24 Feb CP State developing clinician training program to improve treatment of patients with I/DD
Funded by a $440,000 grant from The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, Cerebral Palsy Association of New York State will establish a best-practices training program for clinicians to ensure healthcare equity for people with disabilities.
“The unique characteristics and needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) makes optimal healthcare very challenging,” said Mike Alvaro, Executive Director of CP State. “We hope to create an accessible training series that will increase clinicians’ ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients with I/DD — making a giant step forward in the disability community’s access to quality care.”
Research has shown that people with disabilities fare much worse across a range of health indicators than individual without disabilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in three people ages 18 to 44 with disabilities did not have a usual health care provider and had a health care need that went unmet in the last year due to cost.
CP State will spend the next six months developing the clinician training series. A steering committee of doctors, clinicians and others healthcare officials will take inventory of existing training sessions, then develop material to fill in the gaps. After the committee assesses the need for material and how they will be developed, we will announce a start date for the trainings.
The award is part of Cabrini’s more-than 400 year-end 2020 grants totaling $115 million to support organizations and programs addressing the health-related needs of low-income residents and underserved communities across New York State.
This is in addition to $50 million in funding authorized for emergency COVID-19 programs earlier in 2020. In all, the Foundation’s $165 million in 2020 funding has or will support 650 programs to improve health and human services during a time of unprecedented need. In the two years since its inception, the Foundation has awarded grants totaling $315 million.
The $115 million in new grants will support programs in 2021, including $5 million in a three-year strategic effort focused on improving oral health access and outcomes in underserved communities.
“These grants demonstrate our continued commitment to support a wide range of organizations improving the health and well-being of New York’s most vulnerable. Our grantees are providing crucial support at a pivotal moment, when so many across the State face challenges that are complicated by the impacts of COVID-19.” said Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of Visa and Chair of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Board.
“We’re very appreciative of the support we’ve gotten from The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation,” said Alvaro. “They’ve been a wonderful partner in realizing our Community Health Outreach Program grants and we’re thrilled to begin work on this important training program. The mission of CP State is to make life better for people with disabilities. The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation helps us do that.”