During our meeting on December 13, 2016, we thanked Marianne Beach for her hard work and dedication as she retired from her position at the Department of Public Health.  Everyone is sad to see her go but also grateful for the support she has given to both providers and families.

We started off the meeting with presenter Andrew Wilson who showcased Symmetrisleep from the Helping Hand Company.  Symmetrisleep is a positioning equipment that can be used for children and/or adults.  Andrew educated the group on the importance of sleep position as we sleep for about 2,920 hours a year or 121 days a year. This really put it into perspective!  He shared success stories that others had with the use of this equipment. Andrew was honest in stating that this equipment doesn’t work overnight and sometimes needs to be adjusted given the child’s needs. At this time, the equipment is not covered by health insurance.  Andrew kindly shared this link http://www.position2relax.com/ for additional information.  Any questions, Andrew is available via e-mail at andrew@symmetrikit.com.

The second speaker was Noemi Arguinzoni from the Department of Transitional Assistance.  She reviewed SNAP, TAFDC, and EAEDC. Her PowerPoint presentation offered a great amount of information, including income guidelines, eligibility, and accessibility. Here are some quick tips! You can apply for SNAP online, walk-in, or call over the phone.  For TAFDC, the only way to apply is in person at 95 Liberty Street Springfield, MA from 7:30am-5:00pm.  In order to be eligible for a daycare voucher, one must be collecting TAFDC.  Lastly, Lisa Sheehy shared the Food Source Hotline (1-800-645-8333) which provides information and referrals for families facing hunger.

We hope you find this information helpful and we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on January 10, 2017 at 9:15am.

-Cristina Rivera, LICSW