ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ADVOCACY ASSISTANCE ANSWERS ON AGING

Serving Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry & Washington Counties in Southeast Ohio
Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District & Area Agency on Aging 8
2013 Annual Report
P.O. Box 520 Reno, OH 45773
740-374-9436 1-800-835-8088
www.buckeyehills.org
P.O. Box 370 Reno, OH 45773
740-373-6400 1-800-331-2644
www.areaagency8.org
In 2013, Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District celebrated 45 years! Over the decades there has been one
constant a steadfast devotion to the people and communities of the region. Empowering leaders with information, providing
access to state and federal grants, and supporting regional endeavors are the long-term hallmarks of Buckeye Hills.
The Buckeye Hills 2013 Annual Report features many accomplishments from the past 12 months. It also highlights many
programs that serve the region. Please review the report and share it with your community so everyone gains a better
understanding of the services Buckeye Hills provides as a regional council a public organization that fosters collaboration and
works to solve regional issues.
As a regional council partner with member counties and communities, we remain dedicated to working cooperatively with local
stakeholders improve the region. Within the report are the numbers that represent stories of individuals, communities, and a
region that was better served because of the existence of Buckeye Hills 45 years later.
Basic public infrastructure for water, transportation and community services remains a fundamental building block of the
programs at Buckeye Hills. By administering grants and programs for communities and for individuals, Buckeye Hills continues to
thrive in meeting its mission. Whether reaching out to the regions aging in need of in-home assistance, providing communities
with planning support, or serving as advocates on the state and national level, the professional staff at Buckeye Hills serves with
dedication and compassion. The 54 employees of Buckeye Hills have a total of 324 years of service in their current positions and
468 years of service with the organization!
Now, more than 45 years later, as an organization governed by local officials along with private sector and community
representatives, Buckeye Hills continues to develop and implement creative partnerships and solutions to better assist local
communities and the greater region! Buckeye Hills is pleased to be a partner for Appalachia taking a long-term and holistic view
of its regional opportunities and challenges!
A Message From Executive Director, Misty Casto
Washington County
Ron Feathers
Tim Irvine
Sharon Hoffee
Mike Lorentz
J oe Matthews, Treasurer
Kevin Ritter
David White
Tracey Wright
General Policy Council & Executive Committee
Noble County
Virgil Thompson
Kristi Close
Perry County
J ohn Arkley
Cheryl Boley
Dave Freriks
Thomas Johnson
Athens County
Charlie Adkins
Chris Chmiel
Lenny Eliason
Christine Knisely
Ted Linscott
J ohn Simpson
Paul Wiehl
Vacant
2013 Buckeye Hills and Area Agency on Aging 8 Leadership
2013 Annual Report I 3
The Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District (BHHVRDD), was created as an agency established by agreement
among its members pursuant to Section 167.01-08 of the Ohio Revised Code. The agency is organized as a voluntary organization of
local government political subdivisions in Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry and Washington Counties to foster a
cooperative effort in regional planning, programming, and the implementing of regional plans and programs. The agency is also
organized as a forum for the discussion and study of common problems of a regional nature, and for the development of policy and
action recommendations relating thereto.
The General Policy Council is composed of 2/ 3 elected public officials and 1/ 3 private citizens representing principal community or
regional interest groups including, but not limited to: commerce, labor, industry, agriculture, education, health, senior citizens, and
low-income and minority groups. (Executive Committee in bold.)
Monroe County
J ohn Curtis
J ohn Pyles
Morgan County
Ron Moore, VP
Tim VanHorn
Hocking County
Martin Irvine
Clark Sheets
Gary Starner, President
Ken Wilson
Meigs County
Brian Howard
Tim Ihle
Randy Smith
AAA8 Regional Advisory Council
The AAA8 Regional Advisory Council (RAC) serves as a liaison between Seniors and their local County Councils on Aging. The RAC is
formed of representatives from those County Councils on Aging and other AAA8 appointees. (County Commissioners in bold.)
Athens County
Charlie Adkins
Ron Black
Louise Hershey
AAA Appointees
J ean Ackerman
Roy Ash
Albert Hillis
Tracey Saling
Bill Shepard
Melissa Walters
Monroe County
Tim Price
Arlene Winland
Betty Weber
Noble County
Steven Bond
Madelyn Watson
Vacant
Washington County
J udy Calvert
Lois Sizemore
David White
BH-HVRDD Appointees
Herman Gray
Greg Green, VP
Sara Hoover
J oan Stroh, President
Carl Davis
Hocking County
Sandra Ogle
J ack Stage
Charlotte J ohnson
Meigs County
Randy Smith
Vacant
Vacant
Morgan County
Loretta Green
Tim Van Horn
Vacant
Perry County
Dave Freriks
Richard Hoy
Nancy Gibson, Sec.
