orth East Ohio Network (NEON), a regional council of governments, was founded in 1996 by six county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. These six counties (Columbiana, Geauga, Medina, Portage, Stark, and Trumbull) created NEON to enhance services to meet the needs of individuals with MR/DD in their respective communities through agency cooperation, collaboration, and coordination. County board superintendents provide direct leadership through their membership and participation on the Council Governing Board. The initial service model focused on assistance to county boards with Medicaid home and community based waiver services.
y 2006, there were 14 county boards of MR/DD in northeast Ohio who were members of NEON, and the service delivery model had expanded. NEON currently provides an array of services and counties purchase services based on their respective needs, and efficiencies and economies of scale are obtained through multi-county participation.
NEON continues to provide an option to county members to maximize their resources.
Services currently provided to member county boards are:
- Waiver Administration
- Compliance Reviews
- Compensation – PAWS
- Free Choice of Provider
- Technical Assistance
- Local Funding and Supported Living-Administration and Invoice Payment
- Contracting for Supported Living and Room and Board
- Family Support Services – Administration and Invoice Payment
- MUI Investigations
- Quality Assurance Services
- Quality Assessment Registered Nurse Services
