Developmental Disabilities Services

The Advocacy Alliance provides an array of community based programs and support for individuals, families, and professionals designed to promote Everyday Lives for individuals who have developmental disabilities.

Health Care Quality Units

The Advocacy Alliance facilitates Health Care Quality Units (HCQUs), the responsible entities to the County Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Programs for monitoring the overall health status of individuals who have developmental disabilities and are receiving services.

The HCQUs work to support and improve the developmental disabilities community service system by meeting the physical and behavioral health care needs of people who have developmental disabilities.

The primary activities of the HCQUs include:

  • Assessing individuals’ health and system of care.
  • Providing clinical health care expertise to residential and day services program providers.
  • Providing health related training.
  • Integrating community health care resources with state and regional quality improvement structures and processes.

The primary goal of the HCQUs is to assure the individuals served by these programs can fully participate in community life.

For more information about our HCQUs, including information about our Web Based Educational programs, please choose from the following locations:

Eastern PA HCQU
Northeastern PA HCQU
South Central PA HCQU

Incident Management

Incident Management is a subset of a larger risk management process that ensures the health, safety, and rights of a person receiving developmental disabilities and/or mental health services are respected.

Incident Management is a statewide process for reporting, categorizing and investigating incidents entered in HCSIS (Home and Community Services Information System). Reports are reviewed in order to determine appropriate actions have taken place to protect the individual receiving developmental disabilities and/or mental health supports and services.

The Advocacy Alliance contracts with the following County Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Programs to facilitate, in whole or in part, the Incident Management process: Armstrong/Indiana, Berks, Carbon/Monroe/Pike, Centre, Clearfield/Jefferson, Cumberland/Perry, Dauphin, Franklin/Fulton, Lackawanna/Susquehanna, Lehigh, Luzerne/Wyoming, Lycoming/Clinton, Northampton, Tioga, and Wayne. The Advocacy Alliance has the capability to expand these services to other counties as requested.

If you would like more information about Incident Management, please email us or call us toll free at 1-877-315-6855.

Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q)

The Advocacy Alliance facilitates the IM4Q Program in Berks, Carbon/Monroe/Pike, Columbia/Montour/Snyder/Union, Lackawanna/Susquehanna, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne-Wyoming, Lycoming/Clinton, Northampton, and Wayne Counties. The purpose of the IM4Q is to collect information to improve the quality of life of individuals served/supported through Pennsylvania’s Developmental Disabilities Service System. The IM4Q process is guided by the values and principles of Everyday Lives: choice, control, quality, stability, individuality, freedom, relationships, success, contributing to community, accountability, mentoring, collaboration, and inclusion. The Advocacy Alliance’s IM4Q Program:

  • Facilitates teams of individuals who receive developmental disabilities services, family members, and community members who conduct satisfaction surveys of individuals who receive developmental disabilities services.
  • Assists self-advocacy groups and events.
  • Speaks with individuals who receive developmental disabilities services and family members to determine their levels of satisfaction with services.
  • Educates the community about self-advocacy and the principles of Everyday Lives.

The Advocacy Alliance has the capability to expand these services to other counties as requested.

Quality Assurance Services

The Advocacy Alliance conducts quality assurances services in Carbon/Monroe/Pike, Clearfield/Jefferson, Franklin/Fulton, Lehigh, and Northampton counties. Services provided through the Advocacy Alliance’s quality assurance services include, but are not limited to:

  • Overseeing and monitoring the internal Quality Management Plan.
  • Performing monthly monitoring visits and meetings to assure that contracted providers and Program staff are in compliance with the Quality Management Plan.
  • Collecting, studying and analyzing data to track trends to prepare recommendations on changes in policies and procedures as needed.
  • Monitoring the State Plans regarding services for individuals with mental health and developmental disabilities.
  • Conducting Administrative Entity Oversight and Provider Monitoring tasks.
  • Conducting Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP) assessments for individuals qualifying for waiver services.
  • Ensuring waiver files meet Office of Developmental Program (ODP) compliance standards, including a yearly physical completed for each waiver recipient.
  • Completing annual re-certifications for waiver recipients.
  • Reviewing psychological and adaptive functioning assessments for individuals needing services at intake.

The Advocacy Alliance has the capability to expand these services to other counties as requested.