March is national Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

In Mississippi, an estimated 42,000 individuals have intellectual and developmental disabilities ranging from needing minimal supports to sometimes requiring 24-hour, seven-day-a-week care. Agencies operating under authority of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health provide services to assist these individuals and their families.

The North Mississippi Regional Center (NMRC) offers these comprehensive programs and supports to individuals in north Mississippi.

NMRC provides licensed residential care and services on its main campus in Oxford, and at licensed community programs across the northern 23 counties of the state. Assistance is also offered through a continuum of community based options including supervised and supported living, employment and prevocational programs, early intervention and assistive technology programs, adult day services, Home and Community Supports and the Support Coordination/IDD Waiver Program.

A national observance of IDD Awareness Month brings increased understanding of the supports necessary for individuals with disabilities to live more independently in their home communities. Today the public has greater awareness of intellectual disabilities as a natural occurrence, with an understanding that those with disabilities can contribute greatly in the community and workplace.

NMRC’s mission is to enhance the abilities and promote the independence of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing quality care, comprehensive services, and family support, with dignity and respect.

For more information on local programs and services available to the public through the North Mississippi Regional Center, call the Public Information Department at 662-513-7844.

B.J. Davis

NMRC Director of Public Information