Attention Families,

Recently, the State of Rhode Island's Department of Behavioral Health Care, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH)) contracted with The University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability to study mental health and crisis services for people who have ID/DD in the state of Rhode Island and to make recommendations for enhancing and improving those services.

Rhode Island is asking you for recommendations for enhancing and improving services for people who have ID/DD

One component of this study is a telephone interview with families across the state who have a family member with an intellectual disability, including autism, and a co-occurring behavioral/mental health need, to ask them about their experiences with the mental health service system. We need your help in identifying needed services, as well as finding out about existing services that are working well or could be improved. The interview should take about 15-20 minutes and all of your responses are completely confidential. Your answers will be combined with answers from other families to provide feedback to BHDDH on the mental health service needs for individuals with ID/DD in Rhode Island and their families. At the end of the interview, you will be asked to provide contact information only if you would like to receive a copy of the final report.

If you are willing to participate in this process, please contact the study project manager, Ann Klein, at ann.klein@unh.edu or you can contact her by phone at 513-377-1464.

If you know other families who might also be willing to participate in this process, please encourage them to call or email as well.

Thank you!