This quarterly newsletter provides a recap of the first quarter of 2021, as well as, updates on current activities for the association and committee updates.

MiBAP’s President, Candice Lake, goals for 2021 are to continue to:

• Reduce barriers in services
• Reduce barrier in boilerplate language
• Protect rates and maintain quality standards
• Increase our reach to the provider network
• Provide more value to our members

MiBAP continues to prioritize advocacy in the first quarter of 2021

• MiBAP (Mike Dow) testified about the organization and the importance of the Medicaid Autism Program before the Senate HHS subcommittee
• MiBAP held 25+ “Meet & Greet” virtual Zoom sessions with every newly elected member of the House of Representatives
• MiBAP held 15+ virtual Zoom sessions with House and Senate members of the HHS policy committees to advocate for section 959 boilerplate to standardize autism policy and administrative processes across the 10 PIHPs and 46 CMHs.
• MiBAP held its 2nd annual Legislative Day in February, participating in 50+ virtual Zoom meetings with Michigan legislators

MiBAP Webinar Series

• Completed Webinars
  • MiBAP Educational Webinar: Advocacy 101 – Practical and Effective Lobbying Strategies
  • MiBAP Webinar: Clinical Operations – Prioritizing Quality Services (Part1)

• Upcoming Webinars
  • MiBAP Webinar: Resolving Barriers to ABAB in School Settings: Navigating Case Law, Legislation, and Administrative Rules
    Register Now – 4/28/2021 11:30am-1:00pm
  • MiBAP Webinar: Clinical Operations – Prioritizing Quality Services (Part2)
    Stay tuned for registration details

MiBAP is here to support all of our members in these difficult times – please do not hesitate to reach out (info@mibap.org) with your questions, comments, feedback, or concerns.

Below are quick updates from each of our committees, along with a few articles and papers you may find of interest. Stay safe!

Access Committee
The Access Committee has officially scheduled our educational webinar with Lorri and Dan Unumb. Lorri and Dan will be talking with us about access to ABA in the schools on April 28th from 11:30 – 1:00 EST! The first portion of this talk will be an intro to the Council for Autism Service Providers, a fantastic organization and resource for providers. The committee has also begun drafting outlines for an introductory video series that will be hosted on MiBAP’s YouTube channel. These videos will address topics such as: “What is autism?” “How do I obtain the appropriate diagnosis?” and “What is applied behavior analysis?” Providers will be able to embed these videos on their websites, send out links to families, and easily educate pediatricians and others who are in the access pipeline by sharing this content. If anyone wishes to volunteer as a narrator, or help with content creation, video production, etc., please reach out the Access Committee Chair, Adam Bennett, at j.adam.bennett@wmich.edu.

Advocacy Committee
2021 has been busy. The Advocacy Committee has focused on the delivery of the Advocacy 101 Webinar and the MIBAP Advocacy Day. In January, Scott Schrum, CEO, Residential Opportunities, Inc. provided a primer of advocacy designed as the skill foundation for those new to advocacy. There were over 20 participants. MiBAP Virtual Advocacy Day, February 22/23, 2021 was from all accounts a very effective and efficient way to communicate our message to legislators. Thank You to the many participants who carried the MiBAP message. We are grateful to Kelly-Cawthorne for handling the logistics for the Advocacy Day and the myriad of other meetings with legislators.
The Board has also been actively holding virtual meetings with House and Senate leadership, Appropriations, and Health Policy Committee members. Our message is being sought and listened to. As the State of Michigan budget continues down the road to completion, please stand by and prepare to reach out to your legislators if need be.

Education Committee
The Education Committee has been working behind the scenes to ensure the MiBAP Educational Webinar Series is executed well and our members and other behavior analytic professionals have access to important training opportunities not frequently offered from other webinar series. Please continue to check out our website and read our emails for updates on the latest webinars and links to register. In addition to our webinar series, we also work to produce this quarterly newsletter. We are always open to additional content from our members that may be beneficial for our group at large. If you have any questions or suggestions related to this committee, please contact Mike Dow (MiBAP Executive Director) or Megan DiMartino (MiBAP Education Committee Chair).

Quality Committee
The Quality Committee has been continuing to evaluate literature relevant to the assessment of ABA outcomes. Monthly committee discussions have centered around setting the standard for ABA services in Michigan, and helping “tell the story” to payers and stakeholders. Part 1 of the Clinical Operations Prioritizing Quality webinar was presented by the committee in March, with the forthcoming Part 2 in May. This series focuses on helping clinical leaders grow their teams while maintaining best-practice services.

From the President
MiBAP has had a productive first quarter of 2021! We held a successful Legislative Advocacy Day in February; the virtual format was easy to navigate, and we heard positive feedback from members and legislators. Thanks to the Education Committee, our webinar series has started the new year strong. We’ve had well-received presentations organized by the Advocacy Committee and Quality Committee, and the Access Committee is hosting a can’t-miss session with Lorri and Dan Unumb this week! The Quality Committee has identified and suggested an assessment measure for providers to use to quantify clinical outcomes in a way that is easy to disseminate to funders and will make e-tools available for data aggregation in the next month. Members of the Board of Directors have provided testimony and input regarding several legislative initiatives, and we continue to be active in discussions regarding bills up for consideration in the House and Senate. We have enjoyed a busy first quarter and look forward to continuing to serve our members throughout the year!