 Everyone has a need for health care. For a person with a developmental disability, additional resources are often needed to ensure quality care. In California, the wellness initiative was created to address this need. With the initiative, the Department of Developmental Services is working to ensure the health and well-being of Californians with developmental disabilities. What's being done? Let's take a look. The Department of Developmental Services is committed to improving health care for persons with developmental disabilities. More people with developmental disabilities are living in the community than ever before. As the number of people needing health care increases, so does the challenge of providing quality health care services. In response to these emerging challenges, DDS launched the Wellness Initiative. The Wellness Initiative mission is to promote the health and well-being of all Californians with developmental disabilities. This initiative has since become a catalyst for innovative projects designed to promote quality medical, dental and mental health services for all Californians with developmental disabilities. DDS offers leadership for the Wellness Initiative by working consistently to create and facilitate partnerships with Wellness Initiative participants and stakeholders. Some of these participants include regional centers, universities and state and local agencies. These partners contribute to the Wellness Initiative by conducting special projects and trainings to address the diverse health issues of persons with developmental disabilities. California's 21 regional centers are non-profit corporations which coordinate services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Regional centers are developing programs that foster collaboration among parents, educators and administrators. These programs continuously strive to improve the physical health, mental health and dental health of persons with developmental disabilities. Regional centers focus on expanding local resources, such as training consumers how to use law enforcement services and understand that they are there to help. They also work to develop clinical expertise by providing training to healthcare professionals. Regional centers educate service providers about the healthcare needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and remove geographic barriers to healthcare by providing telemedicine clinics to allow persons with developmental disabilities access to professionals that can provide a diagnosis, treatment and close follow-up. Through partnerships with several California universities, the Wellness Initiative develops and funds multiple training opportunities for physicians and other healthcare professionals. The trainings focus on health issues pertaining to persons with developmental disabilities. Services include the physician assistants, consultative and training network. This service provides free consultation by telephone to physicians, nurses, pharmacists and physician assistants throughout California who are treating persons with developmental disabilities. In conjunction with stakeholders, the Wellness Initiative has produced a video that demonstrates appropriate self-administration of medication practices for service providers. The video is intended to teach best practice guidelines and help ensure the safety of consumers who are taking medications. Each year, DDS and ARCA, the Association of Regional Center Agencies, work together on the Health and Wellness Forum. This statewide forum provides an opportunity to share information on critical health issues affecting persons with developmental disabilities. The forum presents the most current information available. In addition to the Wellness Forum, information is also available on the Internet. This specialized health information website is an excellent resource for healthcare providers, caregivers and families. It offers quick access to a variety of information on medical care, healthcare provider training, resources for families and resources for healthcare providers. It is funded by DDS and coordinated by the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine and the Center for Health Improvement, a non-profit agency dedicated to improving the public's health. DDS Wellness Initiative staff produces several resources for persons with developmental disabilities and their service providers. The literature available ranges from a periodic publication highlighting health issues to an annual report of current and past wellness projects. All of these and other publications are available to the public by contacting DDS. The Wellness Initiative provides a warm line that families and persons with developmental disabilities can call if they are having trouble accessing appropriate healthcare. It is called the Warm Line for Health Access. A Wellness Initiative staff person will return the call to assist in directing the caller to appropriate services. The Wellness Homepage website can be found by going to the DDS homepage at www.dds.ca.gov, then selecting Initiatives and Projects and finally clicking on Wellness Initiative. The DDS Wellness Homepage provides the most current information on regional center projects, partnership activities, and publications. California is working to assist those with developmental disabilities in receiving timely and appropriate physical, dental, and mental healthcare services. For more information on the DDS Wellness Initiative, call the DDS Health and Wellness section or visit the DDS Wellness Homepage. The DDS Wellness Initiative, promoting the health and well-being of all Californians with developmental disabilities.