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"The VMRC Newsletter"
Friday, November 17, 2023
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Message from the Executive Director
Tony Anderson
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A Partnership with Central Valley Regional Center to Reach Out to Our Southeast Asian Communities
In case you missed it, we are so excited about working with Central Valley Regional Center to host BRIDGING INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMETNAL DISABILITIES (I/DD) ACROSS OUR SOUTHEAST ASIAN COMMUNITIES. This unique conference will be a virtual conference all day today, from 9 am to 2:30 pm. We are so proud that our Community Consultant, Raksmey Arun Roeum, Ph.D., will be the keynote speaker. Raksmey is our community consultant to help us connect with the Cambodian community and learn how to best communicate and serve them. Dr. Roeum is also a known health and wellness educator/operational leader, business owner, independent consultant, author and mother. Her experience as a refugee and child of survivors of the Cambodian genocide has inspired her passion and life’s work in advocating for peace, empowering women and young girls, and promoting equity and cultural humility in the healthcare system. Throughout the conference you will learn about all kinds of important services for families and self-advocates, disability rights, and cultural inclusion.
Together with CVRC we share information and stories from regional center staff and guest speakers from Disability Rights California (DRC), Exceptional Parents Unlimited (EPU), California Department of Developmental Services (DDS), the Hlub Hmong Center, and many others. We will also have language interpreters available in Lao, Khmer, Hmong, Vietnamese, and Tagalog. Please Complete the registration below to receive conference confirmation. All items from the Conference will be sent to your e-mail address provided.
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Valley Mountain Regional Center
Partners with The Arc of California in
Support of Family Caregivers of Adults with IDD
Valley Mountain Regional Center is happy to announce that we are partnering with The Arc of California to help inform our community of this important resource for parents and family caregivers of adults with disabilities. This program will help our families learn about planning for the future in a strategic and person-centered way. The program is called, Caring Futures, and is described as “a groundbreaking program dedicated to supporting caregivers and family members of adults with developmental disabilities. Understanding the unique challenges faced by family caregivers as they age, Caring Futures offers critical assistance, resources, and a supportive community.”
Caring Futures includes classes and webinars on future care planning, forums for engaging our community of parents and caregivers who understand each other’s journey, helping to prevent isolation, and a library of valuable tools and references to support the parent and caregiver journey.
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Six-week Live Online Class Series
Free Classes: Support for today, to prepare for tomorrow.
The Future is Now: Designing a Support Plan for Your Family Member
A Six-week Live Online Class Series. Small and welcoming learning environment for a personalized experience. Step-by-step process to help you design a plan for the future care of your family member. Classes taught by trained instructors, ensuring a supportive learning experience.
Developed in collaboration with the Institute on Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Classes available in both English and Spanish (ASL upon request).
Starts November 27, 2023
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VMRC Board of Directors Meeting (Hybrid)
Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 6:00 PM
702 N. Aurora Street, Stockton, CA 95202, Cohen Board Room
Click Here for Zoom Information
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Case Management Update - Children
Tara Sisemore-Hester
Director of Consumer Services - Children
| VMRC held its final training session for 2023. The topic was “Best Practices for Traditional and Self Determination IPPs.” VMRC values our Service Coordinators and their commitment to providing person centered services to our consumers! Thank you Tracy, Liz, Julie, Olivia and Michele! | |
Free Parent Training Opportunity
In partnership with Child Abuse Prevention Council, Chelsea Silveira Burgos of Burgos Behavior Consulting Services is hosting a free virtual parent training series.
For more information and to register, please visit
https://www.burgosbehavior.com/building-stronger-families
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Playing make-believe isn't just fun. It has many early childhood development benefits too.
It's proven to:
Boost brain development and creativity
Hone language and communication skills
Foster social interactions and empathy
Sharpen problem-solving and decision-making skills
Nurture emotional expression and regulation
Build self-confidence and identity
Refine motor skills through active engagement
Check out our blog to learn more. https://bit.ly/47xSZwx
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Case Management Update - Adults
Christine Couch
Director of Consumer Services - Adults
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This Section this Week is Submitted by
Elizabeth Diaz, Program Manger - Self-Determination Program
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Homeless Awareness Month
November is National Homeless Awareness Month and National Youth Awareness Month.
