HJAR Sep/Oct 2020

40 SEP / OCT 2020 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS MEDICAID COLUMN MEDICAID HOWEVER, the arrival of COVID-19 to Arkansas in early March multiplied the risks the department, our providers and clients, and our state faced, and prompted DHS to swiftly develop and implement innovative responses to the pandemic, while it maintained essential daily functions and services. An Innovative and Timely Response OnMarch 11, 2020, GovernorAsa Hutchin- son issued Executive Order 20-03 declaring an emergency due to the confirmation of the first COVID-19 case in Arkansas. In a mat- ter of days, DHS developed a proposal that would provide additional funding to support three areas: direct care workers in the long- term services and supports (LTSS) sector, the expansion of telemedicine, and workforce support and training. OnMarch 26, Governor Hutchinson submitted a request outlining the proposal to President Trump for a Medicaid project request were ultimately approved, though in different formats. More than $340 million has been approved to sup- port health care providers and their work- force. This certainly could not have been accomplished without the support of the governor, the CARES Steering Committee, and the Legislature. Moreover, DHS staff doubled down on their commitment to the people of Arkansas during this period, find- ing new approaches to ensuring Arkansans received the services they needed, and work- ing through challenges that put barriers in the way of progress. The speed at which all these initiatives were conceived, developed, and implemented can be traced back to the crisis management team Secretary Cin- dy Gillespie put in place at DHS, and their willingness to think outside the box to ad- dress this crisis and manage our response. DHS COVID-19 Crisis Management With the scope of the work at the Department of Human Services (DHS)—from licensing child care centers to providing health care and more—risk management is a daily function of the department. Section 1115 Demonstration Project to, “en- able us to respond to the COVID-19 health emergency and avert the threatening eco- nomic crisis. As you know, health care is 20 percent of our nation’s economy. This bold proposal will provide access to necessary health care for the needs of Arkansas’citizens and keep the doors of our health care pro- viders open and their workforce employed.” The governor’s letter set the policy course that DHS has pursued throughout this period: “[m]ost importantly, we will pay to deliver needed services rather than reimburse for lost revenue,” he wrote. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), which provided $1.25 billion toArkansas in federal funds, was signed into law the next day. Through negotiations with the federal gov- ernment and the use of CARES Act funds, the major components of the demonstration