NYS Developmental Disabilities Planning Council Announces Funding to Address Medically Fragile

ALBANY, NY (09/21/2007)(readMedia)-- New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) Announces Five $35,000 Grants Going to United Cerebral Palsy of New York City, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Visiting Nurse Regional Health Care System, St. Mary’s Healthcare System For Children, and Cerebral Palsy Association of New York State With CP Rochester. To Address Unmet Support Needs of Individuals Who Are Medically Fragile and/or Their Caregivers.

George E. Fertal, Sr., Chairperson, announced that on September 20, 2007, the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) awarded five $35,000 grants, for the first year of a potential three year funding cycle, to address unmet support needs of individuals who are medically fragile and/or their caregivers. Grants were awarded to: United Cerebral Palsy of New York City, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Visiting Nurse Regional Health Care System, St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children, and Cerebral Palsy Association of New York State with CP Rochester.

The purpose of these grants is to meet the unmet needs of medically fragile individuals and/or their caregivers in the areas of nursing services, community integration, resources/supports, coordination of services and people at the time of discharge, training of service coordinators, coordination of supports and services provided by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) and New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD).

DDPC Vice-Chairperson Rose Marie Toscano, stated the following, “As a parent of a 22 year old with severe medical involvement, I am thrilled that the DDPC is reaching out to this community of persons with disabilities. The grants for medically fragile individuals supported by the DDPC will address long-standing needs for this group, especially related to nursing services, community integration, coordination of services and parent/caregiver supports. Many of us have struggled for a long time to help our children and young adults achieve independence, integration and inclusion into the community in spite of the extraordinary medical issues they face. The systems changes and the capacity building that will result from these (and future) grants will go a long way in helping this underserved population and will minimize the gaps in services that exist for this particular group of New Yorkers. We have been the fortunate recipients of tremendous technological and medical advances which have enabled our children to defy all odds and live longer. The challenge now is to help these miracle children and young adults live meaningful lives within their communities.”

The DDPC is a federally funded state agency dedicated to designing and implementing new programs that serve New Yorkers with developmental disabilities and their families in the most effective way possible. Sixty percent of the Governor-appointed membership of the DDPC is parents and people with developmental disabilities. For more information on the DDPC, go to: www.ddpc.state.ny.us.