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Check this page for important announcements and news you need to know.
Theresa and her late husband Rocky were one of the strongest supporters of LD 1620, "An Act to Protect Health Care Consumers from Catastrophic Medical Debt." The first in the nation state law eliminates lifetime and annual caps from health insurance policies sold in Maine starting January 1, 2011.
The Limerick couple was recognized by President Barack Obama in his speech in Portland on health care reform earlier this month and then again by Governor John Baldacci and other Maine legislators last week when the bill was ceremonially signed into law. Rocky passed away days before the Maine Legislature passed the bill, but he had spent his last days speaking out about the importance of removing caps.
“To see a Theresa struggle with this enormous debt is just heartbreaking. She already lost her husband. We don’t want to see her lose her home. Theresa is an advocate with MPF who spends her days helping other Maine families of children with disabilities and special health care needs. Theresa puts others first as the state and nation learned when she and Rocky spoke out about the need to remove health insurance caps. They knew the law would come too late to help them—but they shared the very personal details of their family’s health and financial struggles to protect other Maine families from suffering as they did. As Theresa and Rocky said, ‘No one should have to worry about financial struggles when they are struggling for their life.’ We are hoping donations to this fund will help Theresa so that her load may be just a little lighter,” says Maine Parent Federation Director of Family Support, Bev Baker.
Donations can be mailed to:
D'Andrea Medical Fund
Sanford Institution for Savings
PO Box 128, Limerick ME 04048
For additional information or to schedule interviews contact:
Bev Baker
Director, Family Support Program
Maine Parent Federation
1-800-270-7746 or 623-2144
The Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing & Late Deafened Contact Information
Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing & Late Deafened
Bureau of Rehabilitation Services
150 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0150
Web site: www.maine.gov/rehab/dod
John Shattuck, Director
Tel: 623-7957 (V)
1-888-755-0023 (Toll free TTY)
1-866-760-8430 (VP)
287-5292 (FAX)
E-mail: John.G.Shattuck@maine.gov
Nancy Melanson, Assistant to the Director
Tel: 1-888-755-0023 (Toll free TTY)
623-7998 (TTY)
623-7958 (V)
287-5292 (FAX)
E-mail: Nancy.A.Melanson@maine.gov
Alice Crandall Johnson, Consultant
Tel: 1-888-755-0023 (TTY)
623-7964 (V)
287-5292 (FAX)
E-mail: Alice.C.Johnson@maine.gov
The Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing & Late Deafened (DHHLD) provides a program of services to deaf, late-deafened, and hard-of-hearing people of Maine. This includes: publication of this Resource Guide, Maine Lines for the Deaf (newsletter), ongoing TTY and other training programs for state agencies, information and referral, advocacy, accessibility promotion, deaf identification cards, and a listing of qualified legal interpreters.
Would you like to learn about apps for the iPhone and iPod specifically for special education. This list has been put together by a Teacher of the Visually Impaired who is taking the Deafblind Advisor course from Perkins School for the Blind. To check out the list, click here.
Military Families Gain Access to Free, Online Tutoring. Click here for details.
There is an Information Letter No. 111 from Commissioner Gendron describing the changes to the Regulations. It is available at http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=edu_letters&id=95638&v=article.
The Maine Unified Special Education Regulation Birth to Age Twenty has been finally adopted and is effective May 8, 2010.
Following is a link to the revised regulation: http://www.maine.gov/education/071c101-2010final2010%20.pdf
Find out about our workshops and other activities on 
.
Serve New England. Serve is a smart alternative to food shopping. See here for more details.
Help with Utilities and Fuel Bills - A Resource Guide
For a Winter Assistance Guide, click here.
Directory of Commonly Requested Community Services February 2010, click here.
Deaf Counseling Service is a program of Community Counseling Center. We have a new office on 6 State Street, suite 612, in Bangor and provide both children’s targeted case management services and outpatient counseling services to children, adults, and families. Clinicians in our program provide services in both spoken English and American Sign Language. We specialize in providing this unique service with a systems-oriented approach for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals and their family members. We currently have NO WAIT LIST for children’s case management or outpatient counseling in region III. We also have case managers and clinicians in Belfast, Augusta, Lewiston, and Portland.
For more information or to make a referral, you can contact our Bangor office at #262-4311 or our main office in Portland at #874-1030, x-505. We are also happy to consult with area agencies regarding the unique mental health needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals if you have families with whom you are currently working.
We look forward to talking with you!
Shana Cohen, LCSW
Clinical Supervisor, Deaf Counseling Services
Community Counseling Center
scohen@commcc.org
(207) 874-1030, x-505
