CP State’s Community Health Outreach Project has made life easier for more than 1,000 people with disabilities this year!

The Community Health Outreach Project, or CHOP, was established in January 2020 to provide financial assistance for the purchase of equipment, services, supplies, and other supports needed by individuals with intellectual, developmental, and other significant disabilities when all other funding opportunities have been exhausted.

The grant, under the administration of CP State’s Cindy Morris, has awarded approximately $680,000 to date.

“It’s been so rewarding to work with our Affiliates and other agencies to make a difference in lives of the people we serve,” said Morris.

The grant changes peoples’ lives in small and large ways.

Small awards of less than $1,000 have been made to purchase items like walkers, hearing aids, dental services, eye care, and shower chairs for individuals. Larger awards have been granted to agencies to purchase mechanical lifts, Parker tubs, Carendo shower chairs, therapy equipment, and iPads for telehealth services.

Currently, grant eligibility is limited to Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Herkimer, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington counties, but CP State is hoping to expand that area in 2021.

Read more about CHOP grants and apply here.

Isolation and segregation continue to impede to the full participation of individuals with disabilities and their families in the communities in which they live.  CP State will offer the free session “Addressing Loneliness and Social Isolation: The Key to a Better Life” on Thursday, December 17, from 2:30-4 p.m.

Presented by Dr. Al Condeluci, this session will look at social isolation in the I/DD community. It will examine the related research and data, examine ways and means to building more effective relationships, and will explore strategies and actions that can be employed in addressing loneliness by having social capital principles work for the people in your community.

The notions of loneliness and social isolation have been clearly identified as vexing issues in our culture today. We know that when people are rendered isolated, it can result in adverse health issues, unhappiness/depression, challenges with life success, and even shortened life expectancy. We also know that marginalized groups, folks with disabilities, seniors, those in poverty, and other minorities, are at greater risk of being lonely, isolated, or disconnected.

This is the first of a series of sessions that CP will be offering through its DDPC Rural Advocacy Grant. If you would like to participate, please contact Tim Ferguson at TFerguson@cpstate.org or 518-436-0178.

Objectives

• Participants will be introduced to recent data and research on isolation/loneliness
• Ways to explore and measure loneliness will be introduced
• The construct of social capital will be overviewed
• Examine relationship-building strategies to combat social isolation

About Dr. Condeluci

Dr. Al Condeluci has been a leader in community building, human services and inclusive advocacy work for the past 50 years. Holding a PhD and MSW from the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Condeluci has been the CEO of CLASS (Community Living and Support Services) a major nonprofit, community building organization in Pittsburgh, PA from 1973 to 2019. He holds faculty status at the University of Pittsburgh in the Schools of Social Work, and Health, Rehab Sciences and is author of 7 books including the acclaimed, Interdependence: The Route to Community (1995) and more recently, Social Capital: The Key to Macro Change (2014). In 2018, he received the “Key to the City of Pittsburgh,” the highest civilian honor that can be given to a community member. He serves as a consultant, advisor, and human service coach and is on a number of nonprofit boards and government commissions on state, local and national levels. He helped found, and convenes the Interdependence Network, an international coalition of professionals, family members, and consumers interested in community engagement and macro change. He can be reached at www.alcondeluci.com, or @acondeluci on Twitter.

CP State is collaborating with New York Disability Advocates (NYDA) and Syracuse University on an ongoing project to collect and analyze weekly  COVID-19 data from voluntary I/DD providers, including all Cerebral Palsy of NYS Affiliates throughout the state. This data helps inform our understanding of the risks of COVID-19 for people with I/DD, strengthen our pandemic response, and support our advocacy efforts.

Most recently, the data was used in the Framework for The Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine  by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The I/DD population and the NYDA studies are discussed on pages 120-126.

The published studies, along with media and academic coverage citing the project, can be found below.

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY PAPERS  

COVID-19 outcomes among people with intellectual and developmental disability living in residential group homes in New York State 
Published in Science Direct Disability and Health Journal – June 2020

COVID-19 Trends Among Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Living in Residential Group Homes in New York State through July 10, 2020
Published by the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion – September 16, 2020

MEDIA AND ACADEMIC COVERAGE

COVID-19 and People with I/DD Final Report
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Framework for The Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (book, pages 120, 126) – November 2020

Developmental Disabilities Heighten Risk of Covid Death
New York Times – November 10, 2020

A Crisis Decades in the Making: Disability Housing Policy and COVID-19
Harvard Political Review – October 11, 2020

As Homes for People With Disabilities Sought to Swiftly Isolate Residents With COVID, State Demanded Days-Long Review
The City – August 5, 2020

COVID-19 may be deadlier for group-home residents
Spectrum News – July 23, 2020

Group Home Residents With Developmental Disabilities More Likely To Die From COVID-19
Disability Scoop – July 13, 2020

Study: People with IDD living in residential group homes more likely to die from COVID-19
News Medical – June 25, 2020

COVID-19 Infections And Deaths Are Higher Among Those With Intellectual Disabilities
NPR – June 9, 2020

People With Developmental Disabilities at Higher Risk for COVID-19
The Mighty – June 9, 2020

JOURNAL CITATIONS 

Benefits, Burden, and COVID-19: A Response to Dutheil et al. (2020)
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders – October 2020

Exploring the experiences of siblings of adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research – October 2020

ADA 30 and beyond: The urgent need for intersectional research
Disability and Health Journal – October 2020

Social inequities in the distribution of COVID-19: An intra-categorical analysis of people with disabilities in the U.S.
Disability and Health Journal – September 2020

Coping, fostering resilience, and driving care innovation for autistic people and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
Molecular Autism – July 2020

Our partner at SAP Litmos recently featured CP State’s use of the online learning platform to provide efficient and thorough training for Affiliate staff.

With twenty-four affiliate agencies providing service to more than 100,000 people with disabilities, CP State has around 10,000 Affiliate employees using SAP Litmos to train in providing services and programs for individuals with disabilities.
Watch our story below and read more here.

Governor Cuomo has released Executive Order 202.74. Please find the Executive Order here.

Effective Friday, November 13, 2020, the Executive Order makes the following suspensions, modifications, and directives through December 12, 2020:

• All “liquor stores” and “wine stores” that are licensed by the State Liquor Authority (SLA) are required to cease all off premises sales and close at or before 10:00 p.m., and not reopen before relevant county opening hours permit.
• All businesses that are licensed by the SLA for on premises service of alcoholic beverages, are required to cease all on premises service and consumption of food and beverages (including alcoholic beverages), inside or outside, at or before 10:00 p.m. and not reopen before the later of any stipulated opening hours or existing county opening hours permit. To-go and delivery service of food, and non-alcoholic beverages only, may continue until the earlier of any stipulated closing hours or existing county closing hours.
• All restaurants, even those not licensed by the SLA, are required to cease in-person dining at 10:00 p.m., but may continue curbside takeout and delivery service after 10:00 p.m. so long as otherwise permitted, and may reopen no earlier than 5:00 a.m.
  • The above provisions will be subject to reasonable limitations and procedures set by the Chairman of the State Liquor Authority and/or any relevant Department of Health guidance.
• Gyms and fitness centers must close to the public at 10:00 p.m., and cannot reopen until 5:00 a.m.
• Previous Executive Order provisions limiting non-essential gatherings are modified only insofar as to further limit non-essential private residential gatherings to 10 or fewer individuals for any lawful purpose or reason, provided that social distancing, face covering, and cleaning and disinfection protocols required by the Department of Health are adhered to.

I think it’s really important to have long-term follow up of children with cerebral palsy.

READ MORE HERE

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