ODP Announces New IM4Q Leads
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) recently welcomed two new leads to the IM4Q community. Abigale Bowen is taking over for Alisha Walker at Ebensburg Center. Mark Costello brings prior IM4Q experience as a monitor to his new position as the IM4Q lead in the Southeast Region. Both introduced themselves at the recent regional meetings. Welcome, Abigale and Mark!
2024-2025 Contacts List
The IM4Q Contacts List (v2.9) can be found here. Please take a moment to verify this information, and if an update needs to be made, please notify ODP and technical advisors at the earliest opportunity. When contact information is not current or correct, then the appropriate people are not informed.
April Regional Meeting Minutes
Consolidated minutes taken from the three regional meetings can be found here. If there are any questions, please contact your ODP regional leads. Dates and Zoom links for the October 2025 meetings are listed at the end of the minutes.
Enterprise Case Management (ECM) Update
The IM4Q ECM work group met with ODP, Public Consulting Group (PCG), and Accenture (the DHS vendor), for discovery sessions related to the IM4Q pre-survey and considerations processes to be implemented within the new platform. The sessions went well, especially with the creation of process flows for each, which provided everyone the ability to visually follow the discussions. The next discovery sessions involving IM4Q will be during the reporting epic, but no firm dates have been provided.
ODP sincerely thanks all the work group members who were able to participate in the sessions and the additional clarification meetings held with the ODP Functional Architect!
ODESA 2.0
The Human Services Research Institute (HSRI), which oversees the National Core Indicators (NCI) Project, still projects implementation of the new data entry platform for most states on July 1. HSRI and the vendor met with ODP, technical advisors, and several local programs to receive feedback on proposed overall changes and what other features would be helpful. However, with the number of customizations needed for Pennsylvania, ODESA 2.0 will not be available for data entry until November, which aligns with when the current ODESA generally opens.
End of 2024 – 2025 Cycle
This is a reminder that all interviews and data entry must be completed by June 30, and there will be no exceptions. If any local programs are experiencing last-minute issues with either of these activities, please contact the technical advisors and your regional lead immediately!
2025 Annual Statewide Training
As a reminder, the 2025 IM4Q Annual Statewide Training (AST) will occur at the Harrisburg Hilton on July 29 – 30. The Institute on Disabilities expects to issue the final agenda, including the link for registration, in the next several weeks. The registration fee is $75 per person. Supports Coordinators are again offered the opportunity to have two attend the AST for the price of one. A block of hotel rooms has been reserved for $159 per night. Any Steering Committee members interested in attending and who need to book a room should contact Mary Kay Cunningham.
- Questions for the Deputy Secretary
ODP Deputy Secretary Kristin Ahrens will again offer welcoming remarks at the beginning of the AST. As mentioned during the April meetings, ODP and the technical advisors encourage everyone to submit any questions for her to address to Lee Stephens by June 13. There may also be a short opportunity for her to address questions directly from the audience.
- Keynote Addresses
The first keynote session will be presented by Patrice Jetter of Hamilton, NJ. Ms. Jetter is an athlete, a school crossing guard, an artist, and a member of the disability community. A link to preview her documentary, Patrice: The Movie, will be included with the reservation confirmation.
The second keynote presentation will feature four panelists long associated with IM4Q: self-advocate Bill Krebs; former Deputy Secretary Nancy Thaler and IM4Q innovator Dana Olsen, both retired from ODP; and former Executive Director Celia Feinstein, retired from the Institute on Disabilities.
- Baskets for Raffle
The basket raffle returns! The fun committee is again organizing a collection of baskets to be raffled on Tuesday evening (the 29) at the dessert reception. They are asking that, as the IM4Q community, you kindly participate by donating an interesting basket to this event. Collaboration between AEs and local programs is encouraged but not required. Baskets may be filled with specialty foods, coffees, garden materials, or plan a beach theme, night at the movies, sports items, or things for which your county or area is known. Have fun with it and be as creative as you’d like! Please consider supporting this activity through your contribution. Please contact Nancy LeClair if you have any questions or to confirm that your AE and/or local program will participate.
