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Legacy Monte Carlo Night to Honor Miller Family of Miller Transportation Group on March 18

The Legacy Foundation will honor the Miller Family of Miller Transportation Group at its annual Monte Carlo Night on March 18, 2023 at The Merion in Cinnaminson.

 

The fundraiser will support Legacy Treatment Services and the vulnerable members of the New Jersey community. Monte Carlo Night provides a wonderful networking experience filled with charitable gaming, delicious food and drink, and live music (featuring pop favorites and jazz classics), along with special entertainment such as a roaming magician. Guests will have opportunities to bid on hotel packages, experiences, tickets to attractions, elaborate gift baskets and much more during the silent auction. In addition, there will be chances to bid on exciting items such as concert tickets, exclusive dinner packages and more during the live auction, head by Legacy CEO Roy Leitstein. At the end of the night, guests will be able to convert chips into tickets for an opportunity to win terrific prizes, all while supporting a great cause.

 

Charles, Melissa and Mark Miller are being honored for their continued generosity and efforts to provide for the community. The Miller Transportation Group began in 1912 as a small Ford dealership in Mount Holly as the Mount Holly Garage, which was founded by William A. Jones. Today, the company has grown to include Miller Ford Lincoln, Miller Subaru, Miller Auto Leasing, Miller Truck Leasing and many subsidiaries in the trucking business.  From supporting local youth teams, participating on local school boards, to fostering animals at the dealership, and supporting Legacy Treatment Services, helping the community is a bright spot for the Miller family and their employees.

 

With more than 70 programs throughout New Jersey, Legacy serves over 20,000 individuals a year. Legacy offers a full continuum of services including prevention programs, crisis intervention, outpatient therapy and psychiatric services, substance abuse services, therapeutic foster care, residential programs, juvenile detention alternatives, case management, developmental disability services, and a special education school. All of Legacy Treatment Services’ programming aims to change the behavioral health and social service outcomes for people of all ages from surviving to thriving.

 

For information on Legacy Monte Carlo Night, sponsorships, tickets, and more –  visit www.legacymontecarlonight.com, and follow Legacy Treatment Services on social media!

Government must invest in direct care professionals to support those with disabilities during the pandemic

by Tine Hansen-Turton and Mike Clark, For the Inquirer

 

We are three months into the vaccination schedule for COVID-19, several federal relief packages later, and we still did not get it right for the hardworking staff who came to work during the darkest days of this pandemic and showed up to care for the most vulnerable people who depend on them 24/7.

 

Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) provide integral, daily support to people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). DSPs are essential to our country as they assist with all aspects of daily life, including bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning, and administering medication. These workers drive clients to and from activities and medical appointments. DSPs work side-by-side with their clients to ensure that they lead safe, meaningful and vibrant lives in the community.  Without them, this country simply could not even begin to meet the needs of the I/DD population.

 

While DSPs were in short supply prior to the pandemic, many burned out during the pandemic, and today we have even fewer in the profession.

 

We have a DSP shortage crisis that cannot be resolved unless the state and federal governments act now. Already facing increased risk due to conditions created by the COVID-19, our I/DD workforce face an ongoing and insidious danger to their health and well-being.

 

Many people with I/DD who need in-person care lost their trained support during the pandemic at a time when many I/DD service providers already faced an acute DSP shortage. Pre-pandemic, approximately 46% of DSP positions turned over annually. In other words, service providers had to replace nearly half of this workforce every year to meet the needs of the I/DD population. During the pandemic, the situation has gotten far worse.  Those with I/DD in Pennsylvania, for example, saw their services reduced by up to 80% since March 2020.

 

Government funds I/DD services through non-profit human services organizations, and therefore essentially sets the rates for DSP compensation.  At starting rates of less than $11/hour in Pennsylvania, compensation remains inadequately matched to the levels of intensity, risk, and daily demands of a DSP worker.  Most retail and fast-food restaurants provide higher compensation options with far less difficult working conditions than that of DSPs who must often work with people with intensive needs or behaviors, and without the ongoing responsibility and care of someone else’s life.  For-profit companies can often pay a higher hourly rate, by increasing prices.  Non-profit human services organizations are not in a position to do that, as they rely on government to support them.

