Dear Friends and Colleagues:
We are pleased to announce that as part of our ongoing commitment to keeping the public engaged in the development of our many reform initiatives, we will conduct another series of public briefings on the People First Waiver, a critical initiative to strengthen the quality of services throughout the system.
The briefings are scheduled for Buffalo, Hauppauge, Schenectady, Syracuse, Rochester, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. To date, more than 75 public presentations on the waiver have occurred. We recognize that some are new to the waiver development, so in addition to the briefings, we will soon begin introductory presentations in all regions to help those stakeholders join the discussion. We’re always looking for ways to more effectively reach people, and welcome your suggestions.
To reserve a seat at one of our upcoming presentations, please visit www.opwdd.ny.gov/wp/wp_catalogz2407.jsp.
We will be recording the presentation and distributing it system wide to assist those unable to attend in person. I encourage everyone to visit our dedicated waiver homepage or the OPWDD YouTube page for regular updates about the waiver. Attendees may also register for an event with the corresponding regional OPWDD waiver liaison—contact information is online.
The briefing schedule is as follows:
- April 3, 10 AM: Buffalo (181 Lincoln Avenue, Depew)
- April 5, 1 PM: Hauppauge (415-A Oser Avenue)
- April 5, 2 PM: Schenectady (500 Balltown Road)
- April 11, 1 PM: Syracuse (5885 East Circle Drive, Cicero)
- April 17, 1 PM: Rochester (The Strong – One Manhattan Square)
- April 19, 1:30 PM: Brooklyn (Gymnasium – 888 Fountain Avenue)
- April 19, 10 AM: Bronx (1301 Morris Park Avenue)
Sincerely,
1115 Waiver Unit
P.S. Communication is critical to our collective success, and OPWDD’s Facebook page is a great place for individuals, family members, employees, advocates, and other stakeholders to exchange thoughts and ideas. Please feel free to join the conversation. Our YouTube channel also has useful information relating to development of the 1115 waiver, and other reforms and initiatives.