Annual Report for the Year Ending June 30, 2016: A Tribute to Our Frontline Workforce

Gary Lind
Executive Director
Kathy Broderick
Associate Executive Director
Amy West
Chief Financial Officer
Michael Decker
Chief Operating Officer
Alden Kaplan
Senior Policy Advisor

Angelo Aponte

As we enter our 68th Anniversary, our organization and our field faces great challenges. Despite the successes of the past year—the anticipated increase in salaries for direct support professionals that we fought long and hard for—the reality of New York State’s current budget for our field is very disturbing. We feel morally bound to forge ahead and do everything needed to sustain the quality of life the people we serve have attained. AHRC board, staff and members who have spent a good part of the past year in extensive advocacy efforts, will need to continue these efforts into the coming year.

For the moment, we have convinced our elected officials that our DSP’s, the backbone of our field, are deserving of a living wage. But our fight is far from over and we cannot go back to the days when individuals with developmental disabilities could not get services! We need to convince our Governor to Keep the Promise and take care of the thousands of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) waiting for their own homes and their aging families hoping to find peace of mind.

But in this Annual Report, we describe our achievements and shed light on the amazing services and programs we have developed to serve the people we are committed to support and their families!

Gary Lind

I am very proud to be a member of the AHRC New York City family. This Annual Report focuses on AHRC’s dedication to the mission and values embraced by the members of the AHRC community.

The commitment to the mission and values runs from the Board of Directors to the leadership of the organization and to the entire staff of AHRC. It is this commitment, along with a clear vision of how to make the world a better place for individuals with disabilities, that has kept AHRC strong for almost sixty-five years and will continue to keep us strong through the challenging times ahead. In the true AHRC tradition, we will transform the challenges into opportunities—opportunities that will best support the individuals with developmental disabilities we serve and their families. Because of our commitment, I am confident we will succeed with quality supports and services for all. It is the struggle of families caring for their loved ones and the grace of individuals with developmental disabilities as they strive to live their lives, in spite of the obstacles they face every day, that has touched me deeply over the many years I have worked in this field. I share these same feelings with many members of the AHRC community.

Our staff, Board, individuals and families all share the passion, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence embraced in our mission. These common values keep us moving in the right direction, and help us as we work with the powers-that-be in government and the advocacy community to keep moving in the right direction with AHRC.

I trust you will find the contents of this Report informative and inspiring.

The organization that created the first school, workshops, day treatment programs and community residences continues to meet the needs of the individuals served in its programs. We offer individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities a menu of supports, programs, and services tailored to meet their specific wishes and needs.

For toddlers and children, AHRC New York City offers: preschools; services for children with autism (HOPE preschools, elementary and middle/high schools) utilizing Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), TEAACH, as well as other methodologies; related services; psychological services; Head Start classes; inclusive programs; and educational advocacy to ensure that all school-age children with disabilities receive appropriate services.

For adults services include: opportunities with varying degrees of support where adults—from young adults to seniors—engage in activities that will enhance their skills of daily living, work for pay, volunteer in the community and engage in community exploration; supported employment in AHRC-run and competitive businesses; services for people with traumatic brain injuries; chemical dependency prevention/treatment; domestic violence prevention; residential opportunities in a variety of settings; and residential services for medically frail individuals.

For individuals of all ages, and their families, services include: day camp and sleep-away camp; recreation programs; clinical services such as speech, physical and occupational therapies; case management and service coordination; behavior management, counseling and mental health services; home care services; community habilitation; respite opportunities to give families a break from the job of caretaking; sibling services for typical children who have sisters and brothers with disabilities; guardianship and future care planning; family education; and information and referral services.

SIXTY-EIGHT YEARS OF FINDING ABILITY IN DISABILITY

Neighborhoods and communities are now the boundless service environment for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities. The staff who provide day-to-day support to these individuals have taken on a complex role.

• They do relationship building.
• They promote physical and emotional well-being.
• They engage in crisis intervention.
• They must be respectful, tenacious and exhibit integrity.
• They must exercise independent thinking and keen judgment.
• They are compassionate caregivers, teachers, advocates and friends.

Relied upon by families of individuals with developmental disabilities as being closest to their loved ones, the quality of services provided lie in the hands of this frontline workforce.

These men and women are the heart and soul of the work we do and they deserve to be recognized, applauded and receive fair compensation.

SUPPORTED BY DEDICATED FAMILIES, STAFF AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS

AHRC New York City has continued operating its vast menu of services touching the lives of well over 15,000 annually: 1,600 people in different Employment & Business Services programs; providing residential opportunities to 597 people; delivering a wide array of clinical services, including MSC to over 6,000 people; operating preschools, an Elementary and Middle High School for close to 1,000 school-age children, many on the autism spectrum; offering a variety of recreation and camping opportunities to 1,820 children, adolescents and adults; supporting close to 800 people in a variety of in-home programs; serving 2,150 adults in a variety of pre-vocational, day habilitation and college services in the community; and, many others in smaller programs and service delivery options.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2016

This year brought: the opening of ArTech in the Bronx; the opening of several new day habilitation programs; the acquisition of several new contracts offering needed jobs to people with disabilities in the five boroughs; the development of a growing number of individualized services and supports under OPWDD’s new ways of doing business, Self-Direction and ISS; engagement in different creative works from music to crafts, painting, sculpture and photography by large numbers of people supported by AHRC; the addition of a host of community volunteers working with the people we support in the community; and the sharing of expertise and knowledge by AHRC’s incredible staff through presentations and publications across the country.

AHRC New York City received official accreditation from the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) in 2015 and underwent its 18-month review of ongoing progress towards person centered excellence consistent with our accreditation status. This accreditation recognizes that AHRC NYC stands out in its commitment to quality and person centered excellence, a commitment that has grown even stronger in the past two years.

AHRC New York City self-advocates have greatly increased their efforts in promoting an agenda to better meet their needs throughout the organization. They have worked with AHRC staff on articulating their opinions; they are serving on Committees of the AHRC Board; have created their own Regional Councils; and, are advocating on their own behalf with New York State Legislators particularly on the bFair2DirectCare campaign this past year, to list a few initiatives.

AHRC New York City, one of the five Metro-Arc partners of Partners Health Plan (PHP), the first managed-care company specializing in care for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, has continued working with PHP in the launch of the first Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) FIDA program for people dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, a “first” in the nation! AHRC has participated in marketing and educating people served about this new option and is a provider in PHP’s provider network.

In the area of technology, AHRC New York City received two Balancing Incentive Program (BIP) awards in 2015, both of which began being implemented in 2016. The first award funded the development of a toolkit to assess and assist people in using technology that enhances their lives. AHRC has assimilated this work into its day to day programs with people supported. The second grant was awarded to develop a Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Electronic Health Record (EHR), or combination of interoperable software products that together enable LTSS EHR functionality. Now called Project Cornerstone, AHRC selected Core Solutions’ Cx360 as our system. Upon completion it will serve as the repository for all relevant information—demographics, contacts, health, behavior, safety, daily living, clinical, employment—for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) who are served by AHRC. Go live is expected in the Fall of 2017.

In spite of the budgetary cuts and regulatory challenges, such as rate rationalization, that are being thrust upon our field, AHRC New York City looks forward to offering people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and their families, greater opportunities to lead self-directed fulfilling and productive lives in the community in the years to come.

Program Services

The complete financial statements, including the related notes and auditor’s report, are available upon request.