Robert Heinlein
This summary covers the period J uly 1, 2012, through J une 30,
2013. Local in-kind contributions are not reflected in the
overall summary. Purchase of service contracts administered
by the Area Agency on Aging and the loan activities of the
Revolving Loan fund are not included in this report.
This was the 36th year that Buckeye Hills has operated with a
federally approved Cost Allocation Plan. This allows all
programs administered by the agency to be included in a
single set of books and accounting records. The Cost
Allocation Plan and its indirect cost rate permit an equitable
distribution of common agency costs among all the funding
entities. A single audit will include all administrative operations
of BH-HVRDD. All of the agencys programs are audited
annually by a certified public accounting firm. Audit reports for
2013 reflect that the agencys operating policies and
procedures are adequate and efficient, and in compliance
with the rules and regulations prescribed by the funding
agencies. All grant funds received above actual costs are
either returned to the funding agency after completion of the
annual audit, or utilized in the following year for allowable
program activities.
REVENUES*
Economic Development Administration (EDA) $64,628.00
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) $212,195.15
Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) $802,130.32
State of Ohio Local Development District $137,200.00
Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) $56,411.93
Ohio Department of Development $10,761.04
Community Development Block Grant Admin. $66,106.36
BH GIS Data Collection Program $4,900.00
US Geological Survey Spatial Data Agreement $9,852.39
Washington County Tax Map $6,674.98
Local Per Capita Contribution $31,008.40
Revolving Loan Fund $40,491.47
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services $200,430.19
PASSPORT & Assisted Living Programs $2,573,719.65
Misc. Income $27,088.61
TOTAL REVENUES $4,243,598.49
EXPENDITURES*
Personnel $1,652,268.14
Fringe Benefits $1,314,761.68
Travel $275,021.03
Equipment $16,093.35
Contractual Services $57,935.52
Rent $173,787.54
Other Direct Costs $265,310.95
Indirect Cost $482,050.84
TOTAL EXPENDITURES $4,237,229.05
2013 Revenues & Expenditures
BALANCE $6,369.44
Audited Statement
*Local in-kind contributions are not reflected in the overall summary. Purchase of service
contracts administered by the Area Agency on Aging and the loan activities of the
Revolving Loan fund are not included in this report.
2013 Annual Report I 4
Buckeye Hills continues to join local governments to provide innovative and affordable tools to finance
infrastructure projects essential to the region. Buckeye Hills is capable and experienced at ensuring
capital improvement projects and other public investments are completed within compliance, on
schedule and within budget.
2012-2013 Project Outcomes: Total costs for projects completed over the past year were approximately
$40.8 million, with local communities and private business leveraging $22.8 million [$22,802,113] against
the nearly $18 million [$17,999,848] provided through state and federal funding sources. Administrative
costs were $471,913. Buckeye Hills leveraged $86 in project dollars for every $1 of Administration spent.
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC): ARC makes targeted investments that promote economic growth and
opportunity. In Ohio, 32 counties are served by four local development districts including Buckeye Hills (in eight counties).
Buckeye Hills administered 13 ARC Projects with Total Project Costs of $13,546,275 that resulted in 91 jobs created and 100
jobs retained in the district. Funding was provided by Federal ARC, Appalalchian Development Highway System and the
Ohio Governors Office of Appalachia.
BH GIS (Geographic Information Systems): Buckeye Hills Geographic Information Systems (GIS) plays a central role in
developing, analyzing and presenting the data and mapping services information needed to enhance and support local
and regional planning and development efforts.
In 2013, Buckeye Hills GIS staff located and mapped water system attributes for the village of Rutland. With the completion
of Rutland, Buckeye Hills has now collected water infrastructure information for all Meigs County municipalities.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): Buckeye Hills administers CDBG water and sewer projects and the Washington
County CDBG Formula program. In 2013, staff administered two water/ sewer projects with total project costs of $6.8 million.
In Washington County, five CDBG Formula projects were completed with total project costs of $162,802.
Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC): Buckeye Hills is the liaison for District 18 of the Ohio Public Works Commission. The
District includes the Buckeye Hills 8 county region, Belmont and Muskingum counties. OPWC provides monies for road,
bridge, culvert, water, wastewater, solid waste, and storm water facility projects. The District forwarded 23 projects for
funding through the SCIP/ LTIP programs with total costs of more than $23 million.
Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO): Buckeye Hills was selected by The Ohio
Department of Transportation (ODOT) to participate in the Regional Transportation Planning
Organization (RTPO) Pilot program. During the two-year program, Buckeye Hills and four rural
regions simular to Buckeye Hills, will develop rural regions like Buckeye Hils will develop
comprehensive transportation plans.
Development
2013 Annual Report I 5
Assisted Living Waiver Program: AAA8 administers the program that helps Medicaid-eligible Ohioans
receive assisted living services in a residential care facility. In 2013, there were three Assisted Living
facilities in the region that provided 44 consumers with $547,473 in services.
Chronic Disease Management Programs (Healthy U): In 2013, AAA8 partnered with the Hocking
Correctional Facility to lead adoption of disease management programs across the state of Ohio.
Leaders indicate the skills inmates learn meet other important correctional training needs like
self-management and problem solving or critical thinking skills as well as disease management.
As of Dec. 2013, a total of 18 facilities across Ohio have now adopted Healthy U programs.
Community-Based Care Transitions Program: Partnering with two other Area Agencies on Aging and five medical facilities, the
Community-Based Care Transitions program provides care transition services to a 26-county and surrounding hospital admis-
sion region spanning rural areas. The goal of the project is to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions by 20% within two
years. In 2013, the AAA8 region conducted 654 home visits.
HOME CHOICE Program: The Home Choice program assists 60+and people of any age with disabilities who wish to move
from long-term care facilities to qualified home and community settings. Last year, it supported 10 people with transition
services and some costs associated with locating housing and connecting to community services.
Housing Program: The Housing Assistance Grant Program completed 23 projects in 2013 with 9 being direct handicap access
in the home and 14 minor home repair projects. The total cost of the completed projects was $134,529 using $104,122 of the
Housing Assistance Grant Program and $1,312 from the Senior Community Services Block Grant. Additional funds were
procured from the USDA Rural Housing Service of $29,095.
Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: The Ombudsman Program addresses concerns about the quality of long-term care
services and negotiates for the solution of problems that arise between providers and consumers of long-term care services.
In 2013 there were 311 visits completed by staff and volunteers with 363 volunteer hours. There were 177 cases completed
from the 277 total complaints netting 1,716 case hours. The case resolution rate was 83.8%.
Music and Memory Program: The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program helped launch the Music and Memory program.
It uses the proven use of music to help recover memories, stimulate recognition, and enhance quality of life. The approach
introduced the healing power of personalized music playlists to elder care residents with a wide range of cognitive and
physical impairments. AAA8 donated repurposed computers to support the new Music and Memory to eight facilities in
the region.
Ohio Home Care Waiver Program: AAA8 applied and was selected to provide care management for the Ohio Home Care
Waiver, beginning J anuary 1, 2014. The waiver program provides cost-effective home and community-based services for
individuals with disabilities and supports them so they may remain in a community setting. AAA8 will serve 182 individuals.
Area Agency on Aging 8
2013 Annual Report I 6
Adult Day Care 2,800 days
Caregiver Program 50 clients
Congregate Meals 41,639 meals
Emergency Response System Equipment 679 clients
Homemaker 23,564 hours
Home Delivered Meals 221,077 meals
Home Medical Equipment 1,852 units
Information & Referral Screening Calls 3,618 screens
2013 AAA8 Services and Units Provided
PASSPORT& CHOICES Medicaid Waiver Programs: The PASSPORT and CHOICES programs provide in-home alternatives to
eligible low-income older adults. The AAA8 case managers work with the family, physician and home health workers to
customize a care plan that may consist of services including home-delivered meals, personal care, chore service, emergency
response systems, home medical equipment, transportation, and more. In 2013, 1,173 individuals were served. Clients
received services from nearly 80 providers and service dollars of over $10.5 million.
Project Lifesaver Program: The Project Lifesaver program is a rapid response search and rescue service, using state-of-the-art
technologies to prevent or reduce the potential of harm to individuals suffering conditions that may cause them to wander.
The regions Sheriffs Offices are partners in the success of the program. In 2013, 45 clients participated.
