Making Healthy Connections Program (MHC): pyd.org

Program Highlights/News:

The Lawrence/Boston and Springfield MHC groups are now accepting applications from youth and their families for the next session of Making Healthy Connections, which will begin in December 2007/January 2008. Sign up now while there are spaces left!

Springfield/Western MA MHC applicants: If you are interested in participating in our Springfield Making Healthy Connections program, please contact Susan Nicastro at 413-584-0455 (TTY: 617-314-2989) or via email at snicastro@pyd.org. Mailing address: PO Box 1311, Northampton MA 01061.

Lawrence/Boston MHC applicants: If you are interested in learning more about participating in our Boston/Lawrence Making Healthy Connections program, please contact Deep Chinappa at 617-556-4075x20 (TTY: 617-314-2989) or via email at dchinappa@pyd.org.

Making Healthy Connections Program (MHC)

MHC is a series of interactive discussions and recreational activities designed to help adolescents and young adults with disabilities and special health needs prepare for adult life. In partnership with Boston Medical Center, MHC is currently focusing its curriculum on some of the Leading Health Indicators established by Healthy People 2010 (www.healthypeople.gov/LHI). All topics within MHC place an emphasis on self-management of health care and transitioning to adult health services. The goals of the program are to enable young people with disabilities and or special health care needs to do the following:

Gain a greater understanding of their disabilities and/or special health care needs through interaction with other young adults and mentors who have disabilities and/or special health care needs;

Build positive communication skills that will help them to describe and educate others about their disability, leading them to advocate for themselves at home, in school, in health care settings, and in the community;

Develop strategies for taking more responsibility for activities of daily living, including managing their health care;

Learn how to access resources in the community to help them prepare for the transition to adulthood;

Explore healthy lifestyles and recreation options;

Increase knowledge about educational, career, and independent living options.

These sessions are held in both Boston and Springfield facilities and are led by mentors with disabilities, with PYD peer leaders acting as role models. An additional site in Lawrence, MA has been established and will be accepting applications from youth in Fall 2004.

MHC also offers training and support to parents of adolescents in the program. Parent transition planning workshops are held at the Boston and Springfield sites and will be held at the newly developed Lawrence site as well. Topics such as personal care assistance, health transition, preparing for jobs and college, assistive technology, transportation options, and working with the educational system are covered in the Parents Group.

In 2002, MHC began an exciting new partnership with Boston Medical Center Department of Family Medicine as a result of support from the Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Fund. In 2003, the partnership received major funding from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Intervention Research Grant Number RO4/CCR123260-01 to Promote the Health of People with Disabilities. Other major funders for this project include the Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Fund, Tufts Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay.

Ages 14-22 served.
Program founded in 1997.

Making Healthy Connections Program (MHC)

A Success Story on the Making Healthy Connections Program

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