Gov. Heineman Outlines Top Priorities for New
Department of Health & Human Services

(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman today announced a list of priorities for the newly created Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), aimed at improving services and finding efficiencies in agency operations.

The announcement follows last week’s implementation of LB 296, which restructured the management of DHHS as part of an effort to bring greater clarity, transparency and accountability to the workings of the state’s largest agency.

“We’re beginning a new phase in this restructuring,” Gov. Heineman said. “When we started having discussions last year about how to ensure that we continue to improve our services and ensure that positive changes were taking place. Our first step was to put management structure in place that promoted better understanding, outlined a clear chain of command and put an even greater emphasis on teamwork. Now it’s time to turn our attention to making it work better for the people we serve.

“Today I’m outlining some of the expectations I have for the next year, and an overriding theme in this list is the focus we’re putting on strengthening services.”

The priorities within the Division of Children and Families Services are to accelerate the reform of the state’s child welfare system and improve the performance on the federal Children & Family Service Review coming up in 2008.

In the area of Behavioral Health, the Governor wants to ensure that the final steps in the statewide behavioral health reform begun in 2004 are completed and that the division develops a comprehensive strategy for children’s behavioral health services in the state.

For the Division of Veterans’ Homes the focus will be to ensure that Nebraska’s Veterans’ Homes are operating at near full capacity and that each resident receives quality care.

Gov. Heineman said, “These homes exist to provide a stable environment and high-quality care for our veterans, and we need to be sure we are living up to that promise and second, that we are making it available by operating our four veterans’ homes facilities at full capacity.”

In the area of Developmental Disabilities, the Governor pointed to one overriding challenge, which is ensuring that residents at the Beatrice State Development Center (BSDC) receive quality care.

“This is our top goal in the area of development disability services right now,” Gov. Heineman said. “I want to acknowledge the work of all those who have worked very closely with staff, the families of BSDC residents and others to address the concerns raised by federal inspectors last fall. While definite progress has been made, I expect developing a long-term plan for addressing the remaining challenges to be the top priority for this division during the next year and a half.”

The first group of challenges refers to efforts to strengthen services DHHS provides, and the remaining priorities are focused on operating divisions within the department as efficiently as possible and making the best use of available resources.

The Governor has challenged the Division of Public Health to look at ways to realign public health programs in an effort to help the division become the source for reliable data on health information in Nebraska and to help in pursuing programs that address the state’s most challenging health issues.

“This division plays a vital part in coordinating with local public health departments, our educational and research institutions and Nebraska hospitals,” Gov. Heineman said. “We have the opportunity to make real progress on several fronts and that means developing a statewide strategy for the modern health challenges facing the residents of our state.”

Finally, for the Division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care, the Governor has identified the challenges of implementing the new Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) on time and on budget and continuing efforts to slow the growth in Medicaid expenditures.

Gov. Heineman said, “In outlining these priorities, I tried to address the biggest challenges facing this new department and our state. We need to break with the bureaucratic image of the old system and develop a different attitude. One that empowers each employee at all levels of the agency and shows them that they have the power to make a difference and the power to help Nebraskans live healthier lives.

“Accomplishing these goals will be important in demonstrating to Nebraska that change is possible and that the entire department is up to the challenge.”

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