Community Services
Under the umbrella of the Community Services Department, the Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island is proud to offer Community Habilitation, Medicaid Service Coordination and Community Education. Community Habilitation is a recent addition to a continuum of services at the Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island including Day Habilitation, Residential Services and Clinic Services.
Community Habilitation
Community Habilitation offers the opportunity for people with developmental disabilities to live at home longer, more independently, and more safely. A trained Community Habilitation Support Specialist works with individuals in their homes and communities to develop skills, pursue an interest, and live more independently. Such activities include going shopping, learning to cook nutritious meals; learning to use public transportation to access services in the community; developing skills to take care of one’s self and home better; exploring programs, services and activities of interest that lead to a more fulfilling life.
Medicaid Service Coordination
Though Medicaid Service Coordination is not new to the Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island, some people may not be familiar with the program. Medicaid Service Coordination is a Medicaid State Plan service which assists people with developmental disabilities in gaining access to services and supports. The Epilepsy Foundation contracts with New York State to be an MSC vendor.
Though there are many responsibilities of the Medicaid Service Coordinator (MSC), those listed below capture the role that the MSC plays in the life of a person with developmental disabilities.
- Life Planning: The Life Planning process is documented in the Individualized Service Plan (ISP) - a document that provides a profile of the individual, the valued outcomes they are striving to achieve, and the services they use to attain these outcomes. The MSC works with the individual, the family/advocates and service providers to develop a plan that is a reflection of the person and his or her pursuits.
- Obtaining Resources: The MSC looks within the community of the individual to obtain resources that promote the person’s interests, talents, hobbies, skills, needs, desires, and dreams. These resources could include day programs, employment, recreation and entertainment, living arrangements, adaptive equipment, financial assistance, community habilitation, respite, emergency/disaster planning - and the list goes on!
- Advocacy: The MSC - provides the critical role of advocate for the health, safety and rights of the people with whom they work.
Community Education (Please refer to Education and Outreach)
If you would like to learn more about any of the programs in the Community Services Department, please contact:
Irene Rodgers at (516) 739-7733 ext. 415.
