March News & Updates
A Note From Our President

At Spectrum we take pride in serving every person who is assigned to us for Support Coordination and we have very high ethical standards in the services we provide. 

We train our staff and provide continuous guidance and work as a team within the Spectrum CMC family and with the families we serve as well as with the provider agencies. We want you to know that the relationship you have with your support coordinator is important but that the end result of the services you receive is not only with the support coordinator, it is with the efforts of many people such as supervisors, managers, quality assurance staff, peer support and myself. 

If for any reason you are not satisfied with the person you have regular contact with, your Support Coordinator, I want to know. We try to match the skill set of the Support Coordinator with the individual but at times the individual may feel that another person may be better suited for their needs. This is to let you know that we have many experienced professionals that can assist and you can call me at any time to ask for a change or to make suggestions.
Below are some numbers to keep handy. 

Contact info:

Benni Versaci- President and CEO- (973) 530-4155 ext 700 and bversaci@spectrumcmc.com 

Laura Junta- North Regional Support Coordination Supervisor (973) 530-4155 ext 712 and ljunta@spectrumcmc.com 

Corrinne Stegner- Central Regional Support Coordination Supervisor (732) 408-4066 ext 720 and cstegner@spectrumcmc.com 

You can also send general inquiries to: info@spectrumcmc.com 
_____________________

We are also excited to tell you about our new website with extensive testimonials and personal stories of how services have helped families. So please visit us online at www.SpectrumCMC.com and also “Like” us on Facebook.

 We email this newsletter every other month with information helpful to individuals and their parents/guardians and would like your feedback on topics you want to know more about. 
I look forward to a continued long term relationship with you and Happy Spring! 







 Gearing Up For Graduation Season!

The DDD informed us that every year there are approximately 800 graduates in the state of NJ who will need support services. To get the word out about the many benefits of Support Coordination services and how Spectrum CMC can help we will be participating in the events below. Please spread the word to those you know who can benefit.

Upcoming Events:
March 27 at 5pm:  Burlington County Resource Fair- 20 Pioneer Boulevard Westampton, NJ  .

March 28 at 5pm:   Bergen County Transition Fair- Paramus High School. 99 E. Century Road Paramus, NJ.

March 28th at 4:30-6:30pm: Monroe Township High School 200 Schoolhouse Road Monroe Township. 

March 30th at 9am-1pm: Woodbridge High School- Planning for Adult Life- 25 Samuel Lupo Place. Woodbridge, NJ. 

March 30th at 10am-2pm: Bergen Center for Child Development 140 Park Street, Haworth, NJ.
 
April 5th at 4pm-7pm: Union City Disability awareness. Union City High School Cafeteria 2500 Kennedy Blvd. Union City, NJ.

April 6th at 10am at 1pm: Family Support Planning Council Elks Lodge. 1 Felner Place, Totowa, NJ. 

April 7th at 12-4pm:  Autism Resources Fair. Ocean County Library Toms River Branch. NJ.

April 11th at 10am-12pm: Celebrate the Children Future Fair 230 Diamond Spring Road Denville, NJ. 

April 25th at 6:30-9pm: East Brunswick Education Association Planning for Adult life. 380 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.  

April 27th at 9am-1pm: Planning for Adult Life. Clifton High School 333 Colfax Ave Clifton, NJ.
 
May 3rd 11am-5pm , May 4th 11am-5pm , May 5th 11am-4pm:  Abilities Expo NJ Convention and Expo Center- 97 Sunfield Ave, Edison, NJ.

May 9th at 11am-3pm: Camden County Spring Resource Fair. 2120 Voorhees Town Center, Voorhees.
  
May 15th at 8am-1pm: Holmdel Transition Fair Bell Works Building 101 Crawfords Corner Rd Holmdel, NJ 07733.

May 18th at 9am-1pm: Planning for Adult Life. 1 Eunice Kennedy Shriver Way Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.
Education makes great Support Coordinators!
We are so thankful to the families we serve. You have told others about the wonderful support you get from our staff, how we advocate and guide in a compassionate way to best serve you. We take pride in the work we do. Our Support Coordinators are always so interested in new resources to help families and we provide constant education.
Informational Lectures
We held our first informational lecture for our Bergen County families earlier this month and it was a success! We are so happy that families found value, asked interesting questions and want us to have more. We had other speakers who educated all of us on the value of Able accounts and different ways to maximize insurance benefits through Medicare. We spoke about the different line items in the Supports budget and how to maximize the budgets to get the most of all entitlements. If you would like us to have a similar lecture near you, please contact info@spectrumcmc.com  to request a particular topic. We loved having this meeting and are so happy that the families who came out found it helpful.
What is an Ombudsman?

By definition, an ombudsman is an official appointed to investigate individuals’ complaints, against maladministration, especially that of public authorities.  Ombudsmen  are independent, impartial and provide a free service. They investigate complaints that haven't been solved by the organization complained against.
 
In New Jersey, the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families is Paul Aronsoh. The role of his office is:
  1. Serving as a source of information for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families and interested members of the public, to help them better understand state and federal laws and regulations;
  2. Coordinating with the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, to provide information and support on navigating and understanding the process for obtaining services from the state Division of Children’s System of Care and the Division of Developmental Disabilities, including information on transitioning between the two programs;
  3. Providing information and communication strategies to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families for resolving disagreements with various state agencies, as well as education on the available options for resolving such disputes;
  4. Working with service recipients, families and the departments to facilitate the provision of services and supports;
  5. Identifying common concerns for individuals and their families, and making recommendations to the Division of Children’s System of Care and the Division of Developmental Disabilities or the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Human Services; and
  6. To assist the Division of Children’s System of Care and the Division of Developmental Disabilities in creating public information programs designed to inform individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, their families, and the public about the role of the ombudsman.
 
For more information about New Jersey’s Ombudsman please visit the following link:
Email Validation:
Many of you have seen email validations emails come across your email. It is important to validate your email account so that the DDD, as well as Spectrum, has the correct contact information to reach you.

Please see below for an example :