The Arc of New Jersey Mainstreaming Medical Care Program
Beverly Roberts, Director
Medicare Part D Alert: There are a few important issues for you to be aware of
prior to January 1, 2007. The information pertains to Horizon Medicare Rx Plan 2.
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.
An Annual Conference
Our 18th Annual Conference on Medical Care for People with Developmental Disabilities was held on Friday, June 1, 2007 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.
US Surgeon General Release Report on Health Disparities for Persons with Mental Retardation
In February, 2002, the U.S. Surgeon General released a groundbreaking report entitled, "Closing the Gap: A National Blueprint to Improve the Health of Persons with Mental Retardation."
It is of enormous importance when the Surgeon General issues a report focusing on the need to improve
health care for persons with mental retardation. The report includes six major goals and numerous
action steps to improve the overall quality of health care for these individuals. The goals are as follows:
- Integrate health promotion into community environments of people with mental retardation
- Increase knowledge and understanding of health and mental retardation.
- Improve the quality of health care for people with mental retardation.
- Train health care providers in the care of adults and children with mental retardation.
- Ensure that health care financing produces good health outcomes for adults and children with mental retardation.
- Increase sources of health care services, ensuring that health care is easily accessible. Click here to
view this report.
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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