SE Ohio Aging & Disability Resource Network (ADRN): The Ohio Department of Aging has officially designated AAA8 as the lead
agency for the Southeast Ohio Aging & Disability Resource Network. Ensuring that consumers get the right services, at the
right time, in the right setting is the goal of the ADRN. The network provides resources and services that support the needs of
consumers, families and caregivers. The ADRNs Network of Care web site also offers a robust database with thousands of
resources made available to the public at: seohioadrn.oh.networkofcare.org/ aging.
Senior Farmers Market Program: The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program provided income-eligible seniors $67,730 in
coupons to purchase fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. The program served 1,555 seniors and another 662 were
placed on waiting lists. Last year the program was served by nearly 58 local providers.
Area Agency on Aging Funding: The Area Agency on Aging receives funding from many sources to administer and support
in-home services. The Federal Government provides funding for Title III services through the Older Americans Act. Nutrition
Service Incentive Program (NSIP)and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FM) are funded through the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. Ohio Department of Aging funds Senior Community Services Block Grant (BG), National Senior Service Corps
and Alzheimers Respite. The Housing Assistance Grant Program is funded through the Ohio Development Services Agency.
2013 Annual Report I 7
Legal Assistance 456 cases
Long-Term Care Assessments 1,534 assessments
Senior Volunteers 23,287 hours
Personal Care 531,467 hours
Pre-Admission Review Screens 3,775 screens
Project Lifesaver 45 clients
Senior Farmers Market Program 1,555 clients
Transportation 17,245 trips
Executive Staff
Misty Casto Executive Director
Rick Hindman Assist. Exec. Director & AAA8 Director
Bret Allphin Development Director / GIS Manager
Douglas Dye Director of Fiscal Operations
Buckeye Hills Staff
Cathy Ash, LSW Pgm. Manager/ Caregiver Advocate
Vicki Bennett, RN Case Manager
Valerie Betkoski, RN Case Manager
Kay Brammer, RN Assessor
Mindy Cayton Planner
Sandy Cisler, RN Case Manager
J anie Collins Program Assistant
Sherry Crawford Clinical Assistant
J essica Davis, RN Assessor
Sue Davidson Ombudsman Specialist
Carolyn Ditchendorf, LSW Assessor/ Care Transitions Coach
J oe Gage Housing Coordinator
Kaci Gray, RN Case Manager
Mirya Hanes Secretary/Receptionist
Belinda Hawks, RN Case Manager
Dawn Hedges, RN Case Manager
Brandi Hesson, CIRS-A Information & Referral Specialist
Cynthia Hintz, RN Case Manager
J im Hooper, LSW Case Manager
Christy Horn, RN Case Manager
Debra Huff, MSW Quality Improvement Coord.
Michelle Hyer Develop. Spec. III/ Dist. 18 Liaison
Carrie Kempton, RN Case Manager
Lisa Keaveney, RN Assessor/ Care Transitions Coach
Denise Keyes Fiscal Manager
J udy Kuhn, RN Assessor
Kelli Lewis Clinical Assistant
Tina Meunier Business Development Coordinator
Elizabeth Miller, RN Clinical Supervisor
J enny Myers Comm. Spec. & Pgm. Asst
J ennifer Nedeff Clinical Assistant
Kerry Nicholson, RN Assessor/ Care Transitions Coach
Veronica Norman, LSW Case Manager
Anita Offenberger, RN Case Manager
Debbie Parsons Fiscal Assistant I
Karen Pawloski Transportation Planning Manger
Chris Platt, RN Case Manager
J ason Pyles Develop. Spec. I/ GIS Spec.
Angela Scott, LSW Case Manager
Richard Smith, RN Case Manager
Kim Steed, RN Clinical Supervisor
J amie Sweeney, LSW Case Manager
Sarah Swisher, LSW Clinical Supervisor
Dee Turrill, RN Asessor
Darlene Vandine, LPN Ombudsman Specialist
Gerri VanNoy, SWA, CIRS-A Information & Referral Specialist
Amanda Ward Secretary/Receptionist
Terri Whitlatch, RN Case Manager
Michelle Wine, RN Case Manager
Kara Wright, LSW PAR Screener
J ayne Yates, RN Case Manager
Melissa Zoller Development Specialist III
Listing from J anuary - December 2013
Kim Flanigan Long-Term Care Ombudsman Director
J amie Lewis, CNA/ MCSA MIS Director
J ane Skeen, LSW Home Care Director
Gwynn Stewart, MSC Communications Director
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