Gov. Jay Nixon has authorized the Missouri Department of Mental Health to request the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services expand the Partnership for Hope to serve an additional 300 Missourians with developmental disabilities.
"Across our state, there are hundreds of individuals with developmental disabilities awaiting services. They are our neighbors, friends and fellow Missourians,” Nixon said in a statement. “We all share the responsibility of helping them obtain the services and resources they need to reach their God-given potential.”
Prior to implementation of the Partnership for Hope, demand for home- and community-based services had resulted in a large backlog of Missouri families waiting for help. According to the statement, many families had been waiting years to receive the services they needed.
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Priority had been given to individuals in crisis, such as individuals who were homeless or whose primary caregiver had passed away. In many of those cases, residential services or out-of-home placement became the only option.
In total, the Partnership will serve nearly 1,300 individuals in 83 Missouri counties and St. Louis City.