A new effort from The Arc of the United States and the United Health Foundation will offer resources to support people with developmental disabilities and mental health issues. (iStock)
National developmental disabilities advocacy groups are signing multimillion-dollar partnerships with some major health care players in an effort to better address co-occurring conditions.
The Arc of the United States said it will work with the United Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of UnitedHealth Group, to improve the mental health of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Through a three-year, $2.5 million agreement, 10 chapters of The Arc will receive $100,000 grants to establish specific solutions for those in this population. The effort will include increasing access to mental health services, improving coordination between health and disability systems, public awareness campaigns to alleviate stigma and misconceptions, as well as training for more than 2,000 providers and caregivers to help them. understand the mental health needs of people with developmental disabilities. disabilities, according to The Arc.
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Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the number of incidents of mental health crises experienced by people with developmental disabilities, officials said.
“People with intellectual and developmental disabilities face barriers from the moment they are born, which can have a direct impact on their mental health,” said Katy Neas, executive director of The Arc of the United States. “But too often their mental health needs are not met due to stigma, lack of training and prejudice. “This generous investment from United Health Foundation gives us a path to address this mental health crisis head-on by providing critical training to everyone who interacts with our community: medical professionals, caregivers, first responders, educators, families and more.”
As part of the program, grants will go to The Arc of Arizona, The Arc of Loudoun in Virginia, The Arc of Macomb County in Michigan, The Arc of Mississippi, The Arc of Oklahoma, The Arc Oregon, The Arc Prince George’s County in Maryland, The Arc Rhode Island, St. Louis Arc and Sertoma Star Services in Illinois.
Meanwhile, a separate partnership between Autism Speaks and the American Heart Association will direct $2 million to research into cardiovascular and brain health in people with autism through pre- and postdoctoral fellowships.
“Research suggests that autistic people are more likely to have poor cardiovascular health compared to the general public. We need to know why and make sure people with autism have access to the same high-quality care as the rest of us,” said Andy Shih, chief scientific officer of Autism Speaks.
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