 

Until government dramatically increases support to providers so they in turn can appropriately compensate DSPs, those with I/DD will suffer the consequences of inadequate support and staff turn-over.  Luckily some states like New Jersey have increased their level of funding to support a minimum wage for DSPs and other direct care givers of $15/hourly.

 

Tine Hansen-Turton is President and CEO of Woods Services and a member of the Inquirer’s Health Advisory Board Panel. Mike Clark is a Policy Fellow at Woods Services

Courier Times: Letter to the Editor- “Daughter, Once Considered Hopeless, Symbolizes Hope”

**The following letter to the editor was written by Woods’ parent, Carol Raymond, and appeared in the Bucks County Courier Times.

 

My brain-injured, non-verbal, intellectually/developmentally disabled daughter — now in her 40s — has been at Woods Services, in Middletown Township, since our school district placed her in what they believed was the most appropriate setting for her when she was only 7 years old. Then medical professionals, including psychiatrists and neurologists, told me to institutionalize her, preferably in a mental hospital.

 

They considered my child “hopeless.” But they’ve been proven wrong, and that’s because of Woods, located in Bucks County. I thank God every day that she is there. I’m so thrilled that she continues to make progress. She is still essentially nonverbal, and is intellectually disabled, with significant behavioral issues which are exacerbated by her inability to be understood when she tries to talk.

 

Throughout the years, I have watched Woods develop specialized treatment plans and programs, as well as train and place caring, loving staff that make my daughter safe and comfortable. She is part of a community that affords her the ability to have meaningful social interaction on campus and in the greater community.

 

My daughter is also absolutely delighted to go to work every day at The Woods Enterprises facility on its country-setting campus. This gives her a sense of accomplishment and self-worth that would be impossible for her to realize in a community job placement. Can you imagine how that makes her feel? And how grateful I am that she’s at a place that lovingly nurtures her, never loses hope?

 

This is why I’m so appalled when I read negative media coverage of Woods that paints a grossly distorted picture based on my own knowledge. It makes me wonder about the credibility of the accusers, their motivation and the failure to fact-check.

 

I can honestly say that there is no way that my child could be safely cared for in a community group home environment. They are not equipped to handle individuals with such complex conditions due to staff training, and the unacceptably high ratio of clients-to-staff with no backup due to the isolation of those homes.

 

Community placement might be fine for some who have the capability to live there, but campus settings like Woods are essential to provide the best care for the challenging people they serve. The public deserves to know the truth about Woods, such as I’ve observed firsthand over the past several decades. If you ever need to look for a specialized care for a loved one, I hope you take a hard look at Woods.

 

 

To diversify hiring, let employees with intellectual disabilities demonstrate their skills

*This article originally appeared on the Generocity website here.

Employment is a goal typically realized by developing desirable skills and then getting hired to use them. But what about when the employee’s abilities or needs don’t fit an employer’s usual expectations?

 

In 2016, there was a 38-percent employment rate in Pennsylvania among those with disabilities. Two local organizations, Neurodiversity in the Workplace and Woods Services, are working to increase the hiring of those left out of the workforce by matching employees’ skills and needs to suitable opportunities.

 

Neurodiversity in the Workplace is an initiative of The Arc of Philadelphia, part of the SpArc Philadelphia family of organizations. “Neurodiversity” characterizes diverse neurological conditions as natural, genetic variations that do not preclude individuals from functioning at high professional levels. Advocates wish to establish neurodiversity as critical to workforce diversity — and as an advantage rather than a disability.

 

The initiative builds on this movement to help those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) overcome unique employment hurdles. Young adults with ASD have the lowest rates of employment among peers with other developmental differences.

 

Neurodiversity in the Workplace brings together individuals with ASD and companies that are open to a neurodiverse workforce, allowing prospective employees to showcase their skills to hiring managers; it began in 2013 with a partnership with SAP toward the goal of employing individuals with ASD.

 

Director Joseph Riddle said he believes this is a better hiring process for those with ASD because it removes certain social standards, such as eye contact or communication style, which are usually part of the hiring process and put individuals with ASD at a disadvantage.

