A continuum of care is a model which strives to serve the needs and supports of the people – this is a holistic approach, respecting and honoring the person and their choices. In my mind, this is the logical and just model but it is a continual fight to try to educate and enlighten others to the benefits to ALL by providing a continuum of care. Supporting a continuum of care does not deny people the needed supports and services nor does it coerce or threaten people to make choices which would endanger their safety and lives.
Researching issues with the recent audit by Washington State Auditor of the Developmental Disabilities Service System, I learned of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The North American Industry Classification System was developed under the direction and guidance of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the standard for use by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the collection, tabulation, presentation, and analysis of statistical data describing the U.S. economy.
I found something very interesting which actually describes a continuum of care very well:
Sector 62 — Health Care and Social Assistance
The Sector as a Whole
The Health Care and Social Assistance sector comprises establishments providing health care and social assistance for individuals. The sector includes both health care and social assistance because it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the boundaries of these two activities. The industries in this sector are arranged on a continuum starting with those establishments providing medical care exclusively, continuing with those providing health care and social assistance, and finally finishing with those providing only social assistance. The services provided by establishments in this sector are delivered by trained professionals. All industries in the sector share this commonality of process, namely, labor inputs of health practitioners or social workers with the requisite expertise. Many of the industries in the sector are defined based on the educational degree held by the practitioners included in the industry.
Below are some examples of what are included in this category – it’s odd that the auditors did not include any of these in their recommendations –
62 Health Care and Social Assistance
621 Ambulatory Health Care Services
6211 Offices of Physicians
6212 Offices of Dentists
6213 Offices of Other Health Practitioners
62133 Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)T
62134 Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists
62139 Offices of All Other Health Practitioners
6214 Outpatient Care Centers
6215 Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories
6216 Home Health Care Services
6219 Other Ambulatory Health Care Services
622 Hospitals
6221 General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
6222 Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals
6223 Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals
623 Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
6231 Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)T
6232 Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities
6233 Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly
6239 Other Residential Care Facilities
624 Social Assistance
6241 Individual and Family Services
62412 Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
6242 Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services
6243 Vocational Rehabilitation Services
The organizations which did the audit and wrote recommendations did not consult with the professionals in the field, nor are they themselves experts in the fields listed above. BERK & Associates (523930 – Investment Advice) and Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) (541720 – Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities) only looked at one part of the continuum and tried to fit all people into that section.
For being researchers, HSRI really misunderstands people and the supports and services they may need to keep people healthy and safe.
It is shameful that HSRI is recommending changes in a service system which they clearly are not experts in and clearly do not understand the impacts their recommendations will make to not only the people who utilize those supports and services, but the community as a whole.
Below is a list of the areas of expertise of the BERK & Assoc. and HSRI contracted people for this audit: Where are the healthcare professionals on this panel?
M.A. – Public policy
B.S. – Finance
MBA – Business Administration
B.A. – Politics
M.A. – Urban Design
B.A – Art History
M.A. – Urban and Regional Planning
B.A. – Geography
B.S. – Mathematics and Economics
M.A. – Urban and Regional Planning
B.A. – Sociology
Ph.D. – Special Education and Rehabilitation
M.A. – Psychology
B.A. – Political Science
M.A. – Public Policy Administration
B.A. – Business Administration and Management
B.A. – Special Education
M.S. – Public Policy and Administration
B.A. – Management of Human Services
B.A. – Psychology
M.A. -Public and Non-Profit Management
B.A. – International Relations
MSW – Social Work
B.A. Health Care Management
M.A. – Administration of Higher Education
B.S. – Family and Human Services,
M.S. – Special Education,
MSW – Social Work
B.A. – Social Work
