The New York Association on Independent Living (NYAIL) Open Doors Transition Center is focused on assisting people living in nursing homes and intermediate care facilities to receive individualized home and community based services. This includes providing people with objective information about services and supports that are available in their local community. NYAIL was selected by the Department of Health to coordinate the Open Doors Transition Center Project as part of State's Money Follows the Person (MFP) program.


The Open Doors Transition Center assists people in nursing homes who wish to return to the community. The Transition Center is staffed by a Project Director, a Statewide Transition Specialist, a Registered Nurse (RN), and a Social Worker. NYAIL works with 9 Regional Lead ILCs and 14 Auxiliary Independent Living Centers (ILCs) -- see below for a list of these ILCs. These ILCs employ Transition Specialists (TS), who are familiar with the services available in the local community. These staff will meet with individuals residing in nursing homes and/or their family members. For individuals in nursing homes, the TS will identify what is needed for the person to return to the community and will assist in getting those needs met. For example, a common barrier to returning to community living is lack of housing. It is difficult for a resident in a nursing home to locate housing that meets their physical needs, that is affordable and available. The TS can search for housing via housing databases, as well as use their personal knowledge of local assets such as senior housing programs. If needed, the TS can then access environmental modification programs to ensure the home is accessible for the individual. The TS can also assist with accessing housing subsidies if the rent exceeds the individual's budget. Additionally, the TS can provide community preparedness education to ensure that individuals have the information/skills they will need immediately upon return to the community. The TS role and process is tailored to the specific needs and desires of each individual, and is designed to make the transition happen in the smoothest and quickest way possible. The Transition Center works closely with the Nursing Home Transition and Diversion (NHTD) and the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Waivers to provide services that will support people in the community.


The Open Doors Transition Center also works closely with the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). OPWDD will be actively assisting individuals with developmental disabilities in moving from developmental centers (DCs), Intermediate Care Facilities (ICFs), and nursing homes into private homes, apartments, or community residential settings. Some individuals will move out of ICFs and DCs, while others may remain living in their current location, but will experience greater community integration as ICFs (which follow an institutional program model) convert to Individual Residential Alternatives (IRAs). Transition Specialists will meet with these individuals and/or their family members/advocates. The TS can assist with selecting a Medicaid Service Coordinator (MSC) who will best meet the individual's needs. The TS can assist and ensure that the individual has the skills and supports he/she needs to be ready for the community. The TS will also participate with the treatment team in creating a person-centered plan that promotes independence and meaningful community involvement.


Anyone can make a referral to the Open Doors Transition Center. The Transition Center Referral Form (available for download below) can be completed and sent to the Regional Contact listed in the chart below. Referrals can also be made by calling NYAIL's Transition Center Hotline at 844-545-7108, via fax to 518-465-4625, or via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .


For more information:

Suzanne de Beaumont
Project Director
MFP Transition Center
155 Washington Ave, Suite 208
Albany, New York 12210
Phone: (844) 545-7108


Documents available for download:

Open Doors Referral Form

Regional Lead and Auxiliary Contacts

 

 


                                    Open Doors (MFP) Transition Center 
Regional Contacts


Regional Counties


Contact Information 

Auxiliary Independent Living Centers

Albany North

Clinton, Essex, Franklin, 
Fulton, Hamilton,
Montgomery, Saratoga,
Warren, Washington

 

RL April Easton
Southern Adirondack Independent Living Center (SAIL)
71 Glenwood Ave
Queensbury, NY 12804
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 518-792-3537
Fax: 518-792-0979

 

Mylina Prunier
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cheryl Leonard
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

North Country Center for Independence, Plattsburgh

Christina Walton
518-563-9058,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

SAIL, Queensbury

Education & Outreach:
Amy Wittenberg,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Albany South

Albany, Columbia, Greene, 
Rensselaer, Schenectady,
Schoharie

 

RL Jose Villaneva
Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley (ILCHV)
15-17 Third Street
Troy, NY 12180
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 518-274-0701 ext. 109
Fax: 518-274-7944

Alexandra (Alley) King
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Alfieda (Frieda) Walker

Capital District Center for Independence, Albany

518-459-6422

Starcy Sanchez
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

ILCHV, Troy

Education & Outreach:
Pat Pfeifer
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Buffalo

Cattaraugus, Chautauqua,
Erie, Niagara, Orleans, 
Wyoming

 

RL Gerilyn Capps-Anderson
Western New York Independent Living (WNYIL)
3108 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14214
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 716-836-0822 ext. 203
Fax: 716-284-3230

Gerard Dushimimana
716-836-0822 ext.193
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Southwestern Independent Living Center, Jamestown

David Marg
716-484-4145
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WNYIL, Batavia

Sally Waldron
585-815-8501, ext. 416,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Education & Outreach:
Bryant Pugh
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Long Island

Nassau, Suffolk

 

RL Kelly-Rae Douglas
Suffolk Independent Living Organization (SILO)
3253 Route 112, Bldg 10, Suite 5
Medford, NY 11763
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: (631) 880-7929, ext. 143
Fax: (631) 946-6377

