Name: Carlie Morrison

Title: Medicaid Waiver Supervisor

How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do?  I’ve been here three years. I supervise Case Managers and Personal Choice Counselors. I also assist with the Social Committee in making sure that there are engaging activities planned for each month.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A nurse.

What do you hope to accomplish within the next year? Within the next year, I would want to travel more, grow in my career and finish my master’s degree!

Who is your hero and why? My parents. They always support me and keep me focused and well-rounded.

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? Sit at the beach and do all my favorite things

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? The best piece of advice that someone has given me is that the word “no” is a complete sentence.

What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? The most daring thing that I have done is moving to Huntsville for work and did not know anyone.

Who knows you the best? My best friend in Idaho and my parents.

What would you do if you won the lottery? I would pay off all my debt, my parents’ house, donate to a local charity, hire a financial advisor, and not tell anyone.

Name:  Emmitt Davis

Title: Community Services Coordinator

How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do?  I have been at TARCOG for 10 years and currently have 25 service years in the social work field. As a program manager, I oversee our Nutrition, SenioRx, and Title III-D programs. Since March 2024, I have also been assisting the Medicaid Waiver Program with supervision as well as reviewing Redeterminations, Readmissions and Reinstatements to support one of TARCOG’s key programs.

What did you want to be when you grew up?  I wanted to be a professional basketball player. I was able to experience that dream by playing in Portugal.

What do you hope to accomplish within the next year?  To be done with Medicaid Waiver!! Seriously, by playing a strategic role in helping stabilize Medicaid Waiver and working toward helping them to become the Number One program in the state, just like our SenioRx Program.

Who is your hero and why?  Martin Luther King, Jr is my hero. Why? He led a nonviolent approach for civil rights for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged and all victims of injustice through peaceful protests. Most importantly, he was not afraid to give up his life for what he believed in.

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?  Go to all doctors’ offices in the TARCOG region and pick-up medial forms for our wonderful Case Managers to help them meet their Redetermination goals.

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you?  My father, Emmitt Davis, Sr., always told me to treat others the way you want to be treated.

What is the most daring thing you’ve ever done?  In my younger days, my two close friends would go to a small creek on my parent’s land and catch small copperhead snakes. We would put them in a bottle and bring them back to the house where we played with them until my father saw what we were doing one day. I want to tell you in person what happened next!

Who knows you the best?  My brother, Kelvin Davis.

What would you do if you won the lottery?  Take care of family and closest friends. Pay off the mortgage of my church at Fletcher’s Chapel. Increase the Davis Family sponsorship of the TARCOG Caregiver College Program.

Name: Ruby Banks

Title: IT Specialist

How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do? I have been with TARCOG for two years and I am the onsite support for our technical support consultants.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A nurse.

What do you hope to accomplish within the next year? Take some additional IT courses for certifications.

Who is your hero and why? My parents, they laid the foundation for me with a roadmap to follow in a positive way.

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? Visit the Holy Land.

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.

What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? I did a safari in Florida on an open trolley train. The train stopped on the tracks and all the passengers had to get off and walk near the area where the hippopotamus’s and baboons were.

Who knows you the best? My daughter.

What would you do if you won the lottery? I would claim the prize anonymously if the winning state has that option. I’d donate to various foundations and organizations. Invest in a business opportunity I have been looking into, share with family, and set up accounts for my grandson’s future.

TARCOG appreciates the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission (SARPC) team who came from Mobile today to share an outreach training program for Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) to better serve residents in DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, Madison and Marshall counties.

The overall goals of the training were to assist TARCOG staff:

• Increase participation of older adults in SNAP through community-based outreach and enrollment initiatives.
• Identify, analyze, and disseminate replicable, cost effective, and scalable strategies for senior SNAP enrollment.
• Increase public awareness of senior hunger as an issue of national and local importance, and of SNAP as an effective strategy for reducing food insecurity among older adults.

Julie McGee, director of the SARPC-AAA provided a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Outreach Project Overview with a focus on economic security and senior hunger initiatives.

