Disability & Health

Project Advisory Workgroup (PAW)

Organizational Representatives

• Georgia Council for Developmental Disabilities (GCDD)
  • Representative: Alyssa Miller, PsyD, Public Policy Research & Development Director
  • Georgia Council for Developmental Disabilities works to bring about social and policy changes that promote opportunities for the wide spectrum of diverse people/persons with developmental disabilities and their families to live, learn, work, play and worship in their communities.

• United Cerebral Palsy Georgia (UCP-GA)
  • Representative: Angela Easter, Chief Administrative Officer
  • United Cerebral Palsy supports individuals and families living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including  cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, spina bifida, traumatic brain injury, and more). UCP uses customized supports to maximize potential, discover talents, and develop skills to achieve personal goals.

• GA Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)
  • Representatives: Dana Scott, MSN, RN, Director, Office of Health and Wellness and Nicole Arsenault, JD, Project Support, Office of Health and Wellness
  • The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities is the state agency that focuses on establishing and improving policies, programs, and services for people with mental illness, substance use disorders, and developmental disabilities.

• The DDD Foundation, Inc. (DDD)
  • Representative: Deidra Rondeno, DMD
  • The DDD Foundation, Inc. provides accessible, comprehensive dental treatment to patients with developmental disabilities.  We provide preventive, routine and emergency dental care as well as hospital dentistry for those patients who require it.  We accept Medicaid, and as a courtesy will file claims with most traditional insurance plans.

• Statewide Independent Living Council of GA, Inc. (SILC)
  • Representative: Shelly Simmons, Executive Director
  • Statewide Independent Living Council of GA, Inc is governed by people with all types of disabilities from across the state. The role of the SILC is to identify societal barriers to independent living and to collaborate with Centers for Independent Living, Rehabilitation Services and other related entities to remove those barriers and to increase the supports and services needed to create independent living opportunities.

• Georgians for a Healthy Future (GHF)
  • Representative: Whitney Griggs, MPH, Health Policy Analyst
  • Georgians for a Healthy Future provides a voice for Georgia individuals and communities on health care issues and decisions that impact their lives. Their vision is to one day all Georgians have access to the quality, affordable health care they need to live healthy lives and contribute to the health of their communities.

Partners

• Dr. Teal Benevides, Augusta University
  • Dr. Teal Benevides, PhD, MS, OTR/L, Associate Professor, will carry out analyses of existing data (e.g., state disability & health data) and support the development of our statewide and regional needs assessments. She will also create infographics and other dissemination tools to share needs assessment findings with relevant stakeholders.

• National Center for Primary Care, Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Megan Douglas, JD, Assistant Professor, and her team at the National Center for Primary Care (NCPC) at Morehouse School of Medicine will support our healthcare provider training and policy change initiatives.

• Georgians for Healthy Futures (GHF)
  • Whitney Griggs, Health Policy Analyst and her team will support our policy change initiatives.

• Crimminz & Associates
  • Stacey Ramirez Founding Partner, will coordinate our work linking Georgians with IDD who have unmet healthcare needs to the services they need.

• Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)
  • Staff of the DBHDD Division of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities will support our needs assessment, healthcare provider training, and policy change initiatives.
• Northwest Georgia Center for Independent Living
  • The Northwest GA CIL (NWG-CIL) will collaborate with our team to implement Living Well in the Community, which is a 10-week wellness curriculum designed by and for individuals with disabilities.
• Parent to Parent of Georgia
  • We are partnering with Parent to Parent of GA (P2PGA) to expand and enhance their robust provider resource directory.

• National Association of County and City Health Officials Health and Disability Program (NACCHO)
  • We are partnering with NACCHO’s Health and Disability Program to increase the number of local health department staff in Georgia who have completed the Health and Disability 101: Training for Health Department Employees program.

GA STATEWIDE DISABILITY & HEALTH PROGRAM P.A.W. NEWSLETTERS

May, 2023 Issue
November, 2022 Issue
August 2022 Issue
May, 2022 Issue
Feb, 2022 Issue

Assessment Report coming soon.

The Georgia Disability & Health Linkage Project focuses on linking adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to preventive health care and health promotion programs in their community. This project aims to:

• Support adults with disabilities to identify and address barriers to good health
• Support adults with disabilities to receive preventive care and services that will help them meet their health and wellness goals.

Recruitment Flyer

Are you or someone you know interested in enrolling in our linkage project? Use this survey link to complete a short form and someone on our team will contact you to begin enrollment. https://gsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0D0xkFGk0yMDqxU

Living Well in the Community

• The Disability and Health 10 state collaborative reviewed several health promotion programs before deciding all 10 states will implement Living Well in the Community.
• Living Well in the Community is a 10-week health promotion workshop for persons with disabilities who want to set goals and learn new skills to support their overall quality of life and wellbeing. We are partnering with Northwest Georgia Center for Independent Living to begin implementation. Sessions will be held in a hybrid format. Recruitment for participants will begin soon!

Description of PSE project(s) coming soon!

For more information about this project or how to get involved please contact our project email at [email protected], our Principal Investigator Erin Vinoski Thomas at [email protected] , or our Program Manager Sydnie Smith at [email protected].

Georgia Statewide Health and Disability Team

• Year 1: Needs Assessment Infographic
• APHA 2022 Poster: Initial Development of the Georgia Statewide Disability & Health Program
• Year 2: Provider Training Infographic
• Year 2: Project Advisory Workgroup Engagement Summary
• Year 2: Bimonthly Recipient Call Presentation Script- Presentation on Georgia Project Advisory Workgroup

Health promotion and other informational materials developed by our team will be available here for download.