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Northern Virginia Training Center Model

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The Regional Community Support Center

at the Northern Virginia Training Center

The Regional Community Support Center (RCSC) was established in January 1996. Funding began July 1, 1998 with a $250,000 special appropriation from State General Funds through House Bill 30. In fiscal year 2001 (FY01), an additional $100,000 appropriation from State General Funds was approved by the General Assembly to expand the program. The RCSC current budget is $350,000 to provide medical specialty services and clinical consultation, dental, respite, and education and training.

The services are provided to consumers of the five Community Services Boards in the Northern Virginia Region, specifically Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax-Falls Church, Loudoun and Prince William. Services are also provided outside this region when requested.

During fiscal year 2003, the medical and clinical specialty services of RCSC were provided to five hundred and thirty people (530). The consumers seeking services range in age from three years to well over sixty.

The consumers live in a variety of settings and they rely on RCSC to provide a specialty service that would otherwise only be available to them if they resided in ICF-MR.

RCSC services are available to people who would otherwise be under-served or not served because of the inability to access the services as a result of inability to pay, extent of disability, behavioral complications and/or dissatisfaction with services provided elsewhere.

MEDICAL AND CLINICAL SPECIALTY SERVICES

RCSC extends service access to people who require care from professionals with special expertise in the care and treatment of people with mental retardation/developmental disabilities. The medical professionals and clinicians at the Training Center provide this expert service.

Over the past six (6) years, 12,086 hours of clinical services have been provided to 1,850 people. Service need and provision of medical and clinical services continues to grow yearly.

Clinical services offered include: Audiology, Behavioral Psychology, Clinical Social Work, Dental, Dermatology, ENT, Gastroenterology, Gynecology, Medical, Neurology, Nursing, Nutrition, Occupational Therapy, Orthopedic, Ophthalmology, Pharmacology, Physical Therapy, psychiatry, podiatry, pulmonology, rehab engineering, speech and language, therapeutic Recreation, Vocational Assessment and Wheelchair Clinic. The most frequently requested services are Dental, Behavioral Psychology, Psychiatry and Therapeutic Recreation.

RESPITE SERVICES

RCSC supports many families in need of respite services. The temporary relief from care giving responsibility is a great support to parents and siblings. During FY03, the Northern Virginia Training Center hosted 14 people for 231 respite days through 42 admissions.

Individuals residing in a group home are not eligible to participate in the respite service. From FY93 to FY98, NVTC increased respite from 140 to 396 bed days. Over the past five (5) years, NVTC has accommodated three hundred and ten (310) respite admissions and provided two thousand one hundred seventy five (2,175) days of respite care to individuals. .

*The decrease in bed days from the previous year is due to State-mandated change in admission policy. In prior years, individuals could stay for a continuous 75-day respite before emergency admission was required; this requirement was reduced to 21 continuous days before emergency admission. Slightly more individuals received respite services in FY 01 as compared to FY 00, but the new policy cap on continuous respite days artificially reduced respite bed days, while emergency admissions increased.

STUDENT INTERNSHIP / EXTERNSHIP AND PRACTICUM OPPORTUNITIES

The service departments at NVTC trained 300 students over the past 6 years. The Center currently has contracts with 30 institutions of higher learning. Each semester NVTC is the training ground for students of Social Work, Nursing, Speech and Hearing, Psychology, Pharmacology, Neurology, Occupational Therapy, Therapeutic Recreation, Physical Therapy and Dental Hygiene. We are currently looking into developing a Rehabilitation Engineering and/or Assistive Technology internship opportunity.

Fiscal Year	Students Trained	Number of Regional Universities & Colleges
FY 98	32	16
FY 99	45	20
FY 00	38	21
FY 01	51	23
FY 02	54	28
FY 03	80	30

STAFF TRAINING

The NVTC Training Department and clinical staff provide education and training opportunities to the staff of community based service organizations that support consumers in the Northern Virginia region. The training provided is designed to help build the infrastructure by increasing the knowledge and experience of care providers to address each individual’s complex needs.

Over the past 6 years, NVTC has provided 6686 hours of training to 1927 staff.

Fiscal Year	Individuals Trained	Hours of Training
FY 98	366	1029
FY 99	348	1817
FY 00	319	1512
FY 01	450	1054
FY 02	196	562
FY 03	248	712

ANNUAL COST

The RCSC is funded by a $350,000 special appropriation from State General Funds, but services are not capped when those funds are depleted as the data indicate below.

FY99 total cost of services $285,047

FY00 total cost of services $297,005

FY01 total cost of services $387,277

FY02 total cost of services $430,165

FY03 total cost of services $421,570

Critical Need for RCSC Services

Many people would not get critical services. Some people would not be able to stay in their current residential placements if it were not for the opportunity to obtain medical specialty, clinical and habilitative services through the RCSC program. RCSC services have proven to be cost effective, have prevented unintended consequences to a very fragile population, and have reduced the risk of hospitalization or institutionalization for many consumers. The State MHMRSAS Board developed a resolution supporting the RCSC concept and recommended to the Governor that the NVTC RCSC program continue to be funded and that the RCSC model be extended to the other four State training centers.

The Regional Community Support Center at NVTC was one of twenty-one national models and creative programs noted in the surgeon generals Conference on Health Disparities and Mental Retardation (December, 2001).

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you are interested in obtaining more information about this program, please contact the Office of Social Work and Clinical Services at 703-323-4021 or visit our web site at www.nvtc.state.va.us or contact your local community services board.

SAMPLE TESTIMONIALS

“Northern Virginia Training Center (NVTC) inquired repeatedly regarding the status of the client’s family/sister did not submit a copy of all pertinent information while deciding whether to move out of the area – good follow-up by NVTC.”

“NVTC has been and continues to be a valuable positive resource for H___ and his team.”

The RCSC has been very supportive of this client’s needs. This support has been instrumental in having a smooth transition from her NVTC placement to her new community group home.”

“J___ would and has never allowed a gynecological examination, including pap smear. With sensitivity, skill and their experience, J___ was able to be checked with no problems.

“What can I say – this young lady has severe self injurious behavior. We were unable to have a coordinated investigation into the one or many medical/dental/other physical potential causes of the self-injurious behavior. Judy Regner (RCSC Coordinator) and Dr. Maria Paraguya (Physician) and Jolane Couch, R.N., among others, pulled together with ease and skill a very difficult process with a resistant consumer. What would we do without NVTC – this consumer, in distress, had a medical doctor who prescribed by telephone for chronic ear infections. For the specialized population of very disabled multi impaired consumers, NVTC is essential to providing interdisciplinary assessment, consultation and training. Nice people too.”

“Community dentist didn’t want to do any work without informed consent and felt J___ couldn’t adequately give this.”

“Behavioral issues during procedures have excluded S___ from community service use. This is an extremely important service and I am certain that it has helped S___ to maintain overall health as a result of its availability.”

“All services available are at same site; assure compatibility of hardware, ongoing assessment. The consumer and his family expressed gratitude for these services. Streamlining the two together made accessibility possible for this consumer and reduced confusion for his family.”

“Mother very pleased – stated she had been searching for dental services for years – M___ is very physically involved cerebral palsy, most community dentists refused to see her.”

The Community Residence group home takes K___ to swim and she loves it. It is very therapeutic for her with her condition.”

“It was important to get a psychiatrist who was familiar with dual diagnosis of mental retardation. Family appreciated the hands on approach and support, especially concerning medication.”

VOR * 836 S. Arlington Heights Rd., #351 * Elk Grove Village, Illinois * 60007

877-399-4VOR ph. * 847-258-5273 fax * tamie327@hotmail.com