UIC Division of Specialized Care for Children

Our annual Award of Merit celebration honors the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) nominees for their outstanding dedication and service to children and youth with special healthcare needs. On Oct. 29, we celebrated the 2024 nominees with a luncheon at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) campus. Members of DSCC leadership and other colleagues joined the 13 nominees at UIS for the hybrid celebration. DSCC staff tuned in on Zoom to celebrate across the state. Thomas F. Jerkovitz, our Executive Director, presented certificates to the 2024 nominees and expressed his gratitude. “You are DSCC. You’re what makes DSCC great,” he said. Dr. Molly Hofmann, our Director of Care Coordination, Systems Development and Education, emphasized the importance of this event with her closing remarks. “This is an opportunity to celebrate each of you and all that you do to help carry out our mission across the organization,” she said. Check out the complete 2024 DSCC Award of Merit album on Facebook at https://lnkd.in/gRa6cFVp. The album features photos from the ceremony, celebrating our 2024 DSCC Award of Merit Nominees: 🏆 Daniel "Dan" Beagles 🏆 Becky Helmink 🏆 Andrea Hoskinson 🏆 Meeka Hudson 🏆 Amanda Kaufman 🏆 Cristina Lazala 🏆 Cathleen "Cathy" Morrissey 🏆 Patricia Perez 🏆 Yariela "Yari" Ramirez Beccue 🏆 Mary Ratermann 🏆 Adell Scott 🏆 Paige Town 🏆 Imani Wornum

Registration is open for The Arc of Illinois' Fall Conference: "Resources and Supports for Individuals with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and Mental Illness.” This virtual conference is Thursday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The conference will focus on individuals with IDD and co-occurring mental or behavioral health disabilities (dual diagnosis). Presentation topics include: 👉 9:10 - 10:30 a.m. - “Understanding Dual Diagnosis Serving People with ID/D and MI” (presentation flyer pictured below) 👉 10:45 - 11:45 a.m. - “Understanding and Preventing Suicide Risk in People Living with Autism or Intellectual Disabilities” 👉 12:15 - 12:30 p.m. - Tapping Exercise 👉 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. - “Cultural and Ethical Considerations in Treating IDD/MI” 👉 1:30 - 1:45 p.m. - “Real World Advocacy: My Dual Diagnosis and Successful Struggle for Support” 👉 2 - 4 p.m. - “Crisis Intervention and De-Escalation” Find the brochure, conference schedule and registration details at https://zurl.co/xZWb.

Attention home health nurses! Join the Educate to Elevate simulation-based training for pediatric home care nurses caring for children with medical complexities. The one-day program includes classroom training and uniquely features a simulation lab equipped with high-fidelity mannequins giving nurses the opportunity to train in a realistic simulation with scenarios developed by Almost Home Kids. Nurses will learn how to safely care for children with ventilators, gastrostomy tubes (g-tubes) and those who have tracheostomies. Home care nurses will gain improved competence and confidence in caring for children with medical complexities in a home setting. The next training is: ➡ Date: Nov. 7 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ➡ Location: The UIC Simulation and Integrative Learning Institute (SAIL) at Mile Square Health Center, 1220 S. Wood St., fifth floor, in Chicago We are excited to partner with Almost Home Kids to underwrite the cost of the session, so your registration fee is waived. See the Educate to Elevate flyer below and visit https://lnkd.in/g9dgTijx for more details.

Our Mokena Regional Office team hosted their second annual Trunk or Treat on Friday, Oct. 18. The Trunk or Treat featured 11 decorated cars with games, prizes, music and giveaways. Thirty-two participants attended the event along with their families and friends. Other event attendees included family members of Mokena RO staff, a former DSCC Mokena RO team member and a DSCC intern from the Marion and Olney team. Assistant Regional Manager Tami Peleckis said, “We also had a lot of families who just wanted to hang out after they went car to car, and it was nice to see them having so much fun. It was an amazing evening.” The photos below feature team members and event attendees dressed in Halloween costumes as they enjoy the Trunk or Treat event. We hope you and your family had a very happy Halloween 🎃!