In recognition of Homeless awareness month, the Stockton Transition teams coordinated a clothing drive to support those in need. This was the sixth year of the event. Special thanks to St. Mary’s Dining Hall staff and Teo Navarette of St. Mary’s as well as VMRC Service Coordinator, Mack Harris for helping to coordinate the event. Also thanks to the many VMRC staff and Girl Scout troop #1936 who donated new and gently used items to make the event possible. We continue to be very proud of our participation in the event and your donations have been greatly appreciated.
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Clinical Update
Dr. Claire Lazaro
Clinical Director
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Nurse Practitioner Week 2023
November 12-18, 2023 is Nurse Practitioner (NP) Week. NPs have been providing primary care since around 1965 when the first nurse practitioner program was created.[1] Loretta Ford has been the visionary who started it all and responded to the need of the community and changing times.1 Now, there are more than 385,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the U.S.[2] In California, there are over 38,000 NPs.[3] Let us celebrate Nurse Practitioners who are making positive impact daily in our health care and the entire health system! Happy Nurse Practitioner Week!!
[1] McComiskey, Carmel A. DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP-AC, FAANP, FAAN. The Role of the Nurse Practitioner: A 50-Year History: What Is Our Future?. Journal of Pediatric Surgical Nursing 7(1):p 1-2, 1/3 2018. | DOI: 10.1097/JPS.0000000000000158
[2] American Association of Nurse Practitioners. https://www.aanp.org/about/all-about-nps/np-fact-sheet#:~:text=There%20are%20more%20than%20385%2C000,NPs)%20licensed%20in%20the%20U.S.&text=More%20than%2036%2C000%20new%20NPs,academic%20programs%20in%202020%2D2021.&text=88.0%25%20of%20NPs%20are%20certified,all%20NPs%20deliver%20primary%20care.
[3] California Board of Registered Nursing. November 1, 2023. https://www.rn.ca.gov/consumers/stats.shtml
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Community Services Update
Brian Bennett, Director of Community Services
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Social Recreational Opportunity in Stockton | |
Made possible by a Grant from the Department of Developmental Services | |
Social Recreational Opportunity in Modesto | |
Made possible by a Grant from the Department of Developmental Services | |
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The DEI Corner
Mark Crear, DEI Manger
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Honoring Native American Communities at Thanksgiving
For some, Thanksgiving is all about reflecting on blessings and acknowledging gratitude. For others, Thanksgiving is a real-life reminder of the assault on the Native American Culture. Additionally, the day following Thanksgiving is observed nationally as Native American Heritage Day, a day for non-Native Americans to support and learn more about this significant community of American people.
This Thanksgiving, you can do something truly remarkable and different. Actively understanding and taking steps to join native communities in breaking stereotypes and cultivating a culture of true acceptance is one of many things you can do.
Here are a few ways you can as well honor indigenous people this Thanksgiving.
Rewrite Your Food tradition
By incorporating food items like beans, corn, turkey, wild rice and pumpkins, you will be celebrating the Native American culture.
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See Native American Movies
Movies help to put things in a nice visual perspective for people, so break your thanksgiving tradition by using this medium to equip yourself with more knowledge and appreciation. A few recommendations on a few amazing movies and tv shows to watch: Killers Of The Flower Moon, Reservation Dogs, Four Sheets To The Wind, Smoke Signals, The Land Of Rock and Gold & Trickster.
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Patronize Native American and Indigenous Brands and Businesses
There are many small businesses you can show support to this Thanksgiving and beyond. Honor this month by educating yourself and truly understanding the importance of this month to Native Americans.
Whatever you decide… We at VMRC celebrate the many cultures and send Happy Holidays to all.
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