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Sunflower Health Plan Announces Initiatives to Support the Disability Community Affected by COVID-19

Date: 08/18/20

Hands of an older man resting on a cane

Sunflower Health Plan today announced new initiatives to support the disability community and older adults affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Kansas.

These initiatives are part of Sunflower’s broader effort to ensure that providers and organizations offering long-term services and support have the immediate resources they need to care for members with disabilities and their caregivers during this time of crisis and beyond.

“The national COVID-19 pandemic has made many people unsure of how and where to access medical care, and that’s especially true for older adults and people with disabilities,” said Michael Stephens, Sunflower president and CEO. “It’s never been more important that we commit to serving all members equally. That means making care more accessible for our members who are disabled and their families, caregivers and providers.”

In partnership with local long-term service provider and organizations, Sunflower Health Plan is undertaking the following new initiatives:

  • Piloting a Direct Worker Emergency Back-up Service for Sunflower Health Plan members with long-term services and supports. Southeast Kansas Independent Living (SKIL) and Topeka Independent Living & Resource Center (TILRC) are piloting a direct worker service in three counties. SKIL and TILRC are recruiting, training and deploying a specialized emergency in-home care workforce for members with disabilities who self-direct their personal attendants.
  • Offering Access to the Provider Accessibility Initiative COVID-19 Web Series to provide timely recommendations from experts with disabilities on how providers and organizations in Kansas can deliver disability-competent care during the pandemic and future emergencies.
  • Producing a Webinar Series to help members with disabilities navigate topics like the managing personal care services and transitioning from school life to adulthood.
  • Placing tablets in Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities to help facilitate residents’ participation in video contact with their families and friends.

“The emergency direct worker service is a key safeguard that provides support for those who experience an unexpected personal care challenge,” said Shari Coatney, president and CEO of SKIL Resource Center in Parsons, Kansas. “We look forward to working with area residents who self-direct their services to ensure their health and safety needs are met.”

In addition to the new initiatives, Sunflower engaged in partnerships with 25 providers and organizations to distribute 450,000 masks and 4,000 boxes of gloves to long-term service providers, people with disabilities and older adults who self-direct their in-home care.

Sunflower Health Plan has been supporting Kansas residents since 2013 across its Medicaid, Medicare, and Ambetter from Sunflower Health Plan Marketplace coverage.