AHRC New York City is committed to quality in all that we do. From ensuring we are hiring the most qualified staff members to conducting extensive research to determine the wants and needs of the people we support, achieving the highest possible quality is ingrained into our mission and values.
Demonstrating this commitment, AHRC NYC was first accredited by the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) in 2014. CQL works to improve the quality of life for people with intellectual, developmental, and psychiatric disabilities through comprehensive measurement tools, trainings, and accreditation of organizations that exhibit the highest standards of quality. AHRC NYC was reaccredited again in 2018, and our agency is seeking its third accreditation during the week of October 24th, 2022.
Presenting in Las Vegas
AHRC New York City staff members connected with colleagues throughout the disability sector at the 2022 CQL Conference. The conference’s theme was Lightbulb Moments, representing “that sudden burst of inspiration, the unexpected flash of enlightenment, [or] an idea that hits you for the first time.”
Pancho Diaz, QI Officer with Laura Cucinotta, Senior QI Officer and Matthew Estep, Self-Advocacy Advisor at the 2022 CQL Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada
Laura Cucinotta, Senior Quality Improvement (QI) Officer, and Pancho Diaz, QI Officer, presented at the conference, joined in person by Self-Advocacy Advisor, Matthew Estep and virtually by Asante Breland, a self-advocate, who were available to talk about their experience in becoming the first pair of certified Personal Outcome Measure interviewers. Asante is the first person with an intellectual disability to be certified as POM interviewer by CQL.
The group presented A Closer Look: An Organization’s Revamp of Their POM Approach Informed by Metrics and Quality. Since 2012, AHRC NYC has been completing Personal Outcome Measures® (POM) conversations to help inform organizational direction. While the COVID-19 pandemic forced POM conversations to pause, it also created space for the organization to reflect on historical approaches and re-establish best practices for its’ relaunch. Embracing a culture of constant conversation, AHRC NYC thoughtfully began outlining a relaunch of POM to help inform and drive the organization’s understanding of quality and areas for growth in a new hybrid world. The seminar featured:
- How AHRC NYC assessed and reflected on historical data to inform future POM work
- Taking attendees through the road to relaunching the initiative, including our engagement with CQL, the POM Interview Certification application including a co-certified person with IDD, recruitment for workshops and POM interviews, and POM report sharing.
- Reviewing examples of POM data insight reporting, leveraging the Tableau software, and AHRC NYC’s current reporting formatting and output
Laura Cucinotta reflected: “It was truly an honor to represent AHRC NYC at the CQL conference held in Las Vegas, a place I’d never been before! The place we stayed in was lovely and extremely accommodating. We attended many informative and interactive break-out sessions facilitated by CQL and other provider agencies and met lots of people from across the country and Canada. Our presentation on our POM re-launch was received very positively, complete with many follow-up questions and rich discussions with the audience. And of course, a visit to “The Strip” one evening did not disappoint! An overall great experience, for which we are all so grateful.”
