Latest news with #CatherineJohnson
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Disability Rights Iowa braces for potential budget cuts
DES MOINES, Iowa — Local organizations that support people with disabilities are bracing themselves for potential budget cuts in 2026. One group, Disability Rights Iowa, is taking extra steps ahead of time by asking the community to provide feedback on their services. Last month, a federal budget leak said the Department of Health and Human Services' 2026 discretionary budget would be cut by about 1/3. That's a $40 million cut, which would affect many programs for those with disabilities, including here in Iowa. Some organizations would lose several grants and funding, like Disability Rights Iowa, which provides legal protection and advocacy. And now, they are sending out an 'areas of focus' survey to the community to get a gage on the most important services they provide. This is information that would be helpful to have if these budget cuts go through. 'It's particularly important that we receive word back from our community because both of these potential cuts to our programs, which would change our ability to provide services and support,' DRI Executive Director Catherine Johnson said. 'If that happens, we want to make sure we're providing the most vital support and services for Iowans with disabilities.' 120 years of scripts, scoops, and soda at the pharmacy in Colfax Those who have worked with DRI are vouching for the organization, like Brianna Schaffer who has a 10-year-old son, Parker, who has autism and needed some advocacy at school. 'DRI offered him just that normalcy to see that the one less thing that he had to worry about, or we have to worry about and ensuring that he was accommodated just as anybody else,' she said. 'He got the same education and the same services that any other child should receive. I mean, they keep things fair in a way and just make people accountable for what's right.' Schaffer reached out to the attorneys at DRI and they helped her immediately. 'They did far more in an email and a meeting than we were able to get done in years of working with the district. Really, it was thanks to the DRI.' In the last fiscal year, DRI had over 2,000 Iowans contact them for help and gave them free assistance. 'The cuts would be devastating to our community. The potential budget cuts that we're aware of would be approximately 40% of our budget,' Johnson said. 'We have a very active team of passionate people that are really dedicated to Iowa's disability community and dedicated to creating change in Iowa for, on behalf of Iowans with disabilities. So, we're still doing the work. We're moving forward. But it is scary because we don't know what's going to happen.' Johnson added since these budget cuts aren't official yet, they've been contacting their congress people to try to stop it from happening. If you'd like more info or to find the survey, go to Iowa News: Greenfield marks 1 year anniversary of deadly EF 4 tornado Disability Rights Iowa braces for potential budget cuts Man, officers shot in exchange of gunfire in eastern Iowa WHO 13 Farm Report: Wednesday, May 21st Colfax-Mingo girls' soccer team enters postseason play in inaugural season Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why some metro Detroit coffee shops are doubling down as ‘no laptop' zones
Catherine Johnson, the sommelier and beverage manager at Flyleaf, a Grosse Pointe Farms bookstore, bistro and cafe, is on a video call. Rows of hardcovers and paperbacks line her backdrop. Novels like M.L. Rio's "Graveyard Shift: A Novella" and "Middle of the Night" by Riley Sager frame her face. "Being in the space, there's something incredibly special that you feel at once like you're somewhere completely out of a fantasy novel and also like you're at home,' she said from a cozy nook in the shop. "Who wouldn't want to work here.' It's a Monday afternoon and the shop is closed, but on a normal day of service, she'd be breaking the rules. It's after 11 a.m. and Flyleaf has recently implemented a new policy that prohibits guests from using laptops in the space once lunch service begins. Cafés have become productive venues for remote workers and entrepreneurs to hold meetings and scratch tasks off their to-do lists. Here, the Wi-Fi is often free and the coffee free flowing. Considered a "third place," a tertiary destination for people to gather outside of their home or office space, the café has become an especially sought-after spot amid a work-from-home boom in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 35% of employed people did some or all of their work at home on days they worked in 2023, an 11% jump from pre-pandemic 2019. And that home away from home, for many, is a coffee shop. Naturally, the increase of customers parking at tables to work behind their laptops for hours at a time can impact sales. Guests who occupy seating for long periods without making significant purchases beyond a beverage or two, take up space that might otherwise be available to several other customers within that timeframe. The surge in remote workers at cafés also creates a dynamic that interferes with the jovial, communal customer experience that many shop owners aim to provide. Guests zeroed in on screens leaves little room for conversation and laughter over frothy cappuccinos and flaky pastries. A rotation of customers facilitating virtual corporate meetings creates a tense mood that is at odds with what once was a place for leisure, pleasure and ease. It's why Johnson and the team at Flyleaf are among several café staffs across the region to implement no-laptop policies. In January, the multinational coffee chain Starbucks announced its own decision to roll back its open-door policy and reserve free Wi-Fi access for paying customers. 'It's a question of identity and the idea of creating a space that allows guests to step away from the chaos of the world that we live in and find enjoyment and pleasure in literature and wine and in food,' Johnson said of the intention of placemaking at Flyleaf. Effective Jan. 2, Flyleaf's policy is meant to preserve the magic of the space. The announcement, which was shared via social media, garnered both outrage and support among Flyleaf customers. Some questioned the purpose of the space — is it even a café if laptops aren't encouraged? Or, is it a restaurant? The policy seemed to put the space's intention in question. Johnson asserts that Flyleaf is equal parts bookshop and bistro. 'I've always felt strongly that hospitality's a pleasure and a privilege,' Johnson said. 'We get these great parts of people's days and sometimes we get to turn them around. Maybe it's that they had a rough day, and they come in and the interaction with us is a way to flip that narrative. Or, they're celebrating something really important — a milestone, a birthday, maybe even a loss. Being part of these crucial moments in people's lives is special and that's really what we want to be.' Others, some small business owners, championed the policy, assuming the decision was made in an effort to drive sales by discouraging laptop users from parking at tables without making meaningful purchases. But according to Johnson, implementing the policy was not a matter of finances. Warda Bouguettaya designed her Midtown café with a decided motive to discourage significant laptop usage among her clientele. At Warda Patisserie in Midtown, there are minimal outlets available and small, round tables are low, about knee-high tucked into equally low banquettes. The low positioning typifies the standard seating arrangement of a living room in Algeria, where Bouguettaya is from. 'I want you to feel like you are stepping away from the rush of whether it is the city, whether it is your life, whether it is what's happening in the world in general,' said Bouguettaya, who introduced a no-laptop policy on weekends when she believes guests should take their minds off of work. 'We wanted a space for people to slow down, enjoy the food and enjoy the conversation and we wanted to prioritize that experience before the laptop experience.' The Eastern Market café, art gallery and music venue Trinosophes introduced its no-laptop policy on weekends prior to the pandemic to preserve its purpose as a convivial daytime gathering spot for an audience interested in the arts. Though during the week, the primary customer at Trinosophes has an entrepreneurial spirit — graphic designers, artists, writers, freelancers in various creative industries frequent the place — co-owner and quasi-creative director Rebecca Mazzei wants the café to foster interaction. 'In my mind, it's about vibe but it's also extremely practical,' Mazzei said. 'We have these community tables that came from an exhibition, which we started using as dining tables and it's really hard on weekends to dine next to someone who's on a laptop.' A partition separates the Trinosophes café from an event space and gallery where art pieces are on display. Evenings, guests pile into the venue to watch local musicians take the stage. 'Distinct for us, because we're also an art space, is that we really want people to come in and feel like they can decompress and wander the space and look at their neighbors and read a book. It's not really about turning tables — people will sit and read a book for hours — it's about giving our customers access to a different kind of experience on weekends.' Mazzei said the café's position just outside of Eastern Market also plays a role in the decision to enforce a no-laptop policy on weekends. Thousands of visitors pass through Eastern Market, and a stop into Trinosophes should be an extension of the trip. Many will crowd into the space for bites of buttermilk biscuit egg sandwiches, creamy soups and other vegetarian dishes. The feel of a café as a workspace is the antithesis of a leisurely Market experience. 'We're not anti-tech, it's just that life is stressful,' she said. 'We really love the neighborhood that we're in, especially when it comes to life on the weekends. We get just as many out-of-towners as we do locals and we want to give them a true market experience.' Mazzei and co-owner Joel Peterson tested variations of the policy over the years before landing on the weekend laptop ban. They at one point designated specific tables for laptop use, which created more frustration among customers than it was worth. Other local businesses have tried strategies, such as timing out Wi-Fi availability and taping over outlets to prevent guests from plugging in clunky chargers. At The Congregation in the historic Boston Edison District, free Wi-Fi access now times out after four hours. An initial two-hour policy was met with resistance among customers resulting in the change. At places like Alba in Corktown and Anthology Coffee near Eastern Market, Wi-Fi is entirely unavailable. Despite the economic implications that the laptop user presents for a café's bottom line, the consensus among coffee shop operators is that it's less about money and more about mood. 'For better or for worse, we don't really think like business owners,' Mazzei said. 'It's kind of like when you go to your parent's house and they're like, 'Get off your phone, you're here to hang out with me.' That's what the vibe is like for the weekend.' Johnson, in fact, says the team at Flyleaf encourages guests to park at a table to enjoy the full breadth of offerings at the multihyphenate establishment. Guests who stay for longer periods can enjoy coffee and pastries in the morning, tasty salads and sandwiches at lunch, wine and cocktails in the evening and an array of books all day. Or, they can sip slowly on a single beverage for hours while conversing with friends. 'We love to see people playing games at the tables and putting life down and joining whoever you're with in this space. That's kind of the idea,' Johnson said. Conversely, hours spent in front of a laptop, she said, is a different interaction. 'Perhaps a performance review being done on Zoom has a very different feel than a couple having a nice bite out just three or four feet away.' Bouguettaya acknowledges the financial impact laptop users have on the business and how the policy has helped. 'A person with a laptop in most cases will just grab a drink, grab one thing and then stay for long periods of time,' she said. 'And especially for our space, if you are taking one table, that means you are kind of taking two to three places.' The policy, she said, not only allows the team to change more tables during their most frequented days, it also allows them to fulfill the core intention of the space. 'We want our guests to remember that it's OK to slow down and that as humans, we are not designed to be working seven days a week,' she said. 'I do not come from a hustle culture but an, 'I'm coming over to see you and catch up this afternoon,' kind of culture. Our space is a space for life and to enjoy your time with your friends, family or yourself, listening to music and the clatter of platters. A laptop shouldn't join your meal — even more so on weekends.' Become an insider: Sign up for our Eat Drink Freep newsletter! This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cafés are for coffee, not office work, owners say amid laptop bans
