ighl.orgIndependent Group Home Living Program, Inc. - Serving the Long Island area for over 40 years

Programs All Programs Residential Day Habilitation Program Smile Farms at IGHL Opportunity Center Family Support Quality Assurance Clinical Services Employment Join Our Team Job Descriptions Benefits and Perks Employment Overview Upcoming Recruitment Events Events All Events IGHL St. Patrick's Dinner & Auction 40th Anniversary Gala IGHL Golf Outing IGHL Fashion Fling Consumer Activities IGHL Art and Music Show IGHL Spring Dance IGHL Camp Week Coastal Team Challenge 2019 IGHL Halloween Dance 2019 Christmas Tree Lighting Camp Week IGHL Spooky Drive About Us Our History Mission Executive Committee Board of Directors Affiliates The IGHL Fitness Center Corporate Compliance IGHL Employee of the Month Contact Us Health is Wealth Holly's Guest House Directions to Admin/Opportunity Center Donate Donate to IGHL Planned Giving Stocks and Securities 2021 Annual Appeal Support IGHL or Learn More Welcome to Independent Group Home Living Program, Inc! Supporting people with intellectual disabilities since 1978 Support IGHL or Join Our Team Residential Services Over 50 community-based residential locations throughout Suffolk County Learn More Community-Based Day Habilitation Services Learn More Recreational Opportunities Providing Creativity, Inclusion, and Fun Community-Based Events Holiday Events Our Mission It is the mission of IGHL, in concert with government, community leaders and the families of those we serve, to develop and implement innovative programs, services and supports for people with intellectual disabilities, so that they can realize their full potential, and become contributing members of their community. To that end, using IGHL’s influence and position as a leader in our field, we will continue to seek progressive legislation and sufficient funding in order to provide the highest quality of care, and to insure that our constituents and their families have access to the resources they need. Executive Committee Update Update 3/24/2021 As it seems that spring has finally arrived, with its signs of new growth and a fresh start, we hope that this finds you safe and healthy and looking forward to what will hopefully be the last mile of this unusual trip we’ve all been experiencing together. We are very gratified to report, through the cooperation of our families and the diligence of our staff, that nearly every one of our eligible consumers has received their Covid vaccinations, all without complications. Our only focus for the last year has been to keep our consumers safe, and we feel a tremendous sense of relief now that they are protected so completely. In that light, and because of allowances passed down from NYS, we have been able to reopen our residences for visitation by loved ones as of Friday, March 19th (see the link below). There will still be some rules to be followed; health checks at the door, the wearing of masks, social distancing and the like, but it’s a great step forward toward welcoming our families back home. We are also working with our partners in Albany to design the best way to completely and safely reopen our Day Habilitation programs; hopefully sooner than later. Springtime also brings with it our dialogue with NYS regarding our funding needs for the upcoming fiscal year, beginning April 1st. We welcome your voice in this effort; please make it a point to contact your NYS legislator to remind them of how important it is for them to continue to support our mutual efforts. And, in the coming months, you’ll be hearing about the plans we’re making to start enjoying the great outdoors again through some of our traditional summer recreational activities. It’s hard to tell who wants to get back to business-as-usual more; our very patient consumers who have experienced and tolerated so much change, or our wonderful staff who from the very beginning, stepped up to the plate and dedicated themselves to making the best of a truly difficult situation. Please let us know if you have any questions, or need a hand getting back to normal again. The IGHL and Affiliates Executive Committee IGHL and Affiliates Residential Visitation Protocol Update 1/19/2021 We trust that this notice finds you well and having had a wonderful holiday season. It’s amazing to think that 2021 has already come upon us, with longer, warmer days right around the corner. As you have probably heard, the COVID vaccines that we’ve been waiting for have finally arrived! We wanted to let you know that we have been doing everything in our power to insure that our residents and staff are the first in line to receive this possibly life-saving vaccine. We see this as the most positive step toward reopening our day programs and returning to life as we knew it almost one year ago. There are several different vaccination options available that we’ve been taking advantage of since their offerings. the “hospital” option has provided us the best opportunity…on a weekly, sometimes daily basis, we receive notifications from the NYS department of health, letting us know about locations and times that appointments are available...as soon as we receive these notices, we get them out to our programs so that they can sign up for appointments for both our residents and our staff… we’ve also been working with our clinical partners in Suffolk and Nassau county in an effort to expand vaccination opportunities… and, NYS has partnered with CVS pharmacies in an effort to bring the vaccines directly into our program locations. In order for our residents to receive the vaccine, their advocate needs to sign a “consent” form allowing them to be vaccinated. If you are someone’s advocate, we strongly encourage you to consent to this effort; if you have any questions or concerns, we’re here to help. We’re also strongly encouraging our staff to get vaccinated; we’re providing them with as much information about the vaccines as is available, and we’re even rewarding them with $100 after they receive their second dose. To this point, we’ve been one of the most successful agencies’ in the state in terms of managing infections and keeping our consumers and our staff safe, but we know that we’re not done yet. We’re looking forward to a time, perhaps this spring or summer, when we can see each other smile again, and when we can give each other a hug and not be concerned. In the meantime, please stay safe and don’t forget to stay in touch. The IGHL/Affiliates Executive Committee Update 12/1/2020 Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to close all of our Day Hab programs this entire week (Nov 30th- Dec 4th) and will re-open on Dec. 7th. We will continue to keep everyone updated for any further developments. Update 11/28/2020 Due to the increasing infection rate in Suffolk County over the past week, IGHL will be closing all Day Programs on Monday, November 30th and Tuesday, December 1st. We will keep you updated for any additional closings. Update 11/25/2020 To the Family and Friends of IGHL, I write to you on the eve of a holiday where we give thanks for the multitude of things we hold sacred within our hearts, especially those people who have endeared themselves to us and have brought us much joy and happiness throughout our lifetimes. This evening, as we begin to celebrate the holiday season, I am reaching out to you not just as the Executive Director of IGHL, but also as the guardian of my beloved cousin who resides in one of IGHL’s group homes. I can assure you that providing a safe and happy environment for your family member is just as important as providing the same for my own. The difficulties of the past nine months have challenged the resolve of many of us unlike any other period of time in our nation’s recent history. Although our hearts may be filled with hope that the Covid-19 Pandemic will soon come to an end, we cannot afford to let our guard down. It is with this guarded optimism that I ask all of you to be diligent in continuing to protect yourselves and your loved ones during this ...