OMRDD Awards Not-For-Profits $2.4 Million in Grants

ALBANY, NY (03/18/2008)(readMedia)-- The New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities today awarded $2.4 million in grants to 17 not-for-profit agencies across the state. The agencies will use the funds over the next three years to offer professional development to direct support professionals, the men and women who provide hands-on support for individuals with developmental disabilities.

“By showing us how to best support the people who truly touch the lives of those with developmental disabilities, these demonstration projects will benefit our entire system of care,” said Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter. “We’re about putting people first, and that means our workers as well those we support. We must nurture and reward the best practices of our valuable staffers, or as I like to call them “our angels,” so they can continue providing excellent care, and know that they are vitally important to our agency.”

Grantees will institute new, advanced training and mentoring programs to ensure that newly hired direct support professionals are fully prepared to meet the demands of their profession. They will also improve recruitment practices, offer tiered professional career pathways and adopt new management practices that recognize and value the work of direct support professionals. Some proposals include unique labor-management collaborations to address the retention and training of direct support professionals.

OMRDD will evaluate the effectiveness of these practices in improving the recruitment and retention of this critical workforce and the quality of care individuals receive. The agency will use the results of these projects to identify best practices in workforce development and promote them throughout the OMRDD system.

Agencies receiving awards include: Cerebral Palsy of the North Country, Heartshare Human Services, Claddagh Commission, Mercy Home for Children, Columbia County ARC, Job Path, Autistic Services, United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Suffolk, Community Work and Independence, Maranatha Human Services, Capabilities, Lifetime Assistance, The Interagency Council of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Agencies, The Institute for Community Living, New Horizons Resources, Heritage Christian Services, and New York State Association of Community and Residential Agencies.

-30-