Louisiana Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities Conducts Survey to Gauge Satisfaction
DHH Encourages Providers, Support Coordinators and Advocates to Help Boost Participation

Thursday, June 4, 2015 |  Contact: John Ford; (225) 342-9010, jpford@la.gov

Baton Rouge, La - The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals' (DHH) Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD) is conducting a survey this month to gauge satisfaction with the services it provides.

"The National Core Indicators (NCI) annual consumer survey allows individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to express their feelings about the services they receive from our office," said OCDD Assistant Secretary Mark Thomas.

The NCI survey, which is sent to randomly chosen individuals who receive services from OCDD or care for someone who does, consists of face-to-face interviews with adults with developmental disabilities and surveys mailed statewide to family members or guardians of people with developmental disabilities. Survey participants anonymously answer questions about OCDD services and their satisfaction with the program.

"The anonymity of the surveys is important to us, because it encourages participants to be as candid as possible," said Thomas. "The more honest feedback we get, the more we can improve our services and enhance care for Louisiana residents."

Most of the survey's questions are standard for all states that participate, which allows OCDD to compare its performance against the national average. Thirty-nine other states currently participate in the NCI annual consumer survey. A few additional questions have been developed specifically for Louisiana services.

In additional to allowing states to compare their performance, the NCI survey results also influence national policy decisions concerning services for individuals with developmental disabilities.

DHH hopes providers, support coordinators and advocates will encourage survey recipients to participate and help OCDD continue to improve its service delivery model. Individuals selected for an interview or survey should direct any questions to the Human Services District or Authority in their region. If your family has received a survey, please complete it and mail it back to OCDD in the pre-addressed, postage paid envelope by June 15.

The results of the interviews and surveys will be entered into the NCI database by the end of June to be tabulated and included in the national findings. To learn more about NCI, please visit www.ocdd.dhh.louisiana.gov or www.nationalcoreindicators.org.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about DHH, visit www.dhh.louisiana.gov. For up-to-date health information, news and emergency updates, follow DHH's Twitter account and Facebook.

                                                                           ###