Message from the Acting Commissioner Regarding CSIDD Expansion

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) is excited to announce the expansion of Crisis Services for Individuals with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (CSIDD) into OPWDD’s Region 2 which consists of Central NY, the North Country and Southern Tier, making this service available statewide.  CSIDD offers crisis prevention and response services to people who have both developmental disabilities and complex behavioral needs, as well as to their families and those who provide supports. Services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to OPWDD eligible people age 6 and over who are Medicaid enrolled and meet CSIDD eligibility. The goal of CSIDD is to build relationships and supports across service systems to help people remain in their homes and communities and enhance the ability of the community to support them.

As OPWDD continues the development of the Region 2 CSIDD program to strengthen its system for the provision of community-based crisis prevention and intervention services, we are pleased to announce that the Request for Application (RFA) proposal submitted by Young Adult Institute (YAI) has been selected to implement this crucial service in Region 2.  YAI will be offering community trainings and conferences which will provide an overview of CSIDD and provide information on the development of the service.

All CSIDD Teams will be certified to operate the START (Systemic, Therapeutic, Assessment, Resources and Treatment) model for crisis prevention by the Center for START Services at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. Referrals can be made by people seeking services, families, service providers, hospitals, psychiatric centers and other crisis services. 

For more information on CSIDD, visit https://opwdd.ny.gov/crisis-services.

Best Regards,

Kerri Neifeld Acting Commissioner