By Deceil Moore, Meridian Health Services 

Our collective responsibility as professionals in the field of developmental disabilities has always been to understand and assist the persons we serve in meeting their needs. Despite our best intentions and efforts, the fact remains that some needs may take priority over others depending on the individual's location and which expert he is working with at the time. There are benefits and challenges inherent in the current health care trend toward more integrated care, where each area of a person's health (physical, developmental, mental, and social) is considered in the treatment of the whole person. 

Noble of Indiana was honored for their 60 year anniversary with a House Concurrent Resolution authored by Rep. Mike Speedy and co-sponsored by Rep. Vanessa Summers, Rep. Cherrish Pryor, and Sen. Jean Breaux, who presented the Resolution in the Senate. Between House and Senate presentations, Noble representatives distributed valentine cards to Central Indiana legislators.

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The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust is seeking applicants for its scholarship program that brings the dream of a college education to candidates who face many life challenges and are often overlooked by college scholarship programs. Targeted populations include adults over the age of 25 with dependents, college-age youths and adults with physical disabilities, and young adults age 18-25 who have been raised in the child welfare system and are responsible for supporting themselves. Additional information and applications are available at ninapulliamtrust.org

You may have noticed a familiar name on emails, or when you've called the INARF office recently. It is not a ghost - JoAnna Moskal has returned from her farm to help out on a part-time basis leading up to the INARF Annual Conference. JoAnna was part of the Membership Support team working primarily on communications and member services for nearly five years before she left in 2012 to pursue a rural life.

The House-drafted version of the biennial budget, HB 1001, is ready for final passage in the House on Monday, the last day for House bills to pass.

Looking to bring added value to your health insurance benefits? If so, you may want to check out INARF preferred partner OPOC.us's Revolution HEALTH Advocates program. Designed to support your employees in becoming more effective health care consumers, OPOC.us makes planning for medical procedures easeier by guiding subscribers through the often complicated maze of health care plan choices.