Please join us in congratulating the 2024 nominees for the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) Award of Merit! The Award of Merit recognizes exceptional DSCC team members for outstanding dedication and service to children and youth with special healthcare needs. DSCC employees from across the state nominate their co-workers for this prestigious award. The 2024 Award of Merit nominees are: 🏆 Daniel "Dan" Beagles, Training and Development Specialist, Mokena Regional Office 🏆 Becky Helmink, Program Coordinator Assistant, Olney Regional Office 🏆 Andrea Hoskinson, Assistant Director of Operations - Finance, Accounting, and Procurement, Central Administrative Office in Springfield 🏆 Meeka Hudson, Care Coordinator, Mokena Regional Office 🏆 Amanda Kaufman, Care Coordinator, Home Care Region 3 in St. Clair 🏆 Cristina Lazala, Bilingual Program Coordinator Assistant, Home Region 2 in Lombard 🏆 Cathleen "Cathy" Morrissey, Program Coordinator Assistant, Mokena Regional Office 🏆 Patricia Perez, Assistant Director of Operations for Research and Practice Initiatives, Chicago Regional Office 🏆 Yariela "Yari" Ramirez Beccue, Program Services Specialist, Central Administrative Office in Springfield 🏆 Mary Ratermann, Home Care Enrollment Specialist, St. Clair Regional Office 🏆 Adell Scott, Manager of Home Care Quality Improvement, St. Clair Regional Office 🏆 Paige Town, Assistant Regional Manager, Rockford Regional Office 🏆 Imani Wornum, Care Coordinator, Home Care Region 5 in Chicago We honored the 2024 Award of Merit nominees with a luncheon at the University of Illinois Springfield campus on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Stay tuned for photos and more details from the celebration. A big congratulations to our outstanding nominees!

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). It’s never too early to think about the job you want to do after high school. We've created a Vocational Training Tip Sheet to help youth with special healthcare needs and their families explore career interests, find programs and develop work skills. You can find the Vocational Training Tip Sheet (pictured below) in English and Spanish at https://lnkd.in/gcNmTMZA. For more work-related tip sheets and other helpful materials to support the transition to adulthood, visit the Transition Tools section of our website at https://lnkd.in/gHZBvm8.

Team members from our Marion and Olney Regional Offices connected at Burrell Woods in Carmi, Ill., earlier this month. The Carmi cookout, a tradition that began in 2021, provides a great opportunity for the two offices to connect in a central location. Regional Manager Amy Jones emphasized the importance of this connection. “Although we are actually two small, separate physical offices, we make one team and have formed bonds between staff at the two offices,” she said. The day kicked off with a cookout featuring grilling, games, and team bonding. The team held a staff meeting with Assistant Director of Operations for Core Southern Region Shelly Roat and Associate Director of Care Coordination Lisa Washington. Reflecting on the day, Amy expressed the gratitude she and her team feel for the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC). “We are all glad to work here at DSCC. We appreciate the flexibility, working from home, and mostly making a difference in the lives of the participants that we work with,” she shared. The images below show Marion and Olney RO team members having fun in Carmi. The series of photos includes a bonus picture of Amy’s dog, Rosie, enjoying the festivities!

The Nov. 5 election is less than two weeks away! It's important that individuals of all abilities have the opportunity to vote. Voting is a meaningful way to have a say in what happens in your community and government. We've compiled a list of accessible voting guides in plain language as well as voting checklists, hotlines and more to help people with disabilities cast their ballots. These materials explain: • Voting rights for individuals with disabilities • How voting works • What accommodations are available • How to register to vote • How to help others vote and more Check out our Voting Resources for People With Disabilities list at https://zurl.co/FGaT.

Save the date! Our Family Advisory Council's next open forum meeting is on Nov. 14 from 9 to 11 a.m. This virtual meeting is an opportunity to share feedback about the services and resources you need and what matters most to you. You do not have to be a Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) participant to attend. The meeting is open to all Illinois families of children and young adults with special healthcare needs. Our Family Advisory Council guides our efforts to strengthen teamwork, improve communication and empower families to have a voice in their children’s care. The council also connects families to resources and other families who are on a similar journey. More details are at https://zurl.co/x1NP.

University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry's new Inclusive Care Clinic (ICC) is designed to treats patients with disabilities and/or special healthcare needs. Russell Plambeck is an ICC patient who uses a wheelchair. He traveled 2 ½ hours to the ICC to get the dental care he needs. “This is like an oasis in a sense,” he said. Russell’s partner Theresia Burman said the ICC “solves a problem not many dentist offices are thinking about: being a place that anybody can access.” Theresa explains the barriers of other dental offices. “Some people can’t get through the doorways, some people can’t even make it to the front door because there’s no ramp, or they won’t take somebody because of behavioral issues,” she said. “That’s not right. Everybody needs to have the medicine and dentistry that they’re entitled to.” The ICC serves patients 15 years or older who may encounter barriers receiving dental care due to accommodations needed for mobility and/or cognitive/sensory needs. The ICC addresses these barriers by providing: 👉 A sensory room 👉 A wheelchair lift 👉 Private treatment rooms 👉 Noise-cancelling headphones 👉 Personal entertainment tablets and weighted blankets The Inclusive Care Clinic is located at 801 S. Paulina St., Room 127, in Chicago. Learn more at https://zurl.co/l36z.