TCI Human Services Inter-Agency Coordination

1WF representative met with TCI (Turks & Caicos Islands) Human Service agency leaders, individually and as a group. TCI agency representatives included leaders from: Social Services, Education, Corrections, Environment, Medical HIV, Senior Citizen Services, among others.

The goal was to enhance the working relationship between and among the agencies while improving the coordination of service delivery.

Development of a Human Service Directory

As an outgrowth of brining TCI Human Services agency heads together, the 1WF assisted in the compilation of a Human Service Directory. This includes description of services, names, addresses, phone numbers of agency contact people to serve as a one stop guide for the people of TCI who need assistance/service from one or more agencies.

Public Awareness/Sensitivity Training was provided to hotel employees

1WF representatives conducted a full day of public awareness sensitivity training regarding persons with special needs to the staff of Beaches, Club Med and Allegro Resorts. The goal was to raise awareness of resort staff to the special needs of not only persons who may be guests at their establishment, but fellow countrymen as well.

Airlift of hospital beds and other durable medical equipment

The 1WF through arrangements with medical providers and the Canadian Air Force arranged for shipment via air of hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers and other durable medical equipment to TCI. Rotary in TCI, Canada and the US, assisted in this effort.

Island Dreams Disabilities Public Awareness Campaign

A team from 1WF and TCI Governmental Officials planned, developed and implemented a multi-media public awareness campaign. The goal of the initiative was to sensitize people throughout TCI about persons with special needs, their hopes and dreams and those of their families.

Public service announcements were developed for radio and television. Brochures were produced regarding information about disabilities.

A television feature was produced and broadcast in New York State, USA and Southern Ontario, Canada.

Creation of a National Action Plan

1WF representatives together with TCI Human Service Agency leadership representatives, persons with special needs, family members, and school/agency board of directors, developed a nation-wide action plan.

Specifically the goals of this plan were:

• To identify what services for persons with special needs existed in TCI.
• To identify what services were needed to be developed.
• To priorities the services needed, and identify strategies to help develop them.

TCI Nation-wide Special Needs Assessment

A joint team of 1WF planners and clinicians and TCI government officials and clinicians conducted 4 days of individual assessments on 3 different islands. Over 300 people attended. 151 individual assessments were completed including 36 needs which could be met in a relative rapid fashion.

The joint team was comprised of:

• Physicians, planners, teachers, nurses and others.
• The 151 completed individualized needs assessments were presented to TCI governmental leadership in written and database format on disk.
• To priorities the services needed, and identify strategies to help develop them.

TCI, Rotary and 1WF collaboration

Partnership with Rotary international The 1WF in an attempt to follow through on meeting some of the needs identified in the 2007 nation-wide assessment solicited the assistance of Rotary International along with Rotary clubs in Canada, the US, and TCI on Providenciales and Grand Turk.

Meetings occurred between and among 1WF representatives, Rotary and TCI governmental officials. Again, paper and data disk copies of the 2007 special needs nation-wide assessment were provided and reviewed.

In November 2009 four volunteer 1 World Foundation CEOs, three of whom were board members traveled to the Turks a Caicos Islands.

The focus of assistance provided included:

• Meeting with new local governmental leaders and other stake holders to review joint initiatives over the last ten years.
• Determining future directions to better support persons with special needs in this island nation.
• A new Memorandum of Understanding was negotiated and signed to facilitate future initiatives.
• As new hospitals were under construction, the existing sites were visited and strategies discussed for their future use to best support persons with special needs.

Clinicians from St. Lawrence NYSARC visited to provide occupational and speech therapy services.

Representatives of the Turks and Caicos government attended the Can-Am Exchange.

1World arranged delivery of supplies to the islands following a devastating category 3 Hurricane.

Behavior Support Analysts and Physical therapists visited the Turks and Caicos to provided services throughout the islands.