Michigan Alliance for Person Centered Communities (MAPCC)
MAPCC is a coalition of provider associations, government agencies, workforce development organizations, advocacy groups, educational institutions, and long term care institutions and organizations including residential care, hospice, and home care. Cean Eppelheimer is one of MAPCC’s co-chairs and PHI staff have been actively engaged in building the organization.
The Alliance champions culture change and a person centered approach within all long term supports and services through the sharing of information on culture change models and practices, workforce development issues, best practice sharing and networking opportunities to assist and support organizational transformation. MAPCC is one of 36 state coalitions recognized by the Pioneer network across the country.
Through partnership and shared learning, MAPCC promotes an array of adult long- term supports and services that create strong communities deeply rooted in dignity and respect; rich with relationships and opportunities for self determination and personal growth for all.
One Vision
One Vision: Moving Forward brings together a wide range of partners to identify and resolve obstacles to the implementation of person centered practices and other culture change initiatives in Michigan’s skilled nursing homes, as well as to address aspects of the wide array of culture change initiatives that pose challenges to Michigan regulators’ roles and responsibilities.
PHI was awarded civil monetary penalty funding by the MI Department of Community Health (MDCH) to convene committed stakeholders representing government agencies, providers, provider associations, resident advocates and employee organizations. The group is producing a consensus framework to address and resolve both current and future challenges to person centered approaches and culture change within Michigan’s nursing homes. One Vision: Moving Forward is also developing resident and staff satisfaction surveys to measure how much culture change and person-centeredness are integrated into their lives.
Hollis Turnham, PHI Midwest Director and Cean Eppelheimer, PHI Midwest TOD Specialist, co-facilitate the effort. Through collaboration, consensus building and by aligning the many stakeholders, the partners hope to improve the likelihood of holistic, person-centered care for Michigan’s nursing home residents. The project also supports quality improvement initiatives underway across the state as well as dissemination of the MDCH’s person-centered planning elements, values and principles . By establishing a framework for consistent and productive conversation, providers, consumers, staff, and regulators will co-create a more forward-thinking, high-quality, person-centered experience that exceeds the already high regulatory standards of Michigan.
Better Training…Building Quality Project
Michigan is proud to be one of six states awarded a Personal and Home Care Aide State Training Program grant from U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and deliver training for personal care aides (PCA) – those aides working outside of certified nursing homes, home health agencies, and hospice.
Michigan’s project, Building Training…Building Quality (BTBQ), is focusing on PCAs who work with participants in the MI Choice Waiver Program. Through the waiver program, elders and people with disabilities who qualify for nursing home care can pursue their lives in their own homes, in adult foster care settings and in homes for the aged, and PCAs help them live full lives. PHCAST is a collaboration between the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, Michigan State University’s Department of Family Practice within the College of Human Medicine, and PHI-Michigan.
With PHI’s Personal Care Services training as a foundation, the BTBQ program will identify initial competencies needed by MI Choice PCAs, create instructional materials, and offer Train-the-Trainer programs to lead to at least 400 PCAs receiving a multi-day training course. In addition, tested and proven curricula will be used to offer a full day of dementia training to 400 PCAs, to train 700 PCAs in preventing abuse and neglect, and to teach 200 PCAs home management skills. Peer mentors will also be trained to support new PCAs in the first months of employment.
BTBQ is a collaboration of the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging (OSA), MSU’s School of Human Medicine for evaluation, and PHI’s Midwest office. We will be working with four waiver agents during the grant, while striving to build capacity for ongoing training across Michigan.
Working with Employers
PHI Training & Organizational Development (TOD) specialists offer training in the coaching approach to culture change, coaching supervision, coaching communications, and peer mentoring to employers throughout our region. TOD staff also provide consultation and facilitation services to support sites in their efforts to undertake performance improvements and adopt person-centered approaches across their organizations. Working with industry associations and other long-term care advocates provides more opportunities to offer training in a variety of topics to a wide range of employers, staff and consumers.
Person Centered Planning Training Committee
In 2009, The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) developed and released the definition, values and principles of Person-Centered Planning. The then-acting Director supported the work and agreed that these were to serve as the foundation for operations within MDCH. Following the adoption of the definition, a person-centered planning training workgroup was created to develop an educational roll out plan, both within MDCH and in the Michigan community at large and subsequent training tools and curriculum. Cean Eppelheimer, PHI Midwest TOD Specialist serves on the person centered planning training work group.
Hollis Turnham (read 
Tameshia Bridges (read 
Cean Eppelheimer (read 