TRAINING SET TO MONITOR AGENCY WORK

Consumer review teams will begin training next month to monitor the quality of service to the developmentally disabled from the agencies that serve them.

The monitoring program is a project of the Missouri Advocates for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and was created to augment the Mental Health's Division of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

Volunteer teams will participate in one of four pilot projects, the first of which will be in the Northwest District that includes St. Joseph, Kansas City and Higginsville. Training will be held Nov. 17 and 18 in St. Joseph.

Team members will learn to observe and report objectively what they see in the daily lives of consumers receiving services from a provider through the Medicaid waiver community-based residential program. Using surveys, observations, interviews and procedures to ensure consistency, the monitoring teams will report their findings to the individuals, the service providers and MRDD.

Judy Cross, MOAIDD state coordinator, explained that volunteer team members will visit with individuals while MRDD will visit service providers and a sampling of individuals.

"We're all after the same goals," Cross said. "The information will be used to gauge how well individual wants and needs are being met and to help service providers and MRDD enhance the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities."

MOAIDD is recruiting volunteers for the monitoring teams. For more information, call Cross at 1-800-207-9329.