At the end of June, GAO Director Melissa Allman, Regional Director Ali Genthner, and Senior Transition Care Manager, Tonya Watts met with South Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services Pediatric Program Coordinator and Medical Directors to discuss BAYADA’s Transition Readiness Assessment and Collaboration (TRAC) Program. BAYADA’s TRAC program was approved! This will allow our Skilled Nursing offices to be staff and recruit more adult nurses without the required one year of hands-on clinical pediatric experience. The offices will also be able to fill more open hours and care for more adolescent age clients utilizing the TRAC program. 

Tonya Watts, Senior Transitional Manager shared, “Due to the ability to use the TRAC program, the Rock Hill, SC Skilled Nursing Office (ROC) will be transitioning their first client home at the end of this month utilizing the TRAC program.”

Ali Genthner, Willow (WOW) Regional Director shared, “We were very excited about the opportunity to meet with the DHHS and their medical directors, and grateful GAO was able to arrange the meeting.  We had a big win with removing a nursing requirement which will assist us with recruiting more nurses and helping more clients.”

Please stay tuned as we continue to continue meeting with DHHS leadership, and working to modernizing South Carolina’s current Medicaid waiver programs and increasing the reimbursement rates for private duty nursing.