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The state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities launched a Request for Proposal earlier this month for an independent program to assist individuals with disabilities, their families and caregivers with support and services. The program, which was approved in the 2023-24 budget, will support individuals as they navigate the OPWDD system, but it will be independent from the department to prevent any conflict of interest.
The state put out two RFPs, the first for a community-based organization that will conduct community outreach and engagement to inform individuals of the resources available to them. The second RFP is for education grants to inform caregivers and parents of the new resources available to them. The state allocated roughly $2 million to the efforts to start up the program, which will serve as a helpline for families that need extra assistance outside OPWDD, such as in the case of a denial from the department.
Lara Kassel, coalition coordinator for Medicaid Matters, said the new program will fill a hole for people who need assistance outside of OPWDD being that there is a void for independent support when they are trying to access services, or fight a denial. “There are other avenues that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities take to get help navigating systems or accessing services. … This program will be different because it is entirely independent,” Lara told POLITICO.
“Very often people may be needing help with the services provided by a care coordination organization, or the services provided by an OPWDD office, and this program will be entirely independent of the OPWDD system entirely.” IN OTHER NEWS: — The state Department of Health
has been awarded $340,000 in grant funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a project to improve surveillance of spina bifida, a birth defect affecting the central nervous system. The funds will support the first year of the five-year project, which will involve developing a surveillance database with information on New Yorkers living with spina bifida. Researchers will use the data to estimate the prevalence of spina bifida and assess those individuals’ health care use, access to resources, quality of life and long-term health outcomes.
— Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is partnering with the nonprofit Healthy Birth Day to expand a stillbirth prevention program in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. The “count the kicks” program teaches parents-to-be about the importance of tracking their baby’s movements during the third trimester of pregnancy to detect any changes in their normal movement pattern, which can be a sign of distress.
ON THE AGENDA: — Monday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board will meet. — Tuesday at 1 p.m.
The City Council hosts an oversight hearing on the effects of hospital closures on community needs. GOT TIPS? Send story ideas and feedback to Maya Kaufman at mkaufman@politico.com and Katelyn Cordero at kcordero@politico.com. Want to receive this newsletter every weekday?
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