I. Introductions were completed.
II. Minutes from the last meeting were approved with the correction of the date of the meeting on page two. If you would like to refer to past minutes, they are always available on the DD Council website: (www.manhattanddcouncil.org).
III. Announcements
AHRC NYC
Program vacancy list is attached.
YAI
Information is attached for service vacancies, free education and behavior management workshops over the summer, “Shoulder to Shoulder” training groups for male caregivers, transition groups, free evaluations, and evening workshops on navigating the system. For information about any YAI programs, please call 212-273-6182, or email link@yai.org.
QSAC
Program vacancy list is attached.
PHP
See attached for Partners Health Plan brochure.
Special Needs Activity Center for Kids* and Adults (SNACK)
Services now include programming for people who are 21 and above. Seven days a week, private pay. For more information, go to www.snacknyc.com.
ADAPT Community Network–formerly UCP of New York City
Information is attached regarding free workshops in July and August, and the overnight respite program. Call to inquire about openings for summer camp in August. For information on any programs or services, please call 718-436-7979 ext. 704, or email familyconnect@adaptcommunitynetwork.org
Parent to Parent of NYS
See attached for information about the services they provide, and how to become a member.
CARES
See attached for details on the free summer camp (and school holidays) program for ages 10 and older.
Check out the new and improved Manhattan DD Council website!
www.manhattanddcouncil.org
Over the summer, if you would like to share non-fundraising information from your agency, please email pdf files to manhattanddcouncil@gmail.com
IV. State News – Mary Grace Giuliano, Director, Region 4
By the end of the summer, Liz Cambra, Sheila Gholson and Liz Lonergan will have retired from OPWDD. Mary Grace is asking the field to have patience during this transition time. OPWDD is looking at Care Coordination Organization (CCO) metrics every week in preparation for the conversion from MSC to CCO service delivery. There are still some gaps and missing enrollment. MSC trainings continue, and there are resources available. As soon as you go to the OPWDD website (www.opwdd.ny.gov), you will see information on the CCO’s. There will be a video conference on 6/20 for MSC Supervisors on the link to the life plan. On 6/27, there will be a separate Willowbrook-specific training for MSC staff.
V. IAC – James Malley & Christopher Treiber
- There will be a Special Education Town Hall meeting on June 25 about the crisis facing our 4410 and 853 schools, and the impact on the children and families who depend on these critical services. They will also celebrate staff and teachers. There will be a message for elected officials about how this could all go away, and what we have lost already. Special education preschools and school age programs are closing. We need more than 1000 special education preschool seats in New York City.
- The theme of the campaign, which IAC is hoping will spread statewide, is “Our Kids Are Your Kids.” There is more information on the IAC website (www.iacny.org) and on the Manhattan DD Council Facebook page.
- The highest needs kids are at the highest risk. The lag in completing evals is also causing a delay in IEP and access to services. The number of children who need services will increase over the summer, as they move out of EI or are evaluated, etc.
- IAC is waiting for an update on the status of the #BFair2DirectCare Bill.
- There is a standalone bill being proposed for Medicaid to cover Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), speech, and OT/PT, for people on the autism spectrum ages 0-21. If Medicaid paid for these services, there might be less pushback, and more access to services. For more information, go to http://nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=A11073 or http://nyassembly.gov/leg/?term=2017&bn=S08953.
VI. Family and Provider Information Committee
The final annual Manhattan DD Council MSC Forum was held on 5/30, with about 60 in attendance. There were good workshops, and Kate Bishop gave the keynote. Marco Damiani moderated a panel with staff from the three CCO’s and PHP. Almost everyone completed an eval of the day, and the overall feedback was that it was a good or excellent event. The recommendations for topics will be used for future Family and Provider Information Committee meetings. There will be one more MSC meeting on 6/26, featuring Paola Martinez-Boone from the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, presenting on housing advocacy, education advocacy, and other topics. The meeting will be open to everyone, not just MSCs. The Committee continues to have good attendance with a mix of families and professionals. This Committee was the result of consolidating three other Committees, and ran as a pilot for the past six months. Going forward, the focus will be on how to access services, and will include Care Coordinators and Care Managers, so they can still get information they can use to support the people on their caseloads. The Executive Committee will review the six months of the pilot in July and August, and review what has gone well, and what can improve from here. Self Direction is also a big topic for the future, now that it is expanding in the City. There was some discussion on having an Ad Hoc Self Direction Committee, and this will also be discussed over the summer. The next meeting will be held in September; for a full schedule of future meetings, go to www.manhattanddcouncil.org.
VII. Legislative Committee
Nothing reported.
VIII. Manhattan Family Support Services Advisory Council
The June meeting on managing challenging behaviors was very successful. Executive Committee elections were also held. The next meeting will be in September, with a topic to be announced over the summer. The Council Co-Chairs can be reached at: manhattanfamilyadvisory@gmail.com.
IX. New Business
This is a Council election year, and after a vote, the slate was accepted as follows:
Kathy Kelly–Chair
Elly Rufer–Family Vice Chair
Carol Lincoln–Provider Vice Chair
Ilana Katz–Secretary
Jessie Backe–Treasurer
The Council thanked Marco Damiani for his time as Chair, and invited him to stay involved as much as possible. The Council also expressed their gratitude to Susan Williams, outgoing Family Vice Chair, for her many years of advocacy, commitment, and leadership on the Council. We look forward to her remaining an active member for years to come.