COMMUNITY HEALTH

C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S

Community Health Connections or CHC, as we are better known, is dedicated to supporting and improving the physical and behavioral health care services provided to citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) by building health care service delivery capacity and competency. We are the Health Care Quality Unit (HCQU) serving the Western Pennsylvania counties of Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango. Our Mission Our mission is to provide high quality training, assistance, and capacity building to benefit those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  We strive to provide our services with skill, integrity, and a genuine regard for the well being of others. A HCQU Prepared to Provide CHC is a Health Care Quality Unit prepared to provide training and assistance to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD), their families, service providers, and county staff. All trainings and resources crafted by our well trained professionals undergo a rigorous review by the CHC Medical Director and Clinical Services Coordinator. This assures our stakeholders receive the highest quality training and assistance achievable. In addition to our attention to detail, our staff are highly service-oriented with a willingness to assist whenever and wherever possible.  We know our success depends on building the trust and confidence of stakeholders through positive relationships as well as tangible results.

Offense Taken: A Documentary About How One Community Responded to the R Word.

In the spring of 2007, when a Minneapolis theater company put on a show titled “Rise of the Celebretards,” people with disabilities and their allies took action. “Offense Taken” documents this community’s organized response to the play title and to the public use of the “R” word (“retard”).

By lifting up the voices of a broad range of citizens—people with disabilities, allies, educators, artists, and neutral theatergoers—the documentary also serves as a springboard for discussion about language: “Does artistic freedom trump human rights?”

With the release of this film, a coalition of Minnesota organizations and individuals is launching a campaign to encourage a community-wide discussion about disrespectful language and human rights.