Partnership for Hope expands to Christian County

Gov. Jay Nixon last week visited the Christian County Developmental Disability Board to announce that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved an expansion of Missouri's Partnership for Hope campaign to include Christian County and 10 others.

With the expansion, Partnership for Hope would provide home and community-based services to 1,300 people in 84 Missouri counties and the city of St. Louis. The other counties included in the latest expansion are Barry, Grundy, Morgan, Oregon, Perry, Randolph, Reynolds, Sainte Genevieve, Stoddard and Wayne.

Through Partnership for Hope, individuals can receive up to $12,000 in services per year. Funding comes from the the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Missouri Department of Mental Health and county developmental disability boards. The county boards are contributing $2.9 million annually for the program, which is matched in state funds, and the federal government provides up to $9.4 million, according to a news release.

Partnership for Hope began with an initial group of 470 individuals in October 2010 and expanded coverage to 500 more people in February. Greene, Jasper and Taney counties were original members of the program. In February, the program was extended to include Dallas, Cedar, Dade, Lawrence, Vernon, Barton, Newton, McDonald, Stone, Ozark and Howell counties. The latest expansion provides coverage to another 300 people.

Since the program's inception, roughly 1,090 people have enrolled and are receiving services.

"I've met with families from around the state whose lives have been changed for the better by the Partnership for Hope," Nixon said in the release. "Hundreds of Missourians with developmental disabilities are living up to their fullest potential, and families are able to stay together."[[In-content Ad]]