FEBRUARY 19 - 22, 2006

Phoenix provided a welcoming site for the 35th Annual Conference. As both public and private Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded (ICFs/MR) face issues of change, the presentations provided both cautions and ideas.

While enjoying the sunshine, we got to hear how the weather can cause abrupt changes. Kathy Kliebert led a delegation from Louisiana, who talked about the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and the recovery efforts in that state.

We were informed of the ways in which trends in Federal legislation and policy provide challenges and opportunities for our facilities and the people we serve. Bob Gettings informed us of legislation regarding the Federal Medicare drug benefit and the demonstration grants for Money Follows the Person, among other legislation and political activity.

Dianne Smith of CMS continued the recent practice of helping those in attendance to meet regulatory standards by sharing current emphases and the outcomes of Look-Behind surveys.

James Gardner, Ph.D. and Amanda Cade described the new quality measures released by The Council on Quality and Leadership. They introduced the new Certified Quality Manager program.

In a fascinating presentation, Ruth Myers, M.D. and Stephen Myers, Ph.D. discussed the effects of traumatic events on the lives of people with special needs. They identified how use of restraint can both be traumatic and also be affected by a person's history of trauma.

And, of course, issues of staff training and retention were addressed. We were particularly pleased that Renee Pietrangelo, Ph.D., Executive Director of ANCOR, provided the keynote address. Dr. Pietrangelo has led a national workforce research initiative addressing these issues. One lesson from her presentation was a clearer understanding that public and private ICFs/MR face similar issues and need to work together to continue progress. In 2006, for the first time, APDDA sent invitations to-and had a number of participants from-private ICFs/MR; we hope to continue that relationship in 2007.

            

One way to work together is by participating in the College of Direct Support. Bill Tapp, National Director for the College, told up about the opportunities that project provides.

Many of the participants took advantage of the opportunity to visit the Arizona Training Program at Coolidge, the public ICF/MR serving Arizona.

We were able to see the resources provided by a number of vendors. And, of course, we also got to enjoy the amenities of Phoenix, from sunshine, to fine dining, to recreation.