NEW YORK — Independence Care System (ICS) was named the recipient of a $200K New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) grant to further develop a Center of Excellence in Primary Care for People with Physical Disabilities in partnership with New York City Health and Hospitals (H+H), the largest community hospital system in the country.

The NYHealth grant recognizes the vital role primary care plays in maintaining health. The funding from NYHealth will allow ICS and H+H to work in a primary care clinic in Woodhull Hospital to directly understand the specific care needs of people with physical disabilities, and to create a model of care with crucial feedback on their complex needs.

The project will allow for effective data collection to establish what constitutes quality primary care to reduce health disabilities and ensure for accessible healthcare for people with disabilities. This in turn will help in establishing trainings for staff to provide disability competent care, as well as the development of a curriculum and materials for healthcare professionals to deliver equitable, quality care. 

With earlier funding from NYHealth, ICS previously developed “A Blueprint for Improving Access to Primary Care for Adults with Physical Disabilities,” a report on standards for primary care, patient-centered care, and ambulatory care featuring interviews and focus groups with people with disabilities, physicians, administrators, and policy experts.

“We’re grateful to receive this funding from NYHealth, which will allow us to continue developing a primary care center of excellence for people with physical disabilities,” said ICS President and CEO Regina Martinez-Estela. “We commend NYHealth for recognizing the importance of our center as an investment in the disability community. This grant will allow us to focus on research to better understand the needs of people with disabilities and to work toward getting them consistent, life-saving quality primary care from healthcare providers. This funding will also help us further the health, mobility and independence — ICS’ three foundational pillars — of people with disabilities for the advancement of health equity in this community.”

“The Center of Excellence holds promise to improve the accessibility, quality, and equity of primary care for people with physical disabilities,” said David Sandman, Ph.D., President and CEO of NYHealth. “Through their work together, ICS and H+H will be poised to help patients across the hospital system and across New York State get the screenings and preventive services they need to stay healthier and avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.”

About Independence Care System (ICS)

ICS is a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 as a pioneering, innovative community of professionals dedicated to serving people who, prior to ICS, were often forced to spend their lives in institutions.

People with disabilities have turned to ICS for more than 20 years because of our expert, disability-competent staff who help them to improve their health and avoid hospitalizations, achieve goals, improve their quality of life, and be active members in the community. Our foundational pillars — health, mobility and independence — ensure for true health equity for people with disabilities so they can thrive while receiving the quality care they deserve. 

As the first and only Health Home program in New York State with specialized expertise in supporting people with physical disabilities, we have developed a model of care designed to address the vast health disparities experienced by our members and those in underserved communities. We continue to work alongside of our members, and advocate for their specialized care, because we have seen the effects of a healthcare system that fails to address their needs. ICS offers disability-expert care coordination, educational and recreational programming that enriches members’ lives, and is a premier provider of specialized mobility assessments for wheelchair users through our comprehensive On a Roll wheelchair program.

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