.

Until then, please let us know if you have any questions. And once again, thank you for your tireless advocacy on this critical issue.

This call will share:

• How the Affordable Care Act provides groundbreaking benefits for people in communities of color
• How the health care law expands coverage to reduce health disparities and achieve health equity
• Demystifying the new healthcare law and how it works
• Timelines and key dates for communities of color
• Important resources

You are a valued stakeholder and we look forward to your participation.   Please feel free to share this information with others in your organization, networks, and racial and ethnic communities.

**A recording of the conference will be available for replay two hours after the call's completion at (800) 585-8367 or (855) 859-2056.  Conference ID #43961761. **

We are horrified by the unspeakable events that occurred in the Back Bay near the finish line. But we thank the first responders who reacted so quickly to help those hurt or injured, including medical personnel, police officers, firefighters and other caregivers. So many heroes emerged to help the injured and bring comfort on Monday to so many.

There is important information and multiple resources already being circulated, but we wanted to share a few more with you:

• If you're looking for someone or have information about someone's condition, there are several ways to share it. Google has set up a resource page for this on its website.  Another has been set up by the American Red Cross.
• The Massachusetts Council of Churches is listing prayer services on its Facebook page. You can visit the Facebook page here.
• The Children's League of Massachusetts shared several links this morning regarding speaking to children about this tragedy:
  • How to Talk to Your Children about Boston Marathon Bombs - WBUR CommonHealth
  • Media Coverage of Traumatic Events - National Center for PTSD
  • 5 Tips on Talking to Children About Scary News - CNN
  • Helping Children Cope with Tragedy Related Anxiety - Mental Health America
• Riverside Community Care has put out a one-page PDF on "Talking with Your Children About Traumatic Events." You can download it here, and it also lists their 24-hour crisis response line -that you can call to speak with a trauma center manager (888.851.2451).
• Justice Resource Institute has activated its Psychological First Aid teams. These teams have a specific expertise in helping staff and/or clients get through and bounce back. If any Council members are interested in receiving support through JRI, please e-mail the organization.
• The FBI and Boston Police are asking anyone with a tip or photographs from yesterday to call 1-800-494-TIPS (8477). Boston Police will continue to post updates on its Twitter feed and website. Copley Square is still closed; a map of the affected area is available at the City of Boston website.

Lastly, the Council thanks those in Massachusetts and throughout the nation who checked in on us on Monday; all Council staff members and their families are safe.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with those who were affected by Monday's events. If the Council can assist your organization or families in any way, please let us know.

The Council has expressed its gratitude to EOHHS and thanked them on behalf of our members for ensuring the Salary Reserve would be annualized.

The Council also expressed its appreciation to The Collaborative Steering Committee and our friends in the Legislature for their effective advocacy. We appreciate our members' continued support of the Council and The Caring Force as we work together to strengthen our community-based human services sector in Massachusetts.

The text of the amendment, as well as the names of the 75+ representatives who co-sponsored it, is included below. If your representative isn't listed, you may still call them and ask them to sign onto the legislation on or before Friday, April 19.

If you have additional questions, please contact Bill Yelenak.

Amendment Number: 462

Salary Reserve

Representatives Linsky of Natick, Chan of Quincy, Pignatelli of Lenox, Durant of Spencer, Kaufman of Lexington, Fennell of Lynn, Canavan of Brockton, Henriquez of Boston, Dykema of Holliston, Balser of Newton, Gobi of Spencer, Hecht of Watertown, Walsh of Boston, Walsh of Framingham, Cantwell of Marshfield, Koczera of New Bedford, Beaton of Shrewsbury, Fernandes of Milford, Schmid of Westport, Smola of Palmer, Madden of Nantucket, Sullivan of Fall River, Timilty of Milton, Gregoire of Marlborough, Provost of Somerville, Peake of Provincetown, Farley-Bouvier of Pittsfield, Puppolo of Springfield, Garlick of Needham, Toomey of Cambridge, Conroy of Wayland, DiNatale of Fitchburg, Humason of Westfield, Gifford of Wareham, Sciortino of Medford, Forry of Boston, Lewis of Winchester, Hill of Ipswich, Binienda of Worcester, McMurtry of Dedham, Cusack of Braintree, Straus of Mattapoisett, Khan of Newton, Roy of Franklin, Cariddi of North Adams, Heroux of Attleboro, Garballey of Arlington, Galvin of Canton, Dwyer of Woburn, Smizik of Brookline, Ashe of Longmeadow, Ferguson of Holden, Gordon of Bedford, Scibak of South Hadley, Rogers of Cambridge, Markey of Dartmouth, Mark of Peru, Cutler of Duxbury, Fox of Boston, O'Day of West Boylston, Sannicandro of Ashland, Nyman of Hanover, Hogan of Stow, Stanley of Waltham, Kafka of Stoughton, Poirier of North Attleborough, Cabral of New Bedford, Ehrlich of Marblehead, Cronin of Easton, Peisch of Wellesley, Barrows of Mansfield, Lyons of Andover, Vieira of Falmouth, Miceli of Wilmington, Brady of Brockton and Rosa of Leominster move that the bill be amended in section 2 by  inserting after item 1599-4444 the following item:

