Long-term Services and Supports (LTSS) Public Awareness Campaigns
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) is seeking proposals to provide
marketing and communications support – including traditional and digital media buys – to
promote awareness of the long-term services and supports (LTSS) programs that are available in
Rhode Island.
Section A: Background
Rhode Island’s vision for the state’s Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) system includes
fostering a more balanced, sustainable, and responsive continuum of services that delivers person
centered support, at the right time and the right cost, while promoting choice, community, and
quality of life for older adults and adults with disabilities in Rhode Island. Rhode Island Medicaid
provides access to robust LTSS services including self-direct pathways (Personal Choice,
Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Self-Direct), Home Health Agency Pathway, PACE, and
Shared Living. Private options for LTSS that are not funded by Medicaid are also available in
Rhode Island. Sliding scale options for LTSS for those who do not meet Medicaid thresholds are
also available in Rhode Island through RI Office of Healthy Aging’s (OHA) At HOME Cost
Share program which provide options for home and community-based services to all older adults
(65+) and those and age 19-64 who have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or a related dementia through
a shared-cost model.
The following principles guide the State’s efforts when it comes to LTSS services:
• Access: we promote options + information + educated choice
• Choice: we ensure that folks have a say in the services they receive and that services are person-centered + conflict-free.
• Sustainability: we control costs by shifting investments toward home and community-based services (HCBS).
• Quality: we are committed to improving consumer experience + quality of life.
• Accountability: we use data-driven management + clear governance to improve internal
operations and drive continuous improvement.
Professionals called “Options Advisors” can work closely with Rhode Islanders to learn more
about their needs, goals, strengths, likes, and dislikes. This will provide necessary insights to help
Options Advisors discover which services will be the best fit for this person.
Information about accessing LTSS programs for older adults and adults with disabilities in Rhode
Island is available on MyOptions.RI.gov. MyOptionsRI has information that connects Rhode
Islanders to the services and support they might need to live independently, wherever they choose.
Key audiences for this website are adults who are 60+, adults with physical disabilities, and adults
with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It also has information that may be helpful for
caregivers, family members, and friends. This website was selected as the landing page for this
campaign since it has information about both Medicaid-funded and non-Medicaid funded
programs. This approach helps us ensure the broadest array of services are being presented
regardless of whether someone is eligible for Medicaid.
It is worth noting that there is a culture shift happening regarding the home and community-based
services delivery model in Rhode Island. People used to go to Community Action Program (CAP)
agencies to be assessed for services, then would get services from the CAP agencies themselves.
Following a new certification cycle (with an operations rollout leading up to July 1, 2024), the
CAP agencies can no longer complete the initial functional needs assessment. People can
continue to go the CAPs or the RI Department of Humans Services (DHS) for application assistance
or the Office of Healthy Aging’s (OHA’s) contracted Vendor, the Point, for person centered options
counseling (PCOC) and application assistance.
Moving forward, DHS completes the initial functional needs assessment (for non-I/DD
participants) and eligibility determination (for all HCBS participants). If DHS deems them eligible,
the client is provided a list of available conflict free case management (CFCM) agencies. The
client chooses the agency they want. The selected CFCM agency will work with the client to
develop a person-centered plan (PCP), which is updated annually during “re-assessments”. The
CFCM agency connects the client to their preferred home and community-based services,
conducts regular check ins, and confirms the client is receiving the appropriate level of services.
There are non-Medicaid LTSS options should the person a) not qualify for Medicaid LTSS
through DHS assessment or b) self asses their financial needs for non-Medicaid LTSS by
connecting directly with OHA services through the Aging and Disability Resource Center known
as the Point.
As the process described above exemplifies, Rhode Island is committed to providing residents with
choice when it comes to their care or the care of their loved ones. This request is for a Vendor that
will develop a creative campaign and manage an array of advertising buys to help promote
awareness of the LTSS programs and initiatives in Rhode Island, as well as how residents can
access them. Strong proposals should address how the Vendor plans to reach the target
audiences identified below:
Primary audiences:
• Older adults 55 and older (with specific requirements to target subsets of this population by
different intersecting identities such as race, ethnicity, gender, LGTBQ+, Veterans over the age of 55).
• Adults 18 and older who live with a disability.
