State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo attended the 25th Annual Governor’s Summit on Disabilities at Family Café in Orlando, alongside Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez, other state agency leaders, and Floridians with disabilities and their families.
The summit marked the beginning of Family Café, a three-day event designed to connect people living with disabilities to resources and promote collaboration between them, government leaders, and organizations that serve the disability community. Over 200 breakout sessions were held during the event, covering topics such as advocacy, assistive technology, employment, and support for military families. Each session lasted an hour and aimed to help participants better understand issues related to living with a disability.
“The Florida Department of Health is committed to advancing the well-being of those living with disabilities in Florida,” said State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “Creating Individualized Family Support Plans, ensuring medically complex children have a safe family-home environment, and offering a specialty health plan with expanded benefits – such as swim lessons and transition assistance – comprise just a portion of the Department’s efforts to ensure those with disabilities are supported on a path to success. Family Café provides a great opportunity for us to come together and learn about resources available for those in Florida living with a disability.”
During Family Café, the Florida Department of Health highlighted several programs aimed at supporting people with disabilities and their families or caretakers. These included providing information on services through activities like Club Café, storytime sessions, and free play opportunities.
Among the department's initiatives are:
- The Early Steps Program offers early intervention services for infants and toddlers who have developmental delays or disabilities.
- The Newborn Screening Program checks all newborns in Florida for 58 different conditions.
- The Medical Foster Care Program works with other agencies to train foster parents caring for medically complex children up to age 21.
- The Children’s Medical Services Health Plan delivers medical care and additional benefits such as swim lessons for children with special health needs.
- Bright Expectations is an online resource providing information about developmental disabilities.
- The Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program supports individuals who have sustained brain or spinal cord injuries.
- Chronic Disease Prevention programs include efforts like the Disability and Health Program that seeks to improve health outcomes for people facing mobility limitations or intellectual/developmental disabilities by expanding adapted physical activity options in schools.
The Florida Department of Health is accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board. It aims to protect, promote, and improve public health across Florida through coordinated efforts at various levels.
More information about these programs can be found at www.FloridaHealth.gov.