1. Easing back
Our staff, for the most part, are still working remotely, but we are planning to ease our way into greater use of our facilities and more face-to-face meetings. We are still wearing masks and continuing social distancing. We understand that state health guidelines no longer require masks and social distancing but we do not want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.
Also, as we slowly move back into a more normal way of conducting business we recognize that many families that we serve have found virtual meetings to be convenient. That option will not be going away. We have not fully designed how we will be merging office time, personal meetings, and virtual meetings. It is a process that we are developing carefully considering health and safety issues as well as the best possible ways we can continue to serve individuals families.
We will keep you up to date with new information here in the Friday Update and through our social media outlets and our website.
2. Lucas County Commissioners endorse TARTA for county-wide transit
Lucas County Commissioners have endorsed TARTA as a countywide transit service. That is a step necessary for TARTA to seek an issue on the November ballot that would change its funding structure from a property tax to a .5% sales tax. But, there is a battle in the Ohio legislature over language that would compromise the TARTA request. The Lucas County Board of DD has sent a letter to our legislators opposing that language. Read the updated story from The Blade here.
3. Zepf Center Launches Crisis Services
Zepf Center is launching Crisis Services. While the larger program will take time to implement, as of July 1, Zepf Center will offer its new Crisis CARE Line and the Crisis CARE Mobile Outreach Team. This will ensure that help is available 24/7 for individuals in Lucas County experiencing a psychiatric crisis.
These new services came about when the Mental Health & Recovery Services Board of Lucas County (MHRSB) asked Zepf Center to assist with ensuring continuity of crisis services in Lucas County when they were notified that Rescue Mental Health & Addiction Services was closing as of June 30.
The Crisis CARE Line will assist with all Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) needs at 419-904-CARE (2273). The Crisis CARE Line is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by a qualified mental health professional.
The Crisis CARE Mobile Outreach Team responds to calls in the community and collaborates closely with community partners such as law enforcement and emergency departments.
4. Share your experience with transportation issues
You are invited to participate in a survey about your transportation experiences! Conducted by the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center, the survey aims to better understand transportation equity and transportation access for people with disabilities in Ohio. The deadline is July 31, 2021. Take the survey.
5. Grants are available for individuals with developmental disabilities seeking community-based employment
The Capabilities Charitable Fund is offering small, one-time grants of up to $500 to people with developmental disabilities ages 14 and up who are pursuing community employment.
If awarded, grant funds can be used for paying for transportation, interview clothes, tools for work; professional services, and assistive technology. There will be two rounds of grant awardees in 2021. The deadlines for each round are July 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021.
Click here for the application.
6. New podcast features interview on self-advocacy
The latest podcast from Conor Smenner features an interview with lifelong self-advocate Renee Wood. Listen here.
7. Aging Gracefully newsletter for July
8. New Legislation Will Help Children and Adults Living with FASD, the
Nation’s Most Common and Preventable Developmental Disability
The U.S. Senate and House have introduced matching bills to authorize comprehensive Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) support services, public health prevention, and research programs across agencies within the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Justice. The Advancing FASD Research, Services, and Prevention Act, (S. 2238, H.R. 4151), known as the FASD ReSPect Act, is cosponsored by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Representatives Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Don Young (R-AK).
FASD describes the range of lifelong physical, mental, and behavioral impairments that can occur in an individual prenatally exposed to alcohol. As reported in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, FASD affects as many as 1 in 20 school-age children in the U.S.
“The Double ARC Center for FASD is in its 30th year of providing FASD services to Northwest Ohio. This legislation is so very necessary to ensure that the thousands of children who are exposed to prenatal alcohol and experiencing cognitive, behavioral and learning issues in our community can get diagnosed and their parents can receive training and support,” exclaimed Janet Bosserman, Vice President, A Renewed Mind Double ARC Center for FASD.
9. Health & Welfare Alert - Prevent Drownings
Read the latest Health and Welfare Alert from the Ohio Department of DD by clicking here.
10. Upcoming Events and Activities
August 13-14 – Epilepsy Center Practically a Golf Tournament
See the entire virtual Calendar for 2021
11. Worth Repeating
"Belief gets in the way of learning." -Robert Heinlein