• Caregivers: individuals who perform unpaid labor to care for an aging adult or person with a
disability (family members, friends).
• Grandparents or older adults who provide primary caregiving or kinship care to a child.
Secondary audiences:
• Human services professionals, medical professionals who work in a variety of locations that serve
older adults and adults with disabilities: hospitals, primary care, behavioral health, community-
based programs, adult day centers, nursing homes, substance abuse treatment facilities, health
insurance providers, etc.; emergency responders, and faith communities.
• Other family and friends of older adults and adults with disabilities
Vendor will submit a proposal for the entire scope of work and indicate what, if any, of the work
will be completed by sub-contractor as needed. All work for this campaign must be billed by
January 31, 2025.
Section B: Scope of Work and Requirements
Scope of Work
Materials: The Vendor will develop a creative concept and corresponding assets for a multichannel marketing campaign. The Vendor must also be available to provide supplemental creative
services as needed. Any materials developed should be appropriate for printing in different sizes,
formats, and contrasting colors for ease of readability, etc.
This phase of the work must include:
• Ensuring that campaign materials align with best practices for culturally and linguistically
appropriate services and will help promote awareness and understanding among underserved populations.
• Taking steps to ensure the accessibility of all content and materials developed to support
the campaign. This will include that all materials are available in English, Spanish, and
Portuguese.
Media buy: The Vendor will execute and manage the media buy associated with the campaign as
outlined in Deliverables.
Deliverables
• Kick-off meeting and summary
The Vendor should meet with the interagency communications team to discuss the scope of
work for each campaign and the work plans. The timeline for the project and the roles of
each team member will be discussed at that meeting. The Vendor will take and circulate
notes from the meeting.
• Strategic planning
The Vendor will facilitate strategic planning meeting(s) with the interagency
communications team and key stakeholders as needed and indicated by the interagency
communications team to inform the development and implementation of the media buys.
• Communication/campaign plan
The Vendor will develop and provide a campaign plan outlining recommended tactics for
meeting the stated goals and objectives of the project. The plan will also include a strategy
to address misinformation and an evaluation strategy to analyze and summarize campaign
success.
• Creative services
The Vendor will propose a creative concept geared toward the identified target audiences
and that aligns with existing communications resources on myoptions.ri.gov. The Vendor
will coordinate the translation of all content, as indicated above, and will review translated
content. The Vendor should also allow for rounds of edits/feedback from the interagency
communications team and agency leadership.
• Media buys
The Vendor will execute and manage two campaign media buys. This should consist of
broadcast television and streaming, English and multi-lingual radio, RIPTA/transit, English
and multi-lingual newspapers, paid search, social media, satellite and terrestrial radio, and
related outlets. The Vendor should also ensure added value opportunities wherever
possible.
• Product accessibility
All materials that are developed as part of program outreach must be written in “plain
language” English, Spanish, and Portuguese so that they are meaningful and can be easily
understood by individuals of varying degrees of literacy.
Materials will need to be translated and produced in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Any
materials developed must align with national CLAS standards for culturally and
linguistically appropriate services. Any materials developed must also meet the standards
of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This includes remediating electronic materials, so
they meet standards for document accessibility.
• Campaign monitoring and analytics
The Vendor should collect all necessary data, as available, from all subcontractors and
gather and compile data on engagement with the myoptions.ri.gov landing page and all
associated marketing channels. The Vendor should report on data trends/analytics on a
quarterly basis. Analytics should reflect performance of all strategies and tactics.
The Vendor should elevate to the interagency communications team any trends or issues of
concern indicated in the data and work with the state to pivot strategy as needed, and
outside the required quarterly analysis. A Vendor with multilingual staff who can monitor
translated media campaigns (Spanish and Portuguese) and assist the State team in
responding appropriately to questions or comments in that language is preferred. The
Vendor should be prepared to adjust the campaign implementation strategy, including
media buys, to address any challenges or opportunities identified from campaign analytics
or other external data sources.
• Final files
Final files and artwork will be transmitted to the interagency communications team in an
editable format. Any files to be incorporated into the myoptions.ri.gov webpage should be
in hypertext markup language (html). The interagency communications team and the
Vendor will discuss additional technical specifications during the planning phase of the
project, as needed. Materials that are to be printed should be transferred as InDesign files
(INDD), with applicable fonts included.