Assistant RL, Sarah Cihlar
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SILO, Medford 
Kiersten Falcone
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Royel Brennin
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Kaitlin Perrino
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Admin - Eileen Thomas
Education and Outreach:
Amanda Romahn
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Lower Hudson Valley

Dutchess, Orange, 
Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan,
Ulster, Westchester

 

RL Regina Martin
Putnam Independent Living Services (PILS)
(A Satellite Office of Westchester Independent Living Center, Inc.)
1441 Route 22, Suite 240
Brewster, NY 10509
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 845-228-7457, ext. 1129
Fax: 845-228-7460


Michael Melendez
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Edith Martinez
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Shayna Baxter
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Education & Outreach:

John Dolan
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Resource Center for Accessible Living, Kingston

845-331-0541

Elaine Serrur
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Brooklyn Johnson
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Rockland Independent Living Ctr. (BRIDGES), West Nyack

845-624-1366

Kaitlyn Scilla
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 

Taconic Resources for Independence, Poughkeepsie

Maria Mignone

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Kathy Sheehan
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
845-452-3913

Westchester Disabled on the Move, Yonkers

914-968-4717
 

New York City

Bronx, Kings, New York, 
Queens, Richmond

 

Dheki Lama
Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York (CIDNY)
80-02 Kew Gardens Road, Suite 400
Kew Gardens, NY 11415
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 646-368-8034

Main: 646-849-8306
Fax: 646-979-4871

Admin - Ashley Francis
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Qiana Hankins
646-849-8204,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Fred Horlback
646-849-8318,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Isunami Suero
347-955-7417,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sherina Lawes
347-839-8930,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ifeoma Okoba
646-515-8074,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Benjamin Thariath
646-436-4302,
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Francys Nunez
929-519-4367,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Bathsheba Davis
929-498-3765,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Domonique Clay
347-972-1227
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled, Brooklyn

718-998-3000

Mehak Rizvi
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Yvette Wilson
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Bronx Independent Living Services, Bronx

718-515-2800
 
Mariah Sepulveda
929-523-2335
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
 
Lisa Rivera
929-502-7333
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Natasha Davis
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
 

Staten Island Center for Independent Living, Staten Island

718-720-9016

Michelle Sabatino - Exec. Dir.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
 
Eric Sogomonian
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Samuel Greenberg
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CIDNY, New York

Education & Outreach:

Zachary Borodkin
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Troy Scott
929-484-7243
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Rochester

Genesee, Livingston, 
Monroe, Ontario, Seneca,
Wayne, Yates

 

RL Ann Kaplow
Center for Disability Rights (CDR)
497 State Street
Rochester, NY 14608
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 585-546-7510
Fax: 585-546-7542

Julie Shengulette
585-546-7510 ext. 3235
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Manager Transition and Diversions:
Susan Stahl
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

CDR, Rochester

Education & Outreach:

Damita Peace
585-546-7510
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Southern Tier

Allegany, Broome, Cayuga, 
Chemung, Chenango, Cortland,
Delaware, Otsego, Schuyler,
Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins

 

RL Marcy Donahue
Southern Tier Independence Center (STIC)
135 East Frederick St.
Binghamton, NY, 13904
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 607-724-2111 ext. 391
Fax: 607-772-3606
 
 
 
Education & Outreach:
 
Matthew Lee
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

AIM Independent Living Center, Corning

Melissa Bedient
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
 
 
Genevieve Vaughn
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
607-962-8225

Access to Independence, Cortland

Terri Rigge
607-753-7363
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Catskill Center for Independence, Oneonta

Heather Merrill
607-432-8000
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 

Syracuse

Madison, Onondaga, Oswego,
Herkimer, Lewis, Oneida,
St. Lawrence, Jefferson

 

RL Juanita Clark-Abolafia
ARISE Independent Living Center
635 James Street
Syracuse, NY 13203
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 315-671-2948
Fax: 315-671-2977

Joanna Ginnick
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ARISE Independent Living Center, Auburn

315-604-4050
518-491-4901

Massena Independent Living Center, Massena

Lauren Mason
315-764-9442
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Resource Center for Independent Living, Utica

Dawnmarie Puleo This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Becky Vanderwood This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
315-797-4642
315-738-2774
 
ARISE Independent Living Center, Syracuse
 
Education & Outreach:
Tedd Stiles
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Open Doors staff at NYAIL

518-465-4650
Suzanne de Beaumont
Project Director
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Laura Bingell
Transition Center Nurse
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Laurie Carter
Statewide SW Coordinator
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tami Loya
Education and Outreach Director
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sara Morris
NYC TS Liaison
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Michele Pedersen
Statewide TS Liaison
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Lesley Kelder
Statewide/TS Liaison
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Josephine Todaro
Good Neighbor Program Director
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Katy Bell
Peer Director
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Michelle Darling-Downs
Statewide Peer/TS Liaison
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.