NYS Developmental Disabilities Planning Council Awards $40,000 to NYC Dept. of Health & Hygiene

ALBANY, NY (12/15/2008)(readMedia)-- George E. Fertal, Sr., Chairperson, today announced that on December 11, 2008 the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) awarded $40,000 to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDHMH) to build cross-systems collaboration in improving supports and services to persons with developmental disabilities who also have substance/chemical dependency in New York City.

Traditional dependency treatment programs feel poorly equipped to assist people with both substance abuse and developmental disabilities. This has made treatment less effective than it could be. Recovery rates for individuals with intellectual disabilities have been far lower and takes longer even though patterns of drug use in this group is the same as the general population. For successful treatment these individuals require a higher level of care often including residential treatment. Many of these programs are not designed for access by individuals with varying abilities and many of these individuals have had previous negative experiences that have made them fearful of restrictive environments creating an additional barrier to recovery. These obstacles have made access to needed services difficult for these individuals and overcoming them will require collaboration between services

To address these issues, DHMH seeks to improve collaboration across systems by creating the position of Sobriety Community Linkages Coordinator (SCLC). The SCLC will be responsible for communication between Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) treatment centers, out-reach and identification of people in need of services, coordinating treatment plans with individualized service plans, and identifying issues that will help to make the project sustainable. The SCLC will also organize visits to treatment centers to familiarize the person with the new environment to reduce their fears of treatment.

William Lopez, Assistant Commissioner at the Bureau of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, NYCDHMH, describes the role of the SCLC. "The Sobriety Community Linkages Coordinator (SCLC) position would be responsible for maintaining on-going communication between staff from the referring out patient MRDD-Substance abuse clinic, partnering with the NYS OASAS Addiction Treatment Centers (ATCs), as well as identify issues that have implications for the sustainability of this project beyond the pilot period.

SCLC would assist the outpatient clinic staff with referrals to OASAS ATC 28-day rehabilitation programs for consumers with developmental disabilities in need of a higher level of care. The SCLC would develop an individualized orientation program for the consumer. The orientation would include an overview of the ATC's services, activity structure, rules and regulations, expectations, and other information to help promote their understanding of the ways in which the facility operates.

In addition, the SCLC will organize visits to the ATC to introduce and help familiarize the consumer with the new environment (desensitization) and help reduce their fears about entering in-patient treatment. The Sobriety Community Coordinator will accompany the consumer to the pre-admission screening, and organize and coordinate all visits with the ATC staff."

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.