HJAR Jul/Aug 2024

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JUL / AUG 2024 41 Melissa Weatherton Director of Medicaid Specialty Populations highest quality of access to support and health care,” said Travis Marsico, PhD, A- State vice provost for research, innovation, and discovery. The last ARP-funded initiative driven byA- State will be piloting the university’s inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) program as a future HCBS service called Day Program for Adults with Intellectual and/or Develop- mental Disabilities. This initiative will serve Medicaid-eligible young adults between the ages of 18-26 with intellectual and de- velopmental disabilities (IDD) transitioning from high school and looking for supports to help in their daily living, with special em- phasis on vocational goals and connection to community. As part of this effort, the HOWL andATLAS (Autonomy Through Leadership, Advocacy and Service) transition pilot programs will examine student outcomes including em- ployment, quality of life, and social networks, while integrating evidence-based case man- agement practices along with evidence-based practices. The HOWL Transition Program, which aims to ensure students with intel- lectual and developmental disabilities can have the college experience and live inde- pendently, started at A-State in 2020 and has been a great success for those involved. The initiatives are funded through approx- imately $31.2 million inARP funds distributed by DHS. These initiatives withArkansas State University are part of the larger Roadmap to a Healthier Arkansas report that DHS released earlier this year. For more information about all of the Roadmap and other initiatives that are included, visit www.AR.gov/roadmap to read the full report. n MelissaWeatherton serves as the director of Medicaid specialty populations. In this role, she oversees spe- cialtyMedicaid programs with a specific focus on the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS); the Division ofAging,Adult,and Behavioral Health Ser- vices (DAABHS); and the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (OSAMH). Weatherton previously served as the director of DDS. She started her career at DHS in the agency’s legal de- partment,holding several positions, including deputy chief counsel where she oversawpolicy,contracts,and legislation for DHS.She also has extensive knowledge of child welfare fromher work in the legal department representing the child welfare agency as well as chil- dren in the foster care system.She has been a licensed attorney since 2005 and a volunteer with the nonprofit organization Project Zero since 2006. She has been chairman of the Project Zero board since 2011.