Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) Program

Children with special health care needs have an illness or condition for which they need extra health care and support services. These children might have a serious or long lasting: 

• Physical condition;
• Intellectual or development disability, and/or
• Behavioral or emotional condition.

Community, Work and Independence, Inc.

Community, Work & Independence, Inc (CWI), headquartered in Glens Falls, NY, offers a diverse array of services for individuals with disabilities in Warren, Washington, Saratoga and Essex Counties.  Services include:  Residential, Day Habilitation, Community Supports, Pre-vcational and Employment Services, Clinical Services and Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. Funding sources include OPWDD, OMH, ACCES-VR and DOH.

Developmental Disabilities Regional Offices (DDROs)

Developmental Disabilities Regional Offices (DDROs) are the starting point to apply for services. With an eye to enhanced oversight and quality improvement, the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) has established regions (“catchment areas”) that allow for better coordination of services with the State Office of Mental Health, State Department of Health and other agencies with whom we often partner in providing services.

In order to assist individuals and families to make informed choices about the supports and services best suited to their needs, DDROs work with local voluntary provider agencies to improve access to and coordinate services within a region (“catchment area”).

DDROs are responsible for the following activities:

• eligibility;
• intake;
• waiver enrollment (a Federal-State partnership which makes certain types of services available within the home or community so as to avoid placement in an institution);
• local management of Individual and Community Supports (ICS);
• management of resources for crisis intervention;
• advocacy;
• shared management of OPWDD statewide applications;
• service recruitment and development for the Family Care  program; and
• programs, services and supports for aging individuals with developmental disabilities.

Eligibility for services is determined by the Developmental Disabilities Regional Offices (DDROs).  Please contact the Eligibility Coordinator of the Regional Office representing the county in which the individual/family lives.

Lastly, DDROs act in a supporting role to DD State Operations Offices with regard to eligibility for others areas of statewide services including but not limited to: level of care determinations; clinical delivery and waiver service delivery; Article 16 clinics; quality improvement processes; review of audit reports for trend analysis; emergency preparedness; safety, security and maintenance; and implementation of OPWDD initiatives.

View DDROs using our MSNavigator Mapping Tool.

Developmental Disability State Operations Offices (DDSOOs)

Developmental Disabilities State Operations Offices (DDSOOs) administer and oversee state operations for the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), including the direct delivery of services and supports to people with developmental disabilities by state staff.  By focusing on local supports and services, statewide quality and consistency, and enhanced networking to promote best practices, DDSOOs are able to provide a consistent approach and culture, so that individuals and their families can expect continuous quality improvement in all services delivered directly by OPWDD across the state.

DDSOOs are responsible for the following activities:

• development and monitoring of OPWDD systems improvement (e.g., continuous quality improvement processes, plans of corrective action (POCAs), informed consent and Behavior Management Committees);
• offering specialized supports/services and service delivery in the areas of clinical and food services, waiver services and volunteers/senior companions;
• acting in the capacity of advocate when responding to stakeholder questions and legislative inquiries;
• oversight of support services (e.g., Medicaid compliance, HIPAA compliance and clinical records review);
• oversight of the Statewide Technical Assistance Team, which provides pre-survey and focused technical assistance activities to campus-based ICFs and other state-operated community-based residential programs in which quality improvement issues have been identified; and ensures ongoing compliance with federal requirements and  that program certification is maintained;
• management, on the local level, a variety of OPWDD statewide electronic billing and recordkeeping systems
• oversight of the day-to-day administration of State-operated Family Care; and
• oversight and coordination of fire safety initiatives, including development of evacuation plans in state-operated programs, and establishing and maintaining working relationships with local fire departments.

Eligibility for services is determined by the Developmental Disabilities Regional Offices (DDROs). Please contact the Eligibility Coordinator of the Regional Office representing the county in which the individual/family lives.

Lastly, DDSOOs act in a supporting role to DD Regional Offices in the areas of service development, local management of individual and community supports and crisis intervention.

View DDSOOs using our MSNavigator Mapping Tool. 

Families Together in New York State (FTNYS) Regional Parent Advisors

The primary role of each Regional Parent Advisor is to build a relationship with all of the family support services within their region. Parent Advisors provide a forum for local family support services to network with one another. They serve as liaisons, facilitating communication between the New York State Office of Mental Health and the families in the community.

View FTNYS Parent Advisors using our MSNavigator Mapping Tool.

Families Together of New York State Chapters

Each chapter of Families Together provides a venue for family support. Families give and provide support for each other. Families Together Chapters serve as liaisons, facilitating communication and are knowledgeable about services and programs in their community.

View Families Together of New York State Chapters using our MSNavigator Mapping Tool.

Gamblers Anonymous Hotlines

GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from a gambling problem.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop gambling. There are no dues or fees for Gamblers Anonymous membership; they are self-supporting through members contributions. Gamblers Anonymous is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any cause. Their primary purpose is to stop gambling and to help other compulsive gamblers do the same.

Head Start and Early Head Start

Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the mental, social, and emotional development of children from birth to age 5. In addition to education services, programs provide children and their families with health, nutrition, social, and other services. 

Head Start is a federally-funded child development program that provides educational experiences, medical and dental services, nutritional meals, counseling and opportunities for parental involvement to help prepare low-income children and children with disabilities age three to five to enter and succeed in school.

Early Head Start serves pregnant women, infants, and toddlers. Early Head Start programs are available to the family until the child turns 3 years old and is ready to transition into Head Start or another pre-K program. Early Head Start helps families care for their infants and toddlers through early, continuous, intensive, and comprehensive services.

View Head Start Sites using our MSNavigator Mapping Tool.

Healthy Families New York Home Visiting Program

The Healthy Families New York (HFNY) Home Visiting Program offers home-based services to expectant families and new parents, beginning prenatally or shortly after the birth of the child. Participants are screened to identify risk factors and stressors that the family may face. Families who participate in the program are offered long-term in-home services until the child is in school or Head Start.

Independent Living Programs

Centers for Independent Living (CIL) are community-based, cross-disability, non-profit organizations that are designed and operated by people with disabilities. CILs are unique in that they operate according to a strict philosophy of consumer control, wherein people with all types of disabilities directly govern and staff the organization. Centers for Independent Living Provide:

• Peer Support
• Information and Referral
• Individual and Systems Advocacy
• Independent Living Skills Training

Locate Centers for Independent Living (CIL) using our mapping tool.