A Word From Gerri
February 7, 2018
Making Changes
The Program and Operations Department has been busy making changes over the past six months. These changes are to help us improve our services. As you all know, we are always striving to to improve the lives and homes of the individuals we serve.
Last year, a transition started moving Program Resource Coordinators (PRCs) from supervising multiple sites, to just supervising one site. The decision to do this has many great benefits. It gives the PRC the opportunity to focus on just one location. This helps with getting to know all of the specifics of the individuals that live there and the house operations. It also allows the PRCs to take a more “hands on” approach in the homes. They will spend a portion of their hours working directly with the individuals and the staff. In turn, allowing them to become an expert on the house.
They will be able to build relationships and mentor staff in the homes, passing on their knowledge. We also have hopes that this direct mentor-ship will help increase our retention rates. And also elevate our services to a higher level. As we all know, with the staffing shortages in this field in general, retention is a top priority! The transition is now complete in our waiver homes. Already, we are seeing good things with this transition. During this time, we are proud to say that we were able to promote multiple Direct Support Staff (DSS) into PRC positions in our homes.
Building on Knowledge
The Department has also been working alongside of the HR department, trying to retain qualified staff, and offering some flexibility in schedules. As staff transition through their own personal lives and if their position is no longer fitting, the PRCs and Operation Administrators work directly with the HR Department to find other options that may work for the employee. This is such a huge piece of the pie – retaining our staff who have such a great wealth of knowledge and skill is important!
Of course, at any given time in this field, enough “Thank Yous” cannot be said to all of the Direct Support Staff and Management who have been there, pitching in, giving suggestions, and showing us their dedication. We definitely have many “shining star” employees in our homes!
