DOVER – Governor Jack Markell announced today that the 11-member Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD) Care Transitions Team is the 2011 recipient of the Governor’s Team Excellence Award. This annual award encourages teamwork by recognizing groups of state employees for their efforts to use continuous quality improvement tools to excel in leadership, team dynamics and communication to produce superior customer service and tangible results. This year, 14 teams, representing the efforts of 184 state employees, were nominated for the award.

The DSAAPD Care Transitions Team consists of employees from the Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities. Since February 2011, this team reviewed and successfully placed 83% of people referred to the state’s long-term care facilities into more appropriate and desirable care options. The work of this team resulted in improved efficiency of operations, cost avoidance, reallocation of existing staff and resources, and empowerment of Delaware’s citizens to receive care in the setting most desirable to them.

“This team is a great illustration of how an agency can effectively serve our most vulnerable citizens and achieve a cost savings for Delaware,” said Governor Markell. “The DSAAPD Transitions Care Team proved that collaboration can produce tangible results, and in this case, a team found ways to save money and improve the quality of life for some of our most vulnerable citizens – older Delawareans and people with disabilities.”

In addition to the award recipient, three other teams were recognized as finalists:

• I-95 Newark Toll Plaza Highway Speed E-ZPass Lane Project Team: This cross-functional team, led by the Department of Transportation, addressed a long standing problem accommodating the high volume of traffic on I-95 by providing improved flow through the toll plaza with two high-speed E-ZPass lanes and expansion in the number of the cash lanes.  This $32.6 million dollar project, fully funded through ARRA and completed early, resulted in the employment of 300 people, reduction in traffic backups, increased toll worker and driver safety, improved air quality by reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gasses by reducing vehicle congestion, and improved mobility of traffic into and through Delaware.

• Individual Assessment Discharge and Planning Team (I-ADAPT):  This multi-department team, consisting of the departments of Health and Social Services, Correction, Labor, Education, the State Housing Authority, and the Criminal Justice Council, improved offender accountability, identified gaps in services, improved availability and access to resources, and created standard processes for documenting individuals entry into and release from the Department of Corrections.  Inmates are provided a plan specific to their needs so that they have the tools needed to succeed in the community.  Successful reentry is important not only to the futures of offenders and their families, but also to the well-being and quality of life of families and neighborhoods throughout Delaware.  To date, over 750 inmates have voluntarily agreed to participate in the I-ADAPT program.

• State Rental Assistance Program: This multi-department team, consisting of Delaware State Housing Authority, the Department of Health and Social Services, and the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families, worked together effectively to assist vulnerable and specials needs citizens and achieved cost savings for Delaware by creating the State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP) – the first of its kind in the state. In addition to providing housing services, this program also provides individuals with access to necessary supportive services and saves the state thousands of dollars by transitioning individuals from high cost institutional care to affordable and sustainable community-based housing.  Since its implementation in April 2011, 66% of individuals aging out of foster care or moving from state institutions back into communities were housed as a result of this program.

Print