Breaking the Rehospitalization Cycle

ICS's dedicated Transition Team is focused on preventing unnecessary hospitalizations and breaking the rehospitalization cycle seen in some patients by identifying and addressing root causes. Already, we're seeing success.

“We had a member with congestive heart failure who was hospitalized six times in six months,” says ICS Director of Transitions of Care Stephanie Reynolds. ICS field nurse Ruby Rodriguez, a member of our Transition Team, went to the member’s home to help her get a handle on why she kept cycling in and out of the hospital.

“Ruby discovered that this member didn’t know she was supposed to be avoiding salt and that she could check her own weight,” Stephanie said. “Ruby got her a scale. She went over all of the teaching materials about her condition. After being hospitalized so frequently, just having someone take a little time and sit down and educate her, all of a sudden she’s like, ‘Ok, yeah! I got it!’” The member’s streak of hospitalizations was finally over. Read more about the ICS Transitions Team and what we're learning about preventing unnecessary hospitalization here.

NYC: Bias & Disability

ICS Chief Operating Officer Regina Estela is also a Commissioner on the New York City Commission for Human Rights. In January, the Commission revealed that it received more disability discrimination complaints in 2015 than those for any other category, including racial or gender bias. Read Regina's take on this here.

There's a Hack for That!

Inexpensive, custom tech solutions for everyday needs

Our recently hired rehab engineer uses a range of low- and high-tech solutions to help ICS members do more of the things that are important to them and that help them live independently.

With a practical, problem solving approach, Bob Paradiso creates personalized assistive technologies that help ICS members gain more control over their environments and get more of what they need using anything from fancy fiber-optic sensors to a member’s smartphone, different kinds of adaptive switches, and simple mechanical devices used in creative ways. Read more about this new service.

Medicaid Eligibility & Your Money

If you know someone who needs Medicaid, they may be worried about how their finances will affect their eligibility. That's understandable because the rules are complex. Fortunately, though, New York State has created serveral programs that help people preserve their income and assets while still getting the services they need. ICS can help people gain access to those programs, which are described in greater detail here.

It's Easy to Verify Eligibility

If you are an ICS provider and need to verify a member's eligibilty, just call 1.877.ICS.2525 and provide the member's name and date of birth.

Join Us This Week @Arts Open Houses

Our Spring Arts Open Houses are this Wednesday, April 13, at our Bronx Member Center from noon to 3:30 pm and Friday, April 15, at our Brooklyn Member Center from 4 to 7:30 pm. Come learn about our free arts programs. Enjoy light refreshments, speak to instructors, try your hand at a project and sign up for a free class! ICS Arts programs are open to anyone in the disability community—all levels of artistic experience are welcome. Learn more about ICS Art programs, social programs and special events here.

Independence Radio is Here!

We are always looking for effective ways to communicate with ICS members - especially ways we think they will enjoy. This month we've launched Independence Radio, a podcast series of interviews by ICS Member Stephanie Wallace. The first installment, {which you can listen to here}, explains how members can be their own best advocates — and why that's so important.

Women Take Charge of their Health!

The ICS Women's Health Access Program hosted a day of free health workshops and presentations for women with disabilities in our Downtown Brooklyn office on March 24. Attendees enjoyed lunch, had the chance to socialize and heard from experts on breast health, sexuality, gynecological care and self-empowerment.

Better Customer Service

Comparing good customer service to bad is like comparing warm sunshine to freezing rain. At ICS, we’ve been working hard to improve our customer service, most recently by streamlining how we handle incoming calls, with a new process put into effect this month. Our goal is a simpler, more satisfying experience for callers so both members and providers can quickly and efficiently get what they need. You can read more about these changes here.

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