Institute for Disability Studies
Family Health Notes
November 2014
Inside this issue:
1) Time to Vote – Nov. 4
2) Dialogue on Community Transportation – Nov. 10, Jackson
3) Health Insurance Marketplace 2015 Enrollment Dates
4) Developmental Screener Event – Dec. 2, Petal
5) Mississippi Sibling and Supporter Network
6) November is American Diabetes Month
7) Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee Releases Report
8) Early Literacy Toolkit
9) Four New Results Matter Videos
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1) Time to Vote – Nov. 4
Mississippians will vote in the state’s general election on Nov. 4. For more information about elections and voting, visit the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website at http://www.sos.ms.gov/Elections-Voting/Pages/default.aspx.
2) Dialogue on Community Transportation – Nov. 10, Jackson
The Mississippi Department of Transportation’s Public Transit Division is hosting a community dialogue on transportation for people with disabilities on Mon., Nov. 10, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Community Conference Room on the first floor of the Jackson Medical Mall at 350 West Woodrow Wilson Boulevard. The purpose of the dialogue is to develop a priority list to increase the quality of life for people with disabilities in local communities, to create strategies to build a network of community stakeholders to coordinate resources through the use of education and awareness tools, and to identify leaders or advocacy groups to lead local initiatives in respective regions. For more information, call the Public Transit Division at 601.359.7800.
3) Health Insurance Marketplace 2015 Enrollment Dates
Open enrollment for the 2015 Health Insurance Marketplace starts on Nov. 15, 2014. You must enroll by Dec. 5, 2014, for new coverage to begin on Jan. 1, 2015. To change plans, enroll by Dec. 15, 2014, to avoid a lapse in coverage. Coverage for 2014 plans ends on Dec. 31, 2014. Coverage for 2015 plans starts as soon as Jan. 15, 2015. Open enrollment ends on Feb. 15, 2015, the last day to apply for 2015 coverage. There are four ways to enroll for Marketplace coverage: online at www.healthcare.gov, in person with a navigator (Find your local center at https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/), over the phone with the call center (1.800.318.2596 or TTY 1.855.889.4325), or a paper application (Call the Marketplace Call Center or download from www.healthcare.gov).
4) Free Developmental Screener Event – Dec. 2, Petal
The University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies (IDS), in partnership with the Early Years Network, is providing a free developmental screener event on Dec. 2, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Petal School District Center for Families and Children at 201 West Central Avenue in Petal. The event is for children six months to five years of age with possible developmental delays. For more information or to register, call Dr. Leslie LaVergne in Hattiesburg at 601.266.6225.
5) Mississippi Sibling and Supporter Network
Do you have a brother or sister with a disability? Are you or will you be involved with the support or care of an individual with a disability? Please join the Mississippi Sibling and Supporter (MS SandS) Network. The MS SandS Network is a group of siblings and supporters who are either currently involved or will be involved in the future care and support of an individual with developmental or other disabilities. MS SandS strives to connect people, receive and share information, provide social and emotional support, and to advocate for improved services with or on behalf of siblings and others with disabilities. For information, please email Christy Ashley with the Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities at christy.ashley@dmh.state.ms.us or call her at 601.359.5533.
6) November is American Diabetes Month
Nearly 30 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes. Another 86 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $245 billion. For more information on American Diabetes Month in your community, visit http://www.diabetes.org/in-my-community/american-diabetes-month.html.
7) Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee Releases Report
The Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee (MAAC) recently released its 2014 Report to the Legislature. Suggestions made in the report include passing legislation mandating coverage of evidence-based Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) services by private and public insurance providers and creating three ASD positions to coordinate ASD statewide efforts. One position would be located at the Mississippi Department of Education, one at the Mississippi Department of Mental Health and one at the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services. To read a copy of the report, visit http://www.dmh.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/MAAC_2014_Report_KS_Final_2014.pdf.
8) Early Literacy Toolkit
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released a toolkit with information and resources for pediatric health care professionals and families about the benefits of promoting early literacy and early learning for children. The Books Build Connection toolkit released in October provides tips and publications to help encourage families to talk, read, and sing with their children. The toolkit is a follow-up to the AAP policy statement on promoting early literacy that was released in June 2014. For toolkit information, visit http://littoolkit.aap.org/Pages/home.aspx.
9) Four New Results Matter Videos
Results Matter, a program of the Colorado Department of Education, recently posted four new videos in their Results Matter Video Library. Three of the clips were produced to be used in professional development activities to provide early care and education providers opportunities to practice observation, documentation, and assessment skills. These clips can be viewed online and downloaded at no cost for use in educational and professional development activities from the Clips for Practicing Observation, Documentation and Assessment Skills section of the library
- Cameron and Alexis Playing with Blocks (Runtime: 4:25) Cameron and Alexis demonstrate a rich variety of communication, social, problem-solving, motor, manipulative, imagination, and play skills in the block area.
- The Puppet Stage (Runtime: 3:20) Jenniah, Cameron, and Evelynn demonstrate a rich variety of imaginative, communication, social, motor, manipulative, and play skills while playing with puppets.
- Jadyn Writing and Drawing (Runtime: 3:13) Jadyn demonstrates a variety of skills while writing her name with a pencil and drawing a picture with crayons.
- The fourth video discusses the importance of making home visits in preschool. It can be viewed online and downloaded from the Practices Here and There section of the library. Preschool Home Visits - Making the Time to Build Relationships (Runtime: 5:12) - In this video, Sara Hefner, an Early Childhood Special Educator, discusses and illustrates the importance of making home visits in preschool. Sara and a father that she visits describe the benefits of home visits for children, families, and teachers.
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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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