1599-6901.. For a reserve to adjust the wages, compensation or salary and associated employee-related costs to personnel earning less than $40,000 in annual compensation who are employed by private human service providers that deliver human and social services under contracts with departments within the executive office of health and human services and the executive office of elder affairs; provided, that home care workers shall be eligible for funding from this appropriation; provided further, that workers from shelters and programs that serve homeless individuals and families that were previously contracted through the Department of Transitional Assistance and the Department of Public Health currently contracted with DHCD and direct care workers that serve homeless veterans through the Dept. of Veterans Affairs shall be eligible for funding from this appropriation; provided further, that the secretary of administration and finance may allocate the funds appropriated in this item to the departments in order to implement this initiative; provided further, that the executive office of health and human services shall condition the expenditure of appropriation upon assurances that the funds shall be used solely for the purposes of equal percentage adjustments to wages, compensation or salary; provided further, that not later than January 15, 2014, the executive office of health and human services shall submit to the house and senate committees on ways and means a report delineating the number of employees, by job title and average salary, receiving the adjustment in fiscal year 2014 and the average percentage adjustment funded herein; provided further, that the report shall also include, for each contract scheduled to receive any allocation from this item in each such department, the total payroll expenditures in each contract for the categories of personnel scheduled to receive the adjustments; provided further, that no funds from this item shall be allocated to special education programs under chapter 71B of the General Laws, contracts for early education and care services or programs for which payment rates are negotiated and paid as class rates as established by the division of health care finance and policy; provided further, that no funds shall be allocated from this item to contracts funded exclusively by federal grants as delineated in section 2D; provided further, that the total fiscal year 2014 costs of salary adjustments and any other associated employee costs authorized there under shall not exceed $16,600,000; provided further, that the executive office health and human services shall submit an allocation schedule to the house and senate committees on ways and means not less than 30 days after disbursement of funds; and provided further, that the annualized cost of the adjustments in fiscal year 2015 shall not exceed the amount appropriated herein………….. $16,600,000

Weekes was joined at the State House by:

• Andy Cracknell, Benefits and Compensation Specialist, Bay Cove Human Services
• Maria Mossaides, Executive Director, Cambridge Family & Children's Service
• Joseph Tosches, Executive Vice President and COO, Seven Hills Foundation

The four presented testimony in support of House Bill 933, An Act Relative to Access to Health Insurance for Human Service Providers and Their Employees. The bill would allow human services workers to have access to the multiple plans and lower cost options the Group Insurance Commission offers. Further, the plan could also save the state money, as Massachusetts reimburses human services organizations for health care costs.

Weekes described the plan as a "win-win-win" for employers, employees, state government and Commonwealth residents, who would benefit from a healthier human services workforce. You can download the testimony presented at Thursday's hearing below.

Bay Cove Human Services testimony

Providers' Council testimony

If you have questions about this legislation or the Council's testimony, please e-mail Bill Yelenak.

The event will feature two sessions: one on third party billing, discussing how systems should be set up, and another on effective corporate compliance. The sessions will feature executives from Council members and Public Consulting Group discussing best practices and how organizations can improve their operations in these two areas.

Online registration is now available, and the program is $55 for members of the Providers' Council, ADDP and ABH; it is $85 for organizations that are not members of any of these organizations.

For more information, contact Lore Stevens.

For more information, contact Bill Yelenak or Kevin Gilnack.

###

Over 500 supporters to rally at State House for human services funding on April 9

BOSTON – More than 500 human services clients, consumers, workers, family members, executives, board members and volunteers – all members of The Caring Force – plan to attend a rally in the Great Hall at the State House in Boston on Tuesday, April 9 to urge the Legislature to fairly fund human services programs and workers.

The Caring Force, a grassroots initiative of the Providers’ Council, is in its second full year of operation, and the movement already has more than 11,000 members across Massachusetts. The campaign was an incredible success in 2012, securing a modest salary increase for direct care workers – their first in five years.

On Tuesday, April 9, supporters will gather to advocate for fair funding of essential services that help Massachusetts’ most vulnerable residents and a modest salary increase for low-paid direct care workers. Specifically, Caring Force members will seek $140 million for Chapter 257 implementation and a $16.6 million Salary Reserve for low-paid workers. If additional revenue is needed for these investments, The Caring Force will be supportive of proposals that are fair, equitable and progressive and hold harmless low-paid workers and human services consumers.

The Caring Force will also honor Representative Kay Khan for her historic support of human services. Senate President Therese Murray, Senator Karen Spilka, and Representatives David Linsky and Ruth Balser are all expected to attend and address supporters. Other speakers include direct care workers, family members, self advocates, and board members.

Registration begins at 10 a.m., with the main speaking program to start at 10:30 a.m. At 11:30 a.m., supporters will visit their legislators and ask them to support fair funding of essential services, a modest salary increase for low-paid workers and a progressive and equitable tax solution for the Commonwealth.

WHERE: Massachusetts State House, Great Hall and legislative offices
WHEN:  Tuesday, April 9 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
WHO:  More than 500 members of The Caring Force; Legislators expect to speak include Senate
President Therese Murray, Sen. Karen Spilka, Reps. Kay Khan, David Linsky & Ruth Balser

###

The mission of The Caring Force is to empower those who care about the human services sector to
advance an agenda that creates an environment in Massachusetts that protects our most vulnerable
neighbors and creates a stronger economy with the pay, recognition, and respect our workers deserve.
The Caring Force is an initiative of the Providers’ Council. Learn more at www.thecaringforce.org.

McCready spoke about his role at The Boston Foundation and social innovation, addressing more than 100 participants at the seminar. Following McCready, an expert panel discussed social innovation at their own organizations, including:

• Joseph Leavey, CEO, Communities for People (moderator)
• Joseph Abely, President, Carroll Center for the Blind
• Mia Alvarado, Executive Director, Roxbury Youthworks
• Jim Cassetta, CEO, Work, Inc.
• Deirdre Hunter, Division Director for JRI Developing Abilities, Justice Resource Institute

Video and additional pictures from the event will be up in the future on www.providers.org. For more information, contact Rachel Lurie.