Nancy Bledsoe, outreach coordinator of the SARPC-SNAP Outreach discussed SNAP Program goals, updates, reporting and community outreach activities, while James Roberson, the regional coordinator for SARPC’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), Senior Medicare Patrol and Senior Rx programs presented training on the importance and benefits of having a strong working relationship between the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) and SHIP program.

Barbara Estes, public relations specialist with SARPC also delivered marketing guidance for the programs.

Participating in the training from TARCOG included: LeQuitta Gaskin, outreach manager, Amanda Randall, coordinator of the ADRC, Pamela Cratic, specialist with the ADRC, Jalyn Powell, specialist with the ADRC, Teresa Hazzard, resource specialist with SHIP program, and Lina Barnett, coordinator with the Senior RX program.

Name: Stephanie R. Jackson

Title: Administrative Assistant

How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do?  I’ve been with TARCOG for 22 years, my official work anniversary is in April.

I provide administrative support to the Legal Assistance Program, Elder Law Attorney, LaTanya Rhines, and the Ombudsman Program, Lead Ombudsman Representative, Alicia Howard, and LTC Ombudsman Representative, Vernel Mitchell.  Both the Legal Assistance Program and the Ombudsman Program has expanded their growth in the over twenty years that I’ve been with TARCOG, due to baby boomers and the population growth of new businesses to our five-county region.

I receive all calls for the Legal Assistance Program and attempt to return calls within 48 – 72 hours, depending on the volume of calls.  I schedule all appointments for Madison County new clients seeking legal assistance and refer clients from our outlying counties to their county of residence to schedule the next available appointment.  I schedule appointments for Madison County clients to notarize their approved final documents or prepare the final documents to be mailed to the clients for outside execution.  I generate a monthly email to DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, and Marshall County requesting the current appointment list for the month, I review the lists and prepare any final documents needed for clients that are ready to execute their documents.

I serve as a default contact for the Ombudsman Program if a concerned resident, family member, or staff, have questions for the Ombudsman Representatives.  I generate an email to the social workers in our 26 nursing facilities for the Monthly Gateway to Community Living Facility Referral Report that I calculate and submit to the State Ombudsman Office.  I serve as the secretary for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Culture Change Task Force Advisory Council, recording and preparing minutes, generating emails to Advisory Council members on upcoming meeting dates or other requests made by Alicia, the chairperson.

As an administrative assistant, I serve as backup to the receptionists, as needed.  As a TARCOG team member, I offer my assistance as needed to all programs.

What did you want to be when you grew up?  A guitar player in an all-girls band!!

What do you hope to accomplish within the next year?  On a personal note, my sister and I hope to have my mother settled here in Huntsville as her caregivers.

Who is your hero and why?  My husband, Terence Jackson.  My husband has provided support to my family over the thirty-one (31) years of our marriage, quietly behind the scenes.  Making travel possible for my mother to be with her daughter and son during their time of medical emergencies and strength during their passing. His selfless love, devotion, and commitment is what makes a real hero.

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?  Have a day at the beach, soaking up the sun, listening to the waves, eating some real good seafood, watching the sunset, and then the sunrise the next morning.

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? Your character and moral values represent who you are as a person, not what you do for a living.

What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? Rode one of those sky lifts in Gatlinburg, Tenn.  I prayed to God that if he allowed me to get down safely, I would never get on one of those things again. He did and I haven’t!!

Who knows you the best?  My best friend, my husband, Terence.

What would you do if you won the lottery?  I would make a financial blessing to my mother, my church, and ALS of GA in memory of my sister.  I would hire an investment advisor and setup full four-year college scholarships for my two grandchildren.  Take me and my husband on a long overdue quiet vacation for just the two of us!!  Make repairs to my home and put the rest in my rainy-day fund account.

Name: Jeanne Hayes

 Title: Medicaid Waiver Case Manager

How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do? One year. I ensure services are provided for participants to reside in their home near family and friends — and try to prevent long-term placement.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Something in the healthcare field.

What do you hope to accomplish within the next year? Visit my daughter who lives in Hawaii and pursue my graduate degree.

