Institute for Disability Studies
Family Health Notes
December 2014
Inside this issue:
1) Parenting to Employment Webinar – Dec. 16, Noon or 6:30 p.m.
2) MS F2F Is Now on Facebook
3) Health Insurance Marketplace 2015 Enrollment Dates
4) Free Developmental Screener Events – Jan. 13, Jackson; Jan. 16, Petal; Jan. 20, Grenada
5) Mississippi Sibling and Supporter Network
6) IDD Toolkit Offers Transition Tools to Health Care Providers
7) Mississippi Get FIT Program Offered for Families
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1) Parenting to Employment Webinar – Dec. 16, Noon or 6:30 p.m.
This webinar targeting parents and youth or young adults with disabilities will focus on how parents can “parent” to employment. The presenter is Dr. Jerry R. Alliston, coordinator for Community Inclusion and Volunteers Services at the Institute for Disability Studies at The University of Southern Mississippi. Specific activities that promote independence and pre-employment skills will be shared. In addition, some young leaders with disabilities will share their stories on the path toward employment describing what worked and did not work for them. To register, go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8114266433487806722. You will choose your webinar time when you register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
2) MS F2F Is Now on Facebook
Join the Mississippi Family 2 Family Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/idsfamily2family. Like MS F2F to keep up with events, news and training opportunities.
3) Health Insurance Marketplace 2015 Enrollment Dates
Open enrollment for the 2015 Health Insurance Marketplace starts on Nov. 15, 2014. You must have enrolled by Dec. 5, 2014, for new coverage to begin on Jan. 1, 2015. To change plans, you must 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 Events – Jan. 13, Jackson; Jan. 16, Petal; Jan. 20, Grenada
The University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) in partnership with the Early Years Network is providing free developmental screener events in three locations across the state. A screening day will be held in Jackson on Tues., Jan.16, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Mid-Jackson Family Resource Center at 301 Adelle Street. A screening day will be held in Petal on Fri., Jan. 16 at the Petal School District Center for Families and Children at 201 West Central Avenue. A screening day will be held in Grenada on Tuesday, Jan. 20, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Grenada Early Learning Advantage Center at 1276 Martin Luther King Boulevard. These events are for children 6 months to 5 years of age with possible developmental delays. For more information or to register, contact Dr. Leslie LaVergne in Hattiesburg at leslie.lavergne@usm.edu or 601.266.6225 or Shelley Ezelle, M.S. in Jackson at sezelle@ihl.state.ms.us or 601.432.6179. For more information on the Early Years Network, visit www.childcaremississippi.org.
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) IDD Toolkit Offers Transition Tools to Health Care Providers
Families of youth transitioning to adult health care providers can find best-practice tools and information regarding specific medical and behavioral concerns of adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), including resources for patients and families. The aim of this project is to equip primary care practices in the United States to care for adults with IDD as they transition from their pediatrician's care. The website's information is an adaptation for U.S. use of a Canadian book, Tools for the Primary Care of People with Developmental Disabilities, which is based on consensus guidelines and is peer-reviewed. The site has recently added a Health Watch Table for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. The IDD Toolkit is a project of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD/LEND) and the UT Boling Center (TN UCEDD/LEND) and the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and was funded by the Special Hope Foundation. To visit the website, go to http://vkc.mc.vanderbilt.edu/etoolkit/.
7) Mississippi Get FIT Program Offered for Families
Get FIT Mississippi is a program helping children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers. It’s a free 12-week Get FIT at Home program that can help your child set healthy goals, be active, build a healthy plate, make health food choices, learn healthy behaviors and attain a health weight in the comfort of your home. Get FIT Mississippi is a program of the Epilepsy Foundation of Mississippi, the Family Resource Network and the Mississippi Department of Mental Health. For more information, visit http://epilepsy-ms.org/blog/treatment-maintenance/get-fit-mississippi/.
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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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