Good health is critical and underlies positive outcomes in all areas of life. Individuals with disabilities experience health disparities and encounter issues accessing primary and specialty healthcare. The Boggs Center partners with people with disabilities and family members to educate health care students and practicing professionals about person and family-centered healthcare for children and adults with disabilities.

The Boggs Center offers training for students and practicing health care professionals from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. Training may take the form of didactic presentation, facilitated case-based learning activities, and/or panel presentations by people with disabilities and family members. Training addresses a wide range of topics including communicating with people with disabilities, understanding disability as a form of diversity, recognizing and addressing disparities in healthcare access, transition to adult healthcare.

The Boggs Center has also developed some curricular materials that are available electronically for free download. With funding from the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities, The Boggs Center developed 2 tiered curricular modules to provide medical professionals with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to appropriately care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in adult health care settings. One module focuses on providing healthcare to adults and the other focuses on supporting behavioral and sensory needs in the medical setting. Each module contains 3 distinct curricular components: A Grand Rounds Presentation, a case-based learning activity, and a suggested panel presentation. For more information, see Building Capacity to Improve Health Care for Patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

The Boggs Center will work with programs or organizations to develop training content to meet specific training or informational needs. For more information, contact carrie.coffield@rutgers.edu.