Bailey House, which has served low-income homeless and unstably
housed men, women and families living with and affected by HIV/AIDS since 1983
and The Center for Independence of the
Disabled, NY (CIDNY), a leading advocate for people with disabilities that
has worked for over 30 years to remove
physical and social barriers and to ensure that people with disabilities have
the tools they need to live independently, provide for financial needs, and
enjoy equal opportunities, announce a strategic alliance to improve the
health outcomes of low-income men and women living with all types of
disabilities – physical, sensory, cognitive, developmental and psychiatric.
The
two agencies are launching this initiative, Health Matters - which combines
their expertise in housing, case management, health coverage navigation,
entitlement advocacy and legal advocacy - to end barriers to care for affected
New Yorkers with disabilities.
Goals of the alliance include
ending barriers to health care for disabled New Yorkers who are often forced to
use costly emergency and acute care because they are unable to easily access
primary care or mental health services in their communities. Three key factors
that increase emergency department care by adults with disabilities include
lack of access to care and prescription medications, the complexity of
individuals’ health profiles, and disability status itself.
Susan Dooha, Executive Director
of CIDNY, describes the alliance: “Our partnership will help break through the
barriers that low-income New Yorkers with disabilities face as they try to
maintain their health. Working with our
partner Bailey House will ensure that people with the toughest health access
challenges get prompt attention and services as a matter of course.”
Regina Quattrochi, Bailey House’s
CEO, explains the objective of the collaboration: “We are excited to join
forces with CIDNY to tackle health disparities often faced by New Yorkers
living with disabilities. We know from the recent experience post Superstorm
Sandy that some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers - the unstably housed, people
with disabilities and the elderly - faced insurmountable barriers to obtaining
critical care and services during a crisis.
What’s more disturbing, however, is
that many face the same insurmountable barriers even when the City is operating
normally. Health Matters will serve as a model of what can be done when
two agencies with strong track records join forces.”
