Changing How Healthcare Is Delivered
Environment of Care
Creating calmer, safer emergency rooms for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through simple, impactful changes.
Project Summary
Emergency rooms (ERs) can be overwhelming places, especially for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). IEC’s Environment of Care project is working to make hospital ERs more welcoming, accessible, and supportive for people with IDD, their families, and the staff who care for them.
To make this possible, IEC’s SCANS Coalition is partnering with Northwell Health in New York to improve physical spaces, workflows, and staff training so that everyone can feel safe in a medical emergency.
Partner With Us
- A comprehensive review of your ER and recommended changes
- Tailored training plan for your teams
- Suggestions for internal quality measures
- Recommended list of trusted vendors and products
- Potential to join a learning collaborative to learn from other participating hospitals
Why This Matters
- People with IDD often find ERs stressful. Bright lights, loud noises, long wait times, and busy environments make the ER stressful for everyone, but can lead to sensory overload for people with IDD.
- Hospital staff want to do better. But they often aren’t trained or lack the tools and systems to support them.
- Small, thoughtful changes in the environment make a big difference. Research and lived experience shows us what works.
“Emergency rooms are terrifying for everyone. Making them safe spaces for people with IDD by dimming lighting, simplifying protocols, and providing means to distract them, as well as giving medical staff the information they need to communicate effectively with patients and their families, will reduce stress for all involved, and ultimately, improve medical care.”
– Susan Platkin, MD
Mom, advocate, and physician
What We're Doing
- Reviewed the research and best practices from across the country.
- Convened experts and advocates in IDD care and emergency medicine.
- Created a one-of-a-kind comprehensive list of recommendations for ERs grouped into five focus areas.
- Met with hospitals on Long Island to implement these recommendations.
- Drafted a comprehensive Resource Guide to support ER staff and leadership.
- Launched a Training Work Group to shape ongoing education tools.
Environment of Care Highlights
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2025
Launched the Training Work Group to shape ongoing education tools.
2025
Outreached to engage hospitals as partners to implement changes to the Environment of Care in the Emergency Department.
2024
Drafted Environment of Care Resource Guide, with input from multiple workgroups, including people with IDD, care partners and experts in the field.
2024
Conducted background research and interviews to identify best practices on changing the Environment of Care in the Emergency Department.
Always Uniquely Me App
Emergencies can be terrifying when you can’t communicate. The Always Uniquely Me app empowers people with IDD by providing a comprehensive digital snapshot of their healthcare information and personal needs to share with clinicians and first responders in any situation.
The app contains quick emergency info, detailed medical history, communication preferences, calming approaches, and more.
Making Healthcare Better and Safer for People with IDD
IEC partners with people with lived experience of IDD and healthcare professionals to change the way care is taught, delivered, and paid for by creating new programs that center patients.