President’s Letter

Even in its short history the legacy of the AADMD’s presidents has become formidable. First, Dr. Phil May brought us out of the shadows, and then Dr. Sandy Fenton provided the discipline and grooming that helped distinguish us from a rogue band of loose cannons (that’s not to say that the early guerilla days didn’t serve us well).

As the next president I had two goals to add to the above. Firstly, I wanted us to become the “go-to guys” on matters relating to comprehensive healthcare for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Secondly, I wanted to be carried to the palace resulting from efforts to have our population formally declared as being medically underserved. This last president’s letter is dedicated to addressing how I scored.

My biggest regret is that there was no ride to the palace since the MUP designation eluded us. While we had both the evidence and the beginnings of a groundswell to see this achieved, we were derailed. While I can handle the rap for this happening on my watch, I need to share these lessons learned with Dr. Henry Hood, our incoming president. While the Academy was created to become the focal point for a collaborative drive (in developmental healthcare), in the arena of political medicine our hope for strength through numbers did us in.

We had successfully assembled the research, rationale and rewards of having HRSA declare people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as being declared a Medically Underseved Population (MUP). In fact we used their own mathematical formula to demonstrate that (Holder’s equation) obvious oversight. The Academy’s 500 page “book of proof” was shared with key stakeholders reaching up to the most influential agents of change in the political, advocacy, and professional vestibules. We were told “thanks guys, but it’s time for the first string to carry this over for the score.” It made perfect sense to us especially since we didn’t require either the fanfare or the credit; we simply needed it to be done. We heard every excuse from every corner: “timing is wrong, we need to just enlist one other key player, the political landscape has changed, we’re waiting for a better window, we have to first send out some scouts to report back, we have to revisit what this really means, next year will be more advantageous...” In essence it was at best a failed effort and at worst an effort that never seemed to have any effort behind it. While the Academy had the skills, savvy and sense to put the right arrows in the right quiver, we handed them over to archers without the strength, without the aim and without the bowstrings to launch the needed fusillade. Lesson One to Henry as he turns the corner to the Presidency: use your intuition, go with your gut when it comes to critical and strategic movements. Balance, weigh and extrapolate on both the value and merit of collaborations. The Academy’s skill sets are its passion. Its roots, origins and soul were derived from passion-- individual, collective and demonstrative. Use it. Use it alone or with others, but use it; and never let the Academy be derailed by others who seemingly never deliver the goods.

Henry Drummond was fond of quipping, “Unless a man undertakes more than he possibly can do, he will never do all that he can.” In terms of delivering the “can do”, I believe I was successful in helping us become recognized as the “go-to guys” in developmental healthcare. In the last two years we (the Academy) were tapped to participate in key meetings, conferences and task forces by most of the key players in the special needs arena. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Legal Medicine, the Department of Homeland Security, the American Association on Health and Disability, the Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association, the International College of Integrative Medicine, the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the American Academy of Family Practice, the American Association on Multi Sensory Environments, the National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals, the Office on Disability of HHS, Office on Minority Health of HHS, Bureau of Maternal and Child Health, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the Exceptional Parent Foundation for Education, the Department of Defense, and the National Association on Dual Diagnosis (among others) invited us to the table to help create, initiate and evaluate novel programs to address key health issues. Thus, the other side of the collaboration coin was tossed and we came out as winners. I know Henry values the formidable reach of the Academy and will expand this bridge building initiative.

The creation of the AADMD Info Blasts seems to have resonated with the members. These periodic bundles have helped to connect us as well as to serve as the nexus for further exploration, most significantly the work on restraints that is currently underway.

My final insights to Dr. Hood are related to the future (which is why the AADMD was established) and are from The Wisdom of the Sands by Saint-Exupery: “As for the Future, your task is not to foresee, but to enable it.”

Henry, here are the reins.

Dr. Rick Rader has served as the AADMD President since September 2006 and will continue to serve in this capacity for the remainder of his two-year term. Dr. Rader also serves as Director of the Habilitation Center at the Orange Grove Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee.