Conservatorship
Comcare, Inc. is a 501 c (3) non-profit corporation chartered in the State of Tennessee. Comcare has provided conservator services for people with mental health and mental retardation diagnoses since 1984
Comcare is the court appointed conservator for approximately 1000 people across the state The Comcare Conservator Program is implemented by 29 conservator representatives who live in, and serve people in, the east, middle and west regions of the state. It is directed by Dr. John Johnson, a Licensed Psychologist and Nationally Certified Guardian, who has 40 years of experience with the populations and who has worked with the Comcare Conservator Program since its inception.
Many of the people served by the Comcare Conservator Program are served through a contract with the State of Tennessee Division of Intellectual Disablilities Services. Comcare is asked to serve only when there is no family or friend willing and qualified to serve. Under this program no costs are borne by the ward. Comcare agrees to serve the ward after reviewing his/her written profile supplied by the State.
The Clients served by Comcare are indigent and usually only receive Social Security funds which are administered by a Representative Payee under Social Security guidelines. Comcare only consents to serve as a limited conservator for very specific purposes (primarily medically related) and does not agree to serve as conservator over the estate.
Once the Order is entered appointing Comcare as Limited Conservator, Dr. Johnson appoints a Conservator Representative. He considers a number of factors in making this appointment including caseload, geographic proximity, the risk characteristics of the ward, provider/institutional placement and abilities/experience of the Representative. It is unlikely that the Representative will have any personal familiarity with the ward prior to appointment, but will be expected to be able to act professionally for the ward soon after Comcare is appointed. Comcare representatives must make decisions within a complex state and federal system of laws, regulations and federal court orders. They must be professionals well versed in these systems in order to act on behalf of the ward.
Comcare representatives all have bachelor’s degrees in related fields and several have master’s degrees. All have experience in the mental health/mental retardation field. In addition, some are Nationally Certified Guardians recognized by the National Center for Guardian Certification. Comcare provides annual training and written procedures and protocols. Coverage is provided for each representative in the event of an emergency so decisions can be made on a 24 hour 7 day a week basis. Non routine and controversial issues are decided with input from Dr. Johnson and legal counsel, both of whom are Nationally Certified Guardians.
Referrals for conservatorship services for people receiving services through the Tennessee Division of Intellectual Disabilities Services may be made by following the procedures on the DIDS website: http://www.state.tn.us/dids/consumer_services/index.html
Comcare also administers Special Needs Trusts.
For further information about conservator services or special needs trusts contact jjohnson@comcareinc.com.
Nationally Certified Guardians - 2010
Dana Clark, Katie Huggins, and Dotri Shaw-Hargrove, Comcare Conservator
Representatives, are now Nationally Certified Guardians.
They qualified for certification by their experience and by the
passage of the national exam administered by the Center for Guardianship
Certification. These three join currently Nationally Certified
Guardians, Dr. John Johnson, Director of the Comcare Conservatorship
program, Rebecca Crockett and Sara Tabor, Comcare Conservator
Representatives who serve Upper East Tennessee and William Barrick,
Comcare Attorney.
Dana Clark, who works in Upper Middle Tennessee, has been a Comcare Conservator Representative since 2005. Dana has a BA in English and a MA in Education. In addition to teaching 7th and 12th grade English, Dana worked with at-risk and developmentally delayed children and adults. She taught in the Upward Bound Program and managed the adult education of a Families First program.
Katie Huggins,
who serves the Memphis area, has been a Comcare Conservator
Representative since 2002.
Katie has a BA in Sociology and an MA in Human Relations and
Management. Prior to joining Comcare, Katie was Executive Director of
Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Yuma County, Arizona, a Captain in the
US Marine Core for eight years and an Individual Support Coordinator.
Katie has a sister with developmental disabilities who is on the
waiting list for services in Tennessee.
Dotri Shaw-Hargrove
has been a Comcare Conservator Representative since 1997 serving the
lower Middle Tennessee area. She grew up in a family that provided a
boarding home for children with developmental disabilities. Dotri has a
BA in Social Work. She has worked in nursing homes, in spinal cord
injury units, in protective home services and on a mental health mobile
crisis team. In addition to her responsibilities as a Comcare
Conservator, Dotri is employed as a Mental Health Counselor on the
Vanderbilt Adolescent Psychiatric Unit.
Conservatorship Conference
Comcare Conservator Representatives from across the state gathered at
Comcare on October 16 -17 for the annual training conference. For most
representatives, it was their first trip to Greeneville and the first
opportunity to see company headquarters and to meet people they only
knew by phone. Among those present was Ashley Zehr who was presented
with a five year service award.
The
featured speaker for the conference was Sindy McCrystle, a Registered
Nurse who is on the faculty of the University of North Carolina Medical
School. Mrs. McCrystle led the attendees in a discussion of the “Ethical
Dilemma in Medical Decisions At end of Life: What are the Danger Zones
and How to Avoid Them.” End of life
decisions are the most difficult and stressful decisions faced by a
conservator
The
second featured speaker was William Barrick, Attorney at Law. Mr.
Barrick, corporate counsel for Comcare, reviewed several of the legal
pitfalls that face conservators. Special emphasis was put on
disadvantageous terms often found in leases that conservators are asked
to sign.
Dr.
John Johnson, Director of the Comcare Conservatorship Program, reviewed
the newly revised manual that provides examples and guidance for the
many situations faced by the representatives. Rick Clark, Comcare
Information Systems Consultant, reviewed new features in the
computerized note taking and billing program developed for Comcare.
Comcare serves as corporate conservator for about 1000 people across the state.
National Guardianship Conference - 2009
With the theme “Mining for Excellence” the program
featured recognized experts on current issues related to guardianship
and 12 breakout sessions designed to assist guardians in serving their
wards. The quality
educational program has been recognized by many national accreditation
programs for guardianship, social work, and legal continuing education
credits. Among the featured
presentations were “Guardianship: An Exercise in Human Nature” by the
Hon. Matthew D. Carling, “Legal Ramifications of Elder Abuse” by
NGA is a membership organization comprised of nearly 900 individuals and businesses from across the country whose mission is to establish and promote a nationally recognized standard of excellence for guardianship. For more information on guardianship, visit NGA’s website, www.guardianship.org or Comcare’s website www.comcareinc.com.
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