The Arc of New Jersey Mainstreaming Medical Care Program
Beverly Roberts, Director
Promoting Quality Health Care for Persons with Developmental Disabilities in New Jersey
The Mainstreaming Medical Care Program provides strong advocacy on behalf of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries with developmental disabilities. Click below
for detailed information on these topics:
The Arc of New Jersey's Mainstreaming Medical Care Program promotes quality health care for people with developmental disabilities through:
- Strong advocacy on statewide committees assigned to make recommendations on health care for people with developmental disabilities.
- Presentations on managed care and women's health issues to large or small groups of families, staff and consumers. Information and referral services to
families, staff and consumers on how people with disabilities should access health care services from the current health care system.
- Publication of Healthy Times, a medical newsletter for health care professionals and caregivers. If you
would like to receive the Healthy Times newsletter, click here.
- Major initiatives in three important health care areas: Managed Care for People with Disabilities, Medicare Part D for Dual-Eligibles and The Women's Health Project.
- Special health-related projects such as the Diabetes Prevention and Management Project, and HealthHelp for New Jersey Families
An Annual Conference
Our 20th Annual Conference on Medical Care for People with Developmental Disabilities will be held on
Friday, May 29, 2009 at the Westin Princeton, Forrestal Village. Contact us to be put on the mailing list
to receive future conference brochures or our "Healthy Times" newsletter.
Advocacy on Managed Care for People with  Disabilities
The Mainstreaming Medical Care Program has been a strong and effective advocate for the development of safeguards in the State's plans for Medicaid managed care
for SSI beneficiaries (including persons with developmental disabilities). This program is called, "New Jersey Care 2000+."
The New Jersey Department of Human Services is implementing New Jersey Care 2000+, and our advocacy with the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS) is ongoing. These advocacy efforts
will continue both during and after the state initiates the mandatory enrollment program.
Individuals with developmental disabilities who receive Medicaid are required to enroll in a Medicaid
HMO. The dual eligibles – persons who receive both Medicaid and Medicare – are not required to enroll in an HMO, but they may enroll on a voluntary basis.
For more detailed information on Medicaid managed care for SSI beneficiaries in New Jersey, visit the "Medicaid Info" area on The Arc of New Jersey's web site. Click here.
 The Women's Health Project
The Women's Health Project was initiated in 1992 to promote awareness of women's health issues for women with developmental disabilities. Based on the theme, Let's
Talk About Health: What Every Woman Should Know, the Women's Health Project has developed a videotape and workbook to empower women with the knowledge of how
they can be involved in their own health care, what services are available, why it is necessary to use them, and how best to utilize them.
These materials also serve as an important teaching tool for parents, educators and providers. To see a description of the materials and an order form, click here.
Emergency Information Form for Children with Special Needs
According to the American College of Emergency Physicians' (ACEP) website, "children with chronic medical conditions are the most rapidly growing group of children under age 18 coming to emergency
departments. When children with special health care needs receive emergency care, their underlying
conditions can place them at special risk for negative health consequences, making medical information
about their conditions especially important." ACEP reports that nationally, 20 million children have some
type of long-standing medical condition, and this population accounts for up to 24% of all emergency room visits.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Emergency Physicians have prepared a two-page Emergency Information Form for Children with Special Needs. In an emergency situation, it
is essential that the emergency room physician has immediate access to the child's medical history.
Without this information, children with special health care needs are at risk of delayed treatment, unnecessary tests, and sometimes, serious medical errors.
This form will be of interest to parents, school personnel, day care programs, physicians, nurses, and
health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Although the form was developed for children with special health care needs, it will also be useful for adults with developmental disabilities.
The Emergency Information Form (EIF) can be printed most easily from the American College of Emergency Physicians website: www.acep.org. Go to the "Home Health" heading on the left side of
the screen, and click on "Emergency Care of Children". At the bottom of that page, click on "Emergency Information for Children with Special Health Needs" to see the form. Your computer must
have Adobe Acrobat to view the form. If you have difficulty printing it, The Arc of New Jersey will
send it to you, along with a letter of instructions for parents on filling in the form. Contact Beverly Roberts at 732-246-2525, ext. 34, or request the information by e-mail.
Your Guide for Making Medicaid Managed Care Work for You
The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities (of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School) and the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services of the State Department of Human Services
have published an informative booklet entitled, Your Guide for Making Medicaid Managed Care Work for You. Click here to see the booklet.
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