Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 5-31-16 Online Edition

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Empower Florida: A Collaborative Serving The Developmentally Disabled In Our Communities
L to R: Valerie Goddard, D. Shenell Reed, and Gary
Seated from L-R: Shirley Hytner, Assistant District Manager, Social Security Ad- ministration; Rep. Kathleen Peters, District 69; U. S. Representative, Kathy Castor; Digna Alveraz, Regional Director, U. S. Senator Bill Nelson’s office; Margerat Hooper, Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc.
Standing L-R: Aaron Nangle, WaiverProvider.com; Kamilah L. Perry, Esq., Perry Law Group; Michael Taylor, Suncoast Division Director, Community Support; Rep. Larry Ahern, District 66; Suzanne Sewell, Florida Association of Rehabilitation Fa- cilities Gary Hartfield, owner, Empower Florida and Serenity Village Insurance & Consulting, LLC; Denise Arnold, Deputy Director, Agency for Persons with Disabil- ities (APD); Deborah Linton, The ARC of Florida; Tom Snelling, Director, Mayor’s Alliance for Persons with Disabilities Patti Rendon, CEO, Rendon & Associates; Jef- frey Smith, Regional Operations Manager, Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD); Valerie Goddard, CEO, Goddard Group; Rep. John Cortes, District 43.
Hartfield.
On Friday, May 20, 2016, over 600 business owners and agency providers at- tended a day-long seminar at the Tampa Convention Center.
“This is the first state- wide training that has been held in partnership with the Agency for Persons with Dis- abilities (APD),” says Gary Hartfield, Founder of Em- power Florida. “Empower
Florida is a collaborative de- signed to educate and em- power the developmentally disabled business owners / service providers and the families that are served.”
There are more than thirty thousand citizens throughout the State of Florida that are dependent upon service providers to re- ceive a diverse array of serv- ices in community-based
settings. These services are
critical in order to support the well-being and quality of life of the developmentally disabled - our nation’s most vulnerable population.”
“This conference is being held at a critical time, says Valerie Goddard, “be- cause the funding and ser- vices to disabled individuals are being impacted by policy changes at both the state and federal level.”
Congresswoman Kathy Castor attended the Empower Florida event and addressed the audience. She spoke with passion about the importance of these services to our community and why she continues to advocate for continued funding from the Depart- ment of Health and Human Services. Rep. Castor also listened to panel presenta- tions and provider feedback and was alarmed to learn that there are over 20,000 individuals on the waiting list in Florida awaiting ser- vices. Critical services that these individuals are in need of include: supportive em- ployment, personal support, residential services and adult day training services.
Denise Arnold, Deputy Director for APD indicated that over the last year or so the number of providers in Florida has decreased. If this trend continues, she indi- cated that a decline in the number of providers will limit the availability of ser- vices for the developmen-
tally disabled in our commu- nities and possibly impact the health and safety of these individuals.
“Not only did the semi- nar provide vital informa- tion to providers and family members, but legislators and APD leadership in at- tendance found this experi- ence to be invaluable by enabling them to hear di- rectly from providers about their needs and challenges,” says Hartfield.
State Representatives Larry Ahern, Ed Narain and Kathleen Peters, par- ticipated on the legislative panel and passionately ex- pressed to the audience the importance for providers to communicate directly with legislators in order to share their input regarding pend- ing legislation that impacts funding and services to de- velopmentally disabled clients.
The success of this event demonstrates that public- private collaboration works! As a result of the collabora- tion between APD, providers, advocacy groups and families, Empower Florida is able to obtain di- rect feedback regarding provider and client needs and design seminars that provide vital information.
Gary Hartfield, Em- power Florida Founder and Principal, Serenity Village Insurance & Consulting, can be reached for additional in- formation at 727-452-8744.
PAGE 10 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2016