The Arc of Pennsylvania held the 1st annual Disability Health Action Summit. The event took place on March 6th, 2024 at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey hotel. The theme of the day was Advancing Health Equity for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. (scroll down for pictures!)
People with disabilities have long been experiencing health disparities. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, came worsened health outcomes for people with disabilities. It also brought about much needed attention and funds to research the emerging health disparities. The Arc of Pennsylvania was provided funds through the Pennsylvania Department of Health to do just that, and the results of the three-year long project are what prompted this summit. Years of previous research on this topic was further reinforced by the findings from the Arc of PA’s Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among People with Disabilities. Consequently, the need for a conference dedicated exclusively to addressing health equity for people with disabilities became apparent. The Disability Health Action Summit was made possible by a grant from The Foundation for Enhancing Communities – Pennsylvania Disability Advocacy Fund.
This conference took a deeper dive into four major focus areas: (1) Education of Medical Professionals, (2) Elevating the Voices of Self Advocates, (3) Policy Changes, and (4) Advancing Dental Care.
You’ll find links to the presentation materials for each of the sessions below:
Disability Health Action Summit Session Resources (Presentation PDF) (Speaker Information PDF)
Wednesday March 6, 2024:
Video Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQFfAMUR_yCFwoYcIqGvFvCU7CSX5CDLR
9:00 am – 10:00 am Breakouts
Session A – Education of Medical Professionals:
The Arc of Philadelphia, Shane Janick and Valerie Chadwick (Presentation PDF)
Penn State College of Medicine, Lydia Smeltz, medical student (Presentation PDF)
Thomas Jefferson University, Dr. Mary Stephens and Karin Roseman (Presentation PDF)
Session B – Elevating the Voices of Self Advocates:
Jefferson Health- Center for Autism and Neurodiversity, Jane Tobias and Dr. Wendy Ross
Advocates from The Arc of PA, Alexa Brill, Jessica and Caden Capitani
10:15 am – 11:15 am General Session
Tine Hansen-Turton, President and CEO of Woods Services (Presentation PDF)
11:15 am – 11:45 am Speaker
Dr. Maulik M. Trivedi , StationMD (Presentation PDF)
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Breakouts
Session C – Advancing Dental Care:
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Alicia Risner-Bauman (Presentation PDF)
The Arc of Indiana Michelle Jordan, Executive Director (Presentation PDF)
Amy Pesci, Licensed Dental Hygienist and Parent Advocate (Presentation PDF)
Session D – Policy Changes:
The National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices, Dr. Seth Keller (Presentation PDF)
Disability Healthcare Initiative, Vanessa Rastovic (Presentation PDF)
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm General Session
LumiCare Shaleea Shields, CEO and Andrea Palmer, Awake Labs (Presentation PDF)