 

“If we can help change the culture of the company to be more inclusive, individuals with ASD can easily be integrated as loyal and happy employees,” Riddle said.

 

In the last three years, Neurodiversity in the Workplace has placed 29 clients into full-time positions at seven different companies, including in software and accounting, with 100 percent retention. The organization has also trained over 2,000 professionals to work with a neurodiverse population — an important part of its mission to get more companies to discuss, attend conferences about and engage in hiring neurodiverse individuals.

 

While Neurodiversity in the Workplace is closing the employment gap for a highly skilled population, Woods Services helps develop vocational skills among individuals who would not otherwise have the opportunity.

 

As a population health management organization, Langhorne-based Woods provides health, education, housing, case management services and more to children and adults with exceptional medical and behavioral challenges. It also employs service recipients at its enterprises, most notably the Yellow Daffodil Flower and Gift Shop.

 

Over the last 50 years, the flower shop has evolved from a greenhouse rotation on the Woods campus to a social enterprise with an on-campus workshop and off-campus storefront. Individuals are hired based on their abilities and interests and do jobs in floral arrangement, inventory and customer service.

 

“Skills gained at Yellow Daffodil are highly transferable and can lead to community-based jobs,” said Katie Carnevale, communications manager at Woods. “We can quantify and describe what each individual is capable of based on his or her success at the shop.”

 

Woods also offers employment opportunities at Common Grounds, Woods’ on-campus café, and BeechTree, a body product shop that started as a work unit within Woods’ Beechwood NeuroRehab and was recently established as a standalone social enterprise. At BeechTree, adults with acquired brain injuries create the products, design artwork and represent the company at local events.

 

Those who have succeeded at these enterprises have advanced to working at local businesses, including a hotel, clothing store and restaurant. Carnevale said she believes these experiences also help shape residents’ hopes for their futures.

 

For instance, one young man who thrived as a Common Grounds employee has since graduated and plans to open his own restaurant, Carnevale said. Woods is working to expand its social enterprises and offer more employment, but establishing its competitive advantage to keep the businesses sustainable has been a challenge.

 

Employers have the ability to make a big impact through modifications to their hiring practices — and some are — but consumers should also remember their own purchasing power and call for products of a diverse workforce.

 

“As large corporations increasingly embrace diversity in their workforces as mutually beneficial, they give their voice to this movement,” Carnevale said. “Then, smaller, local businesses will take notice, too.”

The AHCA would devastate the most vulnerable: people with intellectual disabilities and complex medical needs

*This blog post originally appeared on www.philly.com.

 

By: Tine Hansen-Turton, CEO of Woods, Dr. Scott Spreat, Chief of Research of Woods, Kristen Erway, Director of Government Affairs of Woods

 

The American Health Care Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives on May 4, would have a devastating impact on the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They are some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

While most discussion around the AHCA has focused on insurance access and pre-existing conditions, little attention is paid to how the bill would make the most significant and dramatic changes to the Medicaid program since its inception. Instead of paying the cost of all needed care, the bill would impose per capita caps on federal funding. A per capita cap means that the federal government would determine an amount paid to each state each year for each person enrolled in Medicaid. The same amount would be paid to the state for each individual enrolled; however, the costs associated with each individual vary greatly as a function of that individual’s needs and the services they require.

 

These caps would create a dangerous and unstable situation for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who receive supports and services via Medicaid funding. Caps would not increase to reflect rising health care costs or to reflect increases from people aging into needing more long-term supports and services. Per capita caps will reduce amounts and quality of services and increase the size of the service waiting list. States would be forced to find funding to make up for reduced federal support, a concerning prospect in a state currently facing a $1.2 billion deficit where fiscal year General Fund collections are currently $1.2 billion below estimate. And if funding cannot be found, the inevitable cut will occur – and many of the most vulnerable could die.

 

Pennsylvania’s intellectual and developmental disability service system is already suffering chronic underfunding, with approximately one-third of agencies losing money each year. Over the past 20 years, growth in the Pennsylvania budget for these services has lagged about 65% behind the general Pennsylvania budget. The result is high workforce turnover, excessive vacancy rates, and most importantly, a significant waiting list for services. The ACHA would tip the scales and make surviving in this environment impossible for many of those currently serving these individuals.