Nebraska DHHS: Program will help people with disabilities during health emergencies

The new program will help those with intellectual and developmental disabilities during future public health emergencies.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has been chosen to take part in a new program that will help those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) during public health emergencies.

The pilot program will work to build public health capacity to monitor the health of people with disabilities before, during, and after public health emergencies.

DHHS will develop syndromic surveillance, which will be used to help identify people with disabilities during emergencies.

The decision to start this new program came after the COVID-19 pandemic, which showed the lack of data available to detect, understand and monitor health events among those with disabilities.

Now, Nebraska will be fully prepared to serve those with IDD during future health emergencies, DHHS says.

“DHHS continues to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and is preparing and planning for the next public health emergency to ensure we can respond in the most effective way possible to protect all Nebraskans,” said Dannette R Smith, DHHS CEO.

During the one-year project period DHHS will:

• Establish and facilitate a scientific panel to develop syndrome definitions for disability
• Pilot test and finalize syndrome definitions for disability
• Disseminate and promote the use of syndrome definitions for disability

“This pilot program will have a lasting impact on national, state, and local capacity to respond, detect, understand, and monitor health events among people with disabilities during public health emergencies,” said Developmental Division Director Tony Green. “I am proud the State of Nebraska is at the forefront of this important program.”