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The "Ready Now" Public Awareness Campaign

In case you missed it: September 2024 was Emergency Preparedness month! We here at CIDE partnered with the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council on “Ready Now” – a Public Awareness Campaign to help folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities be better prepared for emergencies. Every day from August 25th-September 30th, ambassadors with intellectual and developmental disabilities and individuals from various disability organizations, agencies, and nonprofits shared a different video suggestion to help you be better prepared and Ready Now for any emergency situation. Our ambassadors covered the elements of CMIST, a framework for whole community inclusion: communication needs, maintaining health, independence, safety and supports, and transportation. Participants learned how to text 911 and enter emergency messages into their phones, pack go kits for different circumstances, have plans for their medicine, devices, and service animals, and so much more! Video messages are fully captioned and available in English and Spanish, with sign language interpretation soon to come. If you missed them, you can catch up on our Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, or by downloading and following us on ReachWell (link opens in new tab). This app provides accessible information in over 130 languages.

Surviving in Place: A Medicaid Collaboration

September also marked the conclusion of our Surviving in Place Program, a collaboration with the Colorado Medicaid office. We are proud to report that over the past eighteen months, we have distributed backup battery systems to over 1700 Colorado Medicaid Members so that they can keep their devices running in case of a power outage. We also distributed 1000 Emergency Go Kits to Colorado Medicaid Members to be ready to evacuate in case of an emergency. The batteries were distributed in 51 counties across the state, from the Front Range to rural communities across Colorado. Better yet, nearly 90% of recipients were highly satisfied with the program! The gratitude was enormous: many recipients reported feeling much better prepared for a potential power outage than before, and felt a stronger sense of security and peace of mind for a potential emergency, all while saving thousands on the cost of a backup system. No longer was there worry about powering breathing machines and electric wheelchairs in case of a fire or storm that are increasingly common across the state.

Launch of Our New Emergency Preparedness Website

Ready Now and Surviving in Place have ended, but Emergency Preparedness continues to be a key service area for CIDE. It is extremely important to us that every member of our community is accounted for, safe, and has the resources they need during an emergency – especially when the disability and IDD communities are too often neglected during the planning process.

To this end, we’re excited to announce the launch of our new Emergency Preparedness website, a hub with all the resources you need to be ready now. There, you can learn about classes, find resources and activities, and meet our team. You can learn about other programs that are offering backup power for your equipment, review our Ready Now awareness campaign, and find local agencies to connect with. Being prepared for an emergency is more important than ever, and we are here to answer your questions.