Donate to NYSARCBecome a MemeberFind your ChapterNYSARC Homepage
In This Issue
News from NYSARC
Annual Convention
From Our Chapters
Politics As It Happens
QUICK LINKS

NYSARC News Blog  

CONNECT WITH US

NYSARC on FacebookNYSARC on TwitterNYSARC on ScribdNYSARC on YouTubeNYSARC on Flickr




Email to a friend

 

Submit your content  

 

 

Marc N. BrandtFrom the Executive Director:  

NYSARC Irene Relief Fund - Recognizing True "Selflessness"

 

Greetings!

 

We often hear praise of someone's "selflessness." Their dedication to their jobs. Their tireless work ethic.

 

Never have I witnessed greater selflessness or dedication than what we have all seen over the past month.

 

On August 28, Hurricane Irene reached New York State and left many areas devastated by the worst flooding in centuries. Entire towns were stranded from emergency services, lives were lost, and homes were destroyed. For those areas hit worst by the storm, the entire scene seemed like something out of a nightmare.

 

Many of our Chapters were particularly hard hit. Access to some Chapter buildings and homes were cut off-some temporarily, some permanently. But thanks to dedicated staff members, most buildings and programs are back up and running.

 

Unfortunately, their personal lives are far from recovered. Some of our direct support professionals have lost their homes and personal belongings, unable to attend to their personal needs as they pledged their loyalty to the companies for whom they work and the people they support. They worked incredible hours, even as their homes were washed away.

 

These wonderful people made incredible sacrifices and now it's up to us to give back. NYSARC has established the NYSARC Irene Relief Fund to help those direct support professionals who have lost their homes and personal belongings.

 

Thanks to an anonymous donor, the Fund will start at $500. Please join this donor in the spirit of generosity and give today.

 

Click here to find out how you can donate today 

 

Marc N. Brandt  

Executive Director, NYSARC, Inc.  

News from NYSARC
Understanding the 1115 Waiver: Medicaid Health Homes

Fast Facts:

  • Created as a new option under federal health care reform (Affordable Care Act)
  • NY State Department of Health (DOH) is currently soliciting providers to become Medicaid health homes 
  • The NY State DOH initiative is targeting Medicaid utilization among people with serious mental illness and people with multiple chronic medical conditions
  • People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are excluded from participation in NY's current health homes initiative.

Background:

New provisions in the federal health care reform law allow for the establishment of health homes as a new Medicaid State Plan Option and increased federal financial participation for the provision of certain services under health home auspice.  A health home is a provider (or network of providers) that is designated as a health home by the state by virtue of their capacity to deliver coordinated and integrated care to enrollees who have multiple chronic conditions.  Aggressive care management, the promotion of preventive health strategies, care delivered by a strong clinical team across health care settings, and the application of health information technology are expected to result in better health outcomes at a reduced cost to government.

 

Read the full article 

 

Subscribe to the series (RSS Feed) 

NYSID Logo NYSARC Chapter Staff and Executives Recognized with 2011 NYSID Awards
Albany - For more than 30 years, NYSID - a not-for-profit member agency organization - has been meeting the purchasing needs of state and local government agencies while advancing employment for New Yorkers with disabilities. Under the legislatively-mandated New York State Preferred Source Program, NYSID acts as a "virtual storefront" for a statewide network of 160 community rehabilitation agencies and private sector business partners to employ skilled people with disabilities in production facilities and community-based jobs.

Every year, NYSID honors agencies and employees with awards for their contributions. NYSARC Chapter Staff and Executives took home many of the top awards, including:

Read on for a list of some of the winners
U.S. Senate Committee Focuses On Jobs For People With Intellectual Disabilities

On Thursday, September 15, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, known as the HELP Committee, held a roundtable discussion on the employment of people with the most significant disabilities.  The committee is chaired by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), a long time champion of people with disabilities and the author of many federal disability laws.  Several Senate Democrats participated in the event but no Republican HELP Committee members were present.  In his opening statement, Senator Harkin cited several statistics regarding the sad state of employment for people with disabilities, calling the labor force participation of people with disabilities "shockingly low".

 

With the overall national unemployment rate holding relatively steady at just over 9 percent, itself a national crisis, disability unemployment data indicate a far worse problem for people with disabilities, particularly those with significant intellectual disabilities, to secure and retain jobs.  Less than one third of the 15 million working age adults with disabilities are employed.  Thus, two thirds of this population is umemployed, a staggering statistic.  Current data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show an even bleaker picture, with over 600,000 workers with disabilities having lost their jobs in the past three years.  People with disabilities are losing jobs at ten times the rate of the general workforce.  Senator Harkin called this situation "unacceptable" and called for action to change this trend.


Read the full article 

 

Paul Marchand

Governmental Affairs Consultant, NYSARC, Inc. 

2011 NYSARC, Inc. Annual Convention
Pre-Convention Cover Calling all Self-Advocates and Direct Support Professionals!

Albany - On Thursday, October 20, NYSARC will kick off its 62nd Annual Convention with a special pre-convention program, "Moving Forward with You: An Educational and Training Opportunity for Self-Advocates and Direct Support Professionals," and we'd love to see you there!

 

Register today!  


Schedule
 

11:00am - 11:15pm - Opening Remarks
Jessica Sirota, Self-Advocate; Teaching Assistant, Cricket Town Child Care
Rockland County Chapter, NYSARC, Inc.

 

11:15am - 12:30pm - Plenary Session
"Code of Ethics: Alive and in Full Color!"
This session will guide participants through a highly interactive "encounter" with the NADSP (National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals) Code of Ethics. In a slightly "irreverent" and other entertaining session attendees will understand the importance of "doing the right thing" when no one is looking.
John Raffaele, LMSW, Director, Staff Training and Development, New Hope Community


Click here to read the full schedule
2011 CONVENTION SPONSORS

Platinum Level  

Philadelphia-logo.jpg  


Gold Level 

 

BHL-Logo-Web.JPG  BonadioGroup_PMS.jpg

   

Silver Level    

 

KeyBankLogo.png NBT Bank Logo

 

cutielogo1-270x160.jpgBB_ameb_Pos_4C.jpg

From Our Chapters
Stories 
  •  Bill and Taneesh: Love Knows No Boundaries | Read More 

News 

Awards

Training and Events 

  • BHL Presents a FREE Educational Seminar on OSHA Compliance | Read More