NASDDDS Joins Other Groups to Address Challenges of Individuals with I/D and Co-Occurring conditions

NADD (An Association for persons with developmental disabilities and mental health needs) with partners NAMI, ANCOR, NASDDDS and NASMHPD hosted a Public Policy Summit in Washington, DC, on “Ensuring Full Community Engagement for Individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities and Co-Occurring Mental Illnesses.” This summit was a  follow-up to NADD’s 2014 Summit (materials found here (http://thenadd.org/about-nadd/nadd-position-papers/)  which focused on the topic of inclusion in health care reform.

According to this first article  in a three-part series on the 2017 summit, “the Summit provided an expanded opportunity, with a more comprehensive representation of stakeholders, to address the national challenges facing individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental illness (IDD/MI), and their families. In today’s rapidly changing health care and human service environments, it is critical that this Summit’s stakeholders – family members and leadership from disability organizations representing associations, providers and advocates with federal and state government agencies, private and public insurers, and managed care organizations (MCO’s) – work together in achieving effective services and treatment. Participants collaborated and identified recommendations and perspectives in meeting the Summit’s objective to advance the comprehensive health care and other community engagement needs of individuals with IDD-MI.”