Who is your hero and why? My mother. She made it all look easy.

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? Volunteer to help with the floats for the Rose Bowl Parade. All flowers and plants are attached to the float the week leading up to the parade.

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? Yes. You can.

What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? Monthly — drive up and down the mountain in Jackson County.

Who knows you the best? My husband.

What would you do if you won the lottery? 1) Debts 2) Donate 3) Save 4) Share

TARCOG’s Finance Director Gerald Carter was a featured panelist at a regional conference designed to take a deep dive on financial training in early February.

Carter, who has been with TARCOG since 2010, starting as a payables clerk before advancing to positions in payroll, and as an accounting assistant. He became the agency’s Finance Director in 2015.

At the Southeast Regional Directors Institute’s 2024 Fly-In held in Greenville S.C., Carter served on a panel with Michelle Allen, executive director, Kentucky River Area Development District in Kentucky, and Dan van Doornik, director of Finance for PlanRVA, which is the greater Richmond, Virginia, region.

Together, the panelists presented “Dear Diary:  What Finance Directors WANT Executive Directors to understand about their positions and responsibilities.”

“It’s a great topic and conversation starter, especially for executive directors who may be new to their position,” Carter said.

During the presentation, the panel discussed the Top 3 Things they believed are important like:

1. Tone from the top matters: Professional Trust and Respect are Important.
2. There is Purpose in the Processes and Procedures
3. Understanding the Value and Responsibility of the Finance Department

Carter said the theme went along well with the overall conference developed to highlight Industry trends, best practices and continued development of financial leadership for regional councils and development districts in the SERDI region.

At TARCOG, Carter oversees all aspects of the company’s financials; as well as, building operations and fleet management.  He is a graduate of the University of North Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting.

There are 2,749 people in the TARCOG region collectively saving more than $2.5 million this year on their Medicare insurance premiums thanks to the Alabama State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).

“This program is especially important because seniors have the opportunity to get their medicine free or at a cheaper rate than they might otherwise have to pay for it,” said TARCOG SHIP Resource Specialist Teresa Hazzard. “The SHIP program provides seniors with hope. Hope that they can afford medicine and still be able to get groceries and other household items with the extra monies that the SHIP program has allowed them to save.”

Open Enrollment for Medicare programs that are in place this year began last year on Oct. 15, and ended on Dec. 7. The TARCOG team responsible for answering questions and helping all TARCOG clients includes:

• Teresa, who works out of TARCOG’s headquarters in Huntsville, and Kathryn Kestner from Studio 60 Senior Center in Huntsville in Madison County.
• Veronica Woodall in Jackson County; Lynn Hixon and Emily McCamy in DeKalb County.
• Tammy McElroy, Susan Bishop and Kennedy Cooper in Marshall County.
• Carla Sims, Helen Carter and Madison Herron in Limestone County.

The specialists are responsible for answering questions and helping all TARCOG clients in their respective counties. They are also among the certified counselors and volunteers throughout the state who are committed to helping Medicare beneficiaries make informed choices regarding health benefits at no charge to Medicare recipients.

Together, the TARCOG team met or talked with 2,749 seniors during the 2023 Open Enrollment period. The total savings for those clients during 2024 will amount to $2,558,151.58.

SHIP counselors and volunteers are committed to helping participants make informed choices regarding health insurance benefits and options for ages 65 and older. One of the biggest areas of concern for seniors is finding the Medicare prescription drug plan best fits their needs. Teresa said it often changes from year to year, depending on the medications a person is taking.

“I love what I do because the joy in the voices of the seniors when they are told that their medicine will be free or greatly reduced is priceless,” Teresa said. “The savings allows our clients to be able to pay other bills as well as purchase food.”

Additionally, clients were counseled with information that would allow them to make decisions regarding their Medicare in the future.

What’s important to know about the Alabama SHIP program through TARCOG, is that the counselors are not affiliated with an insurance company and will not attempt to sell insurance to Medicare beneficiaries, like the places consumers call in response to TV commercials featuring famous people like Joe Namath, Jimmy “JJ” Walker, William Shatner, and George Foreman.