New York: Westchester Institute for Human Development, New York Medical College in Valhalla

June 18, 2007

Westchester Institute for Human Development has just published a curriculum called "My Health, My Choice, My Responsibility" designed to teach adults with Developmental Disabilities to advocate for themselves for a healthier lifestyle. The curriculum is designed to be used by two trainers (one of whom is a self-advocate) over multiple sessions. It was done with the NYS Self-Advocacy Association and the DD Council. The Institute is also implementing an electronic medical record system and is working on a patient portal so that patients, families and support staff can access info from their own medical record. For agencies, that is a huge deal given the info they are required to have. They can also use it to make appointments, communicate with their primary care provider or other physician, etc. We are serving about 3000 adults with Developmental Disabilities - primary care, subspecialty care, dental, behavioral health, etc., and we are doing about 15,000 visits per year, just in the adult health care area.