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Health and Wellness

Publications & Programs

The Arc of the U.S.’s Position Statement on Healthcare

Health Care Reform, The Position of The Arc

Health Care Report from The Arc of Mass. available here

The Partnership for Healthcare Excellence

The Arc of Massachusetts’s Health Care Project is among a broad coalition of organizations supporting an exciting new statewide initiative called The Partnership for Healthcare Excellence.  The Massachusetts-based Partnership is the first statewide effort in the nation to focus specifically on patients – helping them to play a greater role in improving the quality of their health care.  The goals of the Partnership are to educate the public about variation in health care quality and to provide consumers with information and tools to improve the quality of their own care.  The Partnership seeks to motivate consumers to advocate for overall health system change that improve quality of care.  For more information, click here.

Extra Measures for Patients with Developmental Disabilities
Brochure from The Arc of Massachusetts to the Medical Community
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader - download it free here)

South Shore YMCA

Quincy

Mill Pond Branch (Hanover)

Mercury & Learning Disabilities: A Parent's Guide
Mercury has been linked to learning disabilities and other developmental problems in children.  This guide explains how mercury poisoning happens, the ways in which it can affect children, and how parents can help their children manage learning disabilities and/or prevent unborn children from mercury poisoning.  A collaborative effort between The Arc, the Learning Disabilities Association of America, the National Education Association (NEA), and the NEA Health Information Network.

Healthcare Project at The Arc of Massachusetts
Accommodations for our population are often overlooked as health systems become more complex and insulated.  Research has documented many problems, from a national perspective, in healthcare access for people with developmental disabilities.  The goal of the Healthcare Project is first to understand the scope of the problem in Massachusetts, and next to determine how best to intervene so that improvements can be made, based in part on alliances with other disability organizations, public agencies, public officials and health care systems.

Resources  

Health Care For All
A non-profit health advocacy organization. Website includes an in-depth collection of healthcare-related resources for people with disabilities. Health Care For All also offers a free health information telephone hotline, which provides information about healthcare in Massachusetts. Access the hotline by phone at (617) 350-7279 or 1-800-272-4232, or go to their home page and click on Health Helpline.

The Division of Perinatal, Early Childhood, and Special Health Needs
Formerly the Division for Special Health Needs. Part of the state Department of Public Health, the Division plans, implements, and evaluates public health programs for individuals with disabilities or special needs throughout the life span.

DD Program at McLean Hospital
This program offers outpatient treatment and care, in a partial hospital setting, for people with developmental disabilities who are dually diagnosed with psychiatric symptoms.

Directions: Resources for Your Child's Care, Second Edition
“Directions” is an organizing notebook and a resource guide for families of children with special health care needs, designed to help you plan and coordinate care for your child. Provides resources and specialized information about caring for children with special health care needs; ways to organize your child’s health information in order to optimize contact with health providers and health plans; and tips from other parents of children with special health care needs.

Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow (AHT) 
The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow (AHT) is a citizen initiative in Massachusetts to establish new government policies to prevent harm to our health from toxic hazards. Exposure to pollution and other harmful products has been linked to many health problems, including developmental and behavioral disabilities. The Alliance consists of 142 organizational members – including The Arc of Massachusetts – as well as a network of 1900 individual activists and concerned citizens.

Household Hazards: What's Under Your Sink?  Potential Hazards of Home Cleaning Products  (1.2 MB)

Released by Women Voices for the Earth, an AHT affiliate, this report presents mounting evidence that exposure to chemicals in cleaning products is linked to health problems in people, including asthma and reproductive harm.   Household Hazards  details research on specific ingredients in household cleaners that could pose harm - particularly to children, women and workers.  The report also calls for greater regulation of cleaning products sold on store shelves, through legislation such as Massachusetts' Safe Cleaning Products Bill (H2246, S2201).

Mercury Protection Guides & Toolkit
Offers detailed information about mercury, its effects, and how to protect yourself and your family from mercury poisoning.  Resources include a Mercury Calculator which can estimate the level of mercury in your blood; a guide to what types and portions of fish are safe to eat; frequently asked questions about mercury-containing products; and information for medical professionals.  Created by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the guides and toolkit are also available in Spanish [ disponible en español] .

Tips for First Responders - Field Guide for Assisting People with Disabilities
Provides quick, easy-to-use procedures and suggestions to guide first responders in best assisting people with disabilities in emergency settings as well as routine encounters. Covers people with cognitive disabilities, as well as seniors and people with service animals, mental illness, and mobility, visual, and hearing impairments. Courtesy of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Center for Development & Disability.