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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Tiffany Schwarz
Director of Development

Westchester Institute for Human Development to Receive $5M State Grant for New Center

Senator Nick Spano Secures $5 M for a New Center on Disability, Health & Technology

Valhalla, NY – September 13, 2006 – There is more good news for children and families with disabilities. Ansley Bacon, Ph.D., President and CEO, has been informed that Senator Nick Spano has secured a $5 Million State Grant to support a new Center on Disability, Health and Technology at Westchester Institute for Human Development (WIHD).

The Center on Disability, Health and Technology (CDHT) will be a focal point for developing and translating new knowledge in the biomedical, informational, communications and technological sciences into improvements in health, health care, and well-being of persons with disabilities including cognitive disabilities. The Center will also serve as a tool for economic development. These advances will be the product of partnerships between the public and private sectors to ensure that the technologies and intellectual property developed within the Center achieve commercial application.

Interdisciplinary teams of researchers and clinicians will pursue critical research questions aimed at improving health outcomes and enabling a better quality of life for persons with disabilities and their families. A better understanding of the patterns of behavior and lifestyles of persons with disabilities will lead to knowledge that will support the creation of more effective health promotion and wellness strategies. Through the development and implementation of a comprehensive health information system and genomics database, the Center will fill a critical gap in our knowledge of the genomic profiles of persons with disabilities and the co-morbidity of disabilities with other health problems and secondary diseases. This work will create new knowledge about the epidemiological characteristics of the population of persons with disabilities and their relationship to health, wellness and anticipated long-term health outcomes. The development and application of information, communication and “smart” technologies will offer opportunities to enhance the health, health care, independent living skills, and quality of daily life for persons with disabilities. As the results of this work are translated into clinical practice, the Center will achieve a better understanding of the nature of service and support systems needed by persons with disabilities and their costs and effectiveness.

Success in all these areas will contribute to more effective health care support, better health outcomes, the development of successful community-based health care strategies (for example: supporting aging in place for persons with disabilities), and a reduction in health care and long-term care costs.

For more than 50 years, WIHD has played a critical role in the lives of children and adults with disabilities and their families. As one of only 61 University Centers of Excellence in the country, the Institute is committed to improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities and their families through research, education, and exemplary services.

For more information call Tiffany Schwarz, Director of Development at 914.493.8147.

September 14, 2006
Senator Spano Funnels $20 million to Biotech Projects
By THE JOURNAL NEWS

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