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Iowa reaches final settlement in lawsuit alleging state hasn't provided adequate mental health care for kids
Iowa will take steps to ensure Medicaid-eligible children with mental illness diagnoses receive the mental and behavioral health care services they need as part of a recently announced settlement agreement. The lawsuit, filed in early 2023 by Disability Rights Iowa and other national health and law advocacy organizations, accused Iowa of "longstanding failure" to provide Medicaid-eligible children with legally required and medically necessary mental and behavioral health services. The suit was filed against Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia. The plaintiffs alleged that Iowa administers an inadequate mental health system, despite receiving federal funds for children's mental health care. As a result, Medicaid-eligible children younger than 21 who require intensive home and community-based services face a high risk of being placed in institutions away from their families and communities, they argued. More: A 6-year-old tried to hang himself before he got real help. Welcome to Iowa's mental health crisis More than 300,000 youth — or about three out of every eight Iowa youth under the age of 21 — are covered by Medicaid. Of that population, nearly 90,000 had a serious emotional disturbance in state fiscal year 2020, according to court records. Advocates behind the lawsuit say the steps proposed by the state in the agreement present a "radical change" that will ultimately be a positive move for youth in Iowa who need mental and behavioral health services. "That's a lot of children that this is going to directly impact in terms of the services they're able to receive, and change the trajectory of not only their immediate circumstances and immediate mental health needs, but also their long-term prospects," Catherine Johnson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, told the Register. A preliminary settlement was reached in December after more than a year of negotiation between the plaintiffs and the state health and human services agency. The judge issued preliminary approval of the agreement last week, and set a final approval hearing for early May. More: Lawsuit accuses Iowa of 'longstanding failure' to provide kids with mental health services To address the plaintiffs' alleged shortfalls in behavioral health services for children, the state agreed to ensure key services are available statewide to Medicaid-eligible children with serious emotional disturbances. The state is required to complete this process by the end of 2032. The settlement agreement includes a detailed implementation plan Iowa HHS, which has been dubbed by state officials as the Iowa REACH initiative. The plan includes specific steps the state will take to develop and deliver intensive home and community-based mental health services to children statewide when deemed medically necessary, and will be lead by a team from across the agency who will be responsible for overseeing the plan. The agreement, along with the state's REACH strategy, signals "a major step in the right direction for Iowa youth and their families," Garcia said in a statement Wednesday. "Iowa HHS is fully committed to implementing new strategies and evaluating current outcomes to ensure we are meeting the needs that our children and youth deserve and families expect," she said. Johnson praised the significant work to develop the settlement agreement, noting that the plan laid out by the state would create major structural change to Iowa's current mental and behavioral health system for youth. Because of this plan, she said youth will be able to stay with their families in their community, receiving the services and supports they need to succeed. "They get to go to school with their friends and they don't have to go to an institution or a hospital that's scary and they don't know anyone," Johnson said. "They get to stay with the people that love them, and grow up with mental health services in place. Your future is different, perhaps, than it might have been without this brand new structure. "I think it's just very, very significant, and I'm really excited for the implementation to begin so that Iowa can have these services in place as soon as possible for our kids." Among the terms of the settlement, the state must ensure Medicaid-eligible children receive mental health services "in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs and are free from serious risks of segregation and institutionalization, including the unnecessary use of out-of-home placements." These changes must ensure Iowa youth receive the supports necessary to maximize their success growing into healthy and independent adults, the settlement agreement states. To reach that goal, the state must develop and implement certain relevant services, which include intensive care coordination. This is a "single point of accountability" for ensuring medically necessary Medicaid services are coordinated and delivered appropriately to Iowa youth, according to the settlement agreement. State officials also agreed to provide intensive in-home and community therapeutic services, with the goal to "maximize the child's ability to live and participate in the community and to function independently." That includes individual and family therapy. The state must also boost its 24/7 mobile crisis intervention and stabilization services for young Iowans as part of this settlement agreement. To support their effort, state officials say they will utilize additional Medicaid services to support children with serious emotional disturbances and "to help maintain them in their homes and communities and avoid higher levels of care and out-of-home placements." These additional services include respite care or other supports meant to help children build skills and help the family's ability to successfully care for the child at home. However, state officials warn that while it can request funding from state lawmakers for these initiatives, the settlement ultimately does not have authority over the Iowa Legislature. Both parties also agreed to an independent monitor tasked with evaluating the state's progress in implementing the proposed plan. The monitor — which will be a third-party selected at a later date — will issue reports on the state's effort each year, per the settlement agreement. Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@ or at (319) 339-7354. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa agrees to take steps to improve behavioral health care for kids, per settlement agreement
