Family to Family: May 2014

Institute for Disability Studies

Family Health Notes

Special Edition – May 22, 2014

Mississippi disAbility MegaConference

June 12-13, 2014

Marriott - Downtown Jackson

The Mississippi disAbility MegaConference is Mississippi's largest conference for individuals with disabilities, their families, and professionals.

Approximately 50 businesses, service agencies, and disability organizations will share their latest programs, information, and innovations!

Presentation topics include: systems change, self-advocacy, disability policy, assistive technology/Bluetooth, Social Security Disability Work Incentives, community resources, abuse, employment, parent advocacy, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, Medicaid, housing, EEOC/ADA, special education, inclusive child care, and crisis intervention.

Continuing Education Units are offered in several disciplines.

Thursday morning breakfast from 8 – 8:45 a.m. will include three roundtable discussions for mothers, fathers, and siblings of individuals with disabilities.

Special lunch presentation by Nicole Marquez! She will talk about her journey after falling several floors at her New York apartment building and the resulting spinal cord and other injuries.

A gala on Thursday night will feature Salsa MS Dance Studio and Silver Sneakers . . . with DJ Ice-Dog . . . hors d’oeuvres, and more!

The final keynote will be presented by Andy Imparato, Executive Director of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. He will speak from a national perspective on disability policy.

Stipends, if needed, for individuals with disabilities are provided by the MS Council on Developmental Disabilities. The form is available on the conference website.

For registration, hotel, agenda, and all other information, visit http://msmegaconference.org/

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Family Health Notes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Family Health Notes is sponsored by the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS), Mississippi’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at The University of Southern Mississippi. IDS provides university training, community service activities, research and information that promote the independence, productivity, and community inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families. For more information about IDS, visit www.usm/edu/ids or call 1.888.671.0051 (TTY). To make a tax-deductible gift to IDS, visit www.usm.edu/ids/supportus.html.

The Family-to-Family Health Information and Education Center (F2F) is a family-focused, family managed resource center that empowers families of Mississippi children with special health care needs to be partners in the decisions made concerning the health of their children. F2F is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (GR#H84MC07948).

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Institute for Disability Studies

Family Health Notes

May 2014

Inside this issue:

1) Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week – May 4-10, 2014

2) Free Resource for Obesity Prevention Work

3) School Health and Children with Special Health Care Needs

4) Autism Spectrum Disorders: What Every Parent Needs To Know

5) Camp Looking Glass Presents Warfield Riverfest – June 14, Greenville

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1) Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week – May 4-10, 2014

The Children's Mental Health Network in partnership with Characters Unite and Creating Community Solutions is offering two great activities that can be used as stand-alone activities during Children's Mental Health Week or can be incorporated into existing plans to enhance other programs. The focus this year is Battling Stigma and Disparities in Children's Mental Health. Creating Community Solutions is making all of their resources available so that meaningful dialogues can be held in the community about the importance of battling stigma and disparities in children's mental health. Characters Unite has the "I won't stand for" campaign. For more information, visit http://www.cmhnetwork.org/cmh-awareness-week-2014.

2) Free Resource for Obesity Prevention Work

The National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ) is offering the CAN DO (Collaborative Action Now to Defeat Obesity) Playbook free to help primary care public health and community leaders work together at a local level to defeat obesity. The interactive online guide teaches motivated individuals and teams how to apply evidence-based strategies to address obesity prevention in their community. For more information, visit http://www.nichq.org/resources/CAN-DO-Playbook.html.

3) School Health and Children with Special Health Care Needs

This series of three fact sheets, while specific to children with special health care needs (CSHCN) in the California school system is widely applicable to other states. Children with Special Health Care Needs: Lost at School? describes the challenges of identifying CSHCN, often caused by misinterpretations of existing special education laws that create communication barriers and limit exchange of medical information. Children with Special Health Care Needs: Who Is Caring for Them at School? notes that an increasing number of CSHCN are attending school at a time when there are fewer school nurses. They found that only 26% of nurses are "very to extremely confident" they are meeting the health needs of all their students, and that other non-medical school staff are providing health care services. The third fact sheet, Children with Special Health Care Needs: Underfunding Leaves Children without Services discusses potential sources of funding for school nurse services that could bring additional revenue to schools so they could employ more nurses. The authors provide policy recommendations that would mitigate these three issues. For more information and copies of the fact sheets, visit http://www.csno.org/.

4) Autism Spectrum Disorders: What Every Parent Needs To Know

This book from the American Academy of Pediatrics is an invaluable resource for parents and caregivers of children who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Prepared under the editorial direction of two distinguished pediatricians who are autism experts—one of whom is also the parent of a son with autism—the book helps parents understand how ASDs are defined and diagnosed and provides information on the most current types of behavioral and developmental therapies. It also helps parents understand what they can do to help promote a smooth transition from adolescence through the teen years and into adulthood. To read the first three chapters of the book free, visit http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/Committees-Councils-Sections/Council-on-Children-with-Disabilities/Documents/ASD_BookExcerpt.pdf.

5) Camp Looking Glass Presents Warfield Riverfest – June 14, Greenville

Camp Looking Glass has devoted its energies to improving the lives of children and your adults with physical and/or cognitive disabilities in the Mississippi Delta since 2004. A nonprofit organization, Camp Look Glass recently secured a generously donated land site as a permanent camp home. As part of the fundraising campaign to break ground and build a new home, Camp Looking Glass has organized the Warfield Riverfest. Proceeds from the festival benefit Camp Looking Glass and give the camp the opportunity to give back to a community that has embraced it. The Warfield Riverfest is scheduled for Saturday, June 14, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Warfield Point Park in Greenville. For more information, visit http://warfieldriverfest.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Family Health Notes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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TO SUBSCRIBE

If this mailing was forwarded to you and you are not already subscribed to Family Health Notes, here’s how you can become a subscriber:

TO UNSUBSCRIBE

****************************************

Please visit the IDS Calendar of Events at http://www.usm.edu/ids/calevents/.

Questions may be addressed to

Alma.Ellis@usm.edu

Jerry.Alliston@usm.edu