Governor Josh Shapiro secured investments in the 2024-25 bipartisan budget that put Pennsylvania on track to eliminate the emergency waiting list for ID/A services and support rate increases for providers
Philadelphia, PA – Today, Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh joined leadership and staff from Jefferson Health’s Honickman Center to highlight the life-changing investments in Governor Josh Shapiro’s bipartisan 2024-25 budget for Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A). The Secretary’s visit included a tour of the Honickman Center, which was specifically designed to be inclusive of people who are neurodiverse.
“Every Pennsylvanian with intellectual disabilities and autism has health care and daily living needs that are unique to them, and they each deserve the dignity and autonomy of receiving the supports they need when they need them,” said Secretary Arkoosh. “Jefferson Health’s Honickman Center is an example of what we can achieve when we consider a person’s unique needs and embrace meeting these needs as an opportunity to build more welcome, accessible systems of care.”
This Shapiro Administration is committed to building a better Pennsylvania for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. This year’s budget includes historic investments in Pennsylvanians with ID/A and the direct support professionals (DSPs) who care for them by securing $354.8 million in federal and state funding to provide more resources for home and community-based service providers. The funding includes $280 million to help raise wages for DSPs and $74.8 million to begin the process of clearing the emergency waiting list. This investment in provider rates will support recruitment, retention, and wages for DSPs who make inclusive, enriching lives possible for people with intellectual disabilities and autism.
Jefferson Health’s Honickman Center is an innovative, multi-specialty outpatient care center that offers accessibility for patients needing additional support and quiet spaces with sensory-friendly furniture designed with neurodiverse patients in mind. Physicians, patients, and designers worked together to create the inclusive space, which Jefferson Health hopes will serve as a model for other health care environments.
“The Honickman Center was truly designed by patients for patients. We spoke with hundreds of patients and community members who shared their perspectives and informed our design from concept through completion,” said Baligh R. Yehia, MD, MPP, MSc, FACP, President, Jefferson Health. “Every detail — from our sunlit, healing spaces and virtual check-in/check-out to the calming design elements, sensory seating, and pet-friendly areas benefitting patients with service animals — was designed to create an exceptional and inclusive patient experience.”
The 2024-25 budget investment in ID/A services investment sets a transformative course to eliminate the emergency waiting list for services for adults and reduce barriers to care for thousands of Pennsylvanians over the next several years. It will also make Pennsylvania one of a handful of states to end its emergency waiting list and help ID/A community members access vital services to live independently, pursue education and job opportunities, and participate in the Everyday Lives they deserve.
Learn more about services and resources through the DHS Office of Developmental Programs.
