Author: ViaQuest

An American flag and a military uniform are symbols that bring U.S. citizens pride, gratitude and a sense of peace. Though our soldiers, the heroes, appear strong and unbreakable on the outside, so many silently suffer. Nearly 30% of them sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cognitive conditions that go unnoticed and untreated, leading to the destruction of lives and families. There hasn’t been a program that offers the extensive range of services needed for a full recovery and successful transition from military to civilian life, until now.

ViaQuest is proud to announce their collaboration with Dr. Chrisanne Gordon, Medical Director of Rehabilitation Services at Memorial Hospital of Union County in Marysville, Ohio. Her special interest is with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) since she has experienced TBI recovery both as a physician and as a patient. Together we have built the Recovery and Reintegration of Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury Program (RRVT), specializing in supporting TBI and PTSD victims.

Dr. Gordon’s mission is to provide educational, vocational, and employment opportunities for the more than 60,000 veterans currently living in Ohio. According to Dr. Gordon, “the partnership with ViaQuest, whose highly specialized team strives to provide a suite of services for veterans, will result in aiding hundreds of military professionals in the first year.”

ViaQuest’s President and CEO, Rich Johnson, added that “ViaQuest’s collaboration with Dr. Gordon means that Ohio veterans will be given the many and varied opportunities and supports they both need and deserve.  As a veteran myself, I’m deeply honored to be serving the men and women of our armed forces through this initiative.”

Current programs help with various issues, but RRVT is the first of its kind in that it has the ability to offer all five components needed for long-term recovery and reintegration for veterans suffering from TBI, PTSD, and major depression. RRVT’s capabilities will include the following, helping to minimalize issues of homelessness, substance abuse, suicide, criminal activity and more.

1. Health Care Services (physical, emotional, mental, behavioral)
2. Educational Services (vocational training, continuing education, certificating/licensing)
3. Pre-Employment Services (preparation, selection, placement)
4. Post-Employment Services (job coaching, case management)
5. Residential Services (housing, home based supports, transportation)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes traumatic brain injury as a major cause of death and disability in the U.S. Survivors may face short-term effects or long-term disabilities. The impact on our heroes and economy is significant and needs to be addressed:

• Over 400,000 military personnel and veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD or TBI since 2001
• 73% of veterans who suffered a TBI have never received care at a VA facility – most symptoms do not begin until after soldiers return home
• The unemployment rate for veterans is greater than the national average of their age-matched civilian counterparts
• An estimated 13,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were homeless in 2014
• The loss in a sense of mission or accomplishment in a veteran often leads to depression and suicide
• Rehabilitation services are estimated at $25,000 per soldier/ per year. Using RRVT’s telemedicine, physicians can reduce the six-month cost for rehabilitation to $4,250/soldier

Following RRVT’s successful implementation in Ohio, the program will expand and be implemented on a larger regional basis, including service delivery in the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.

If you are a Veteran interested in discussing ViaQuest Veteran Services, please contact us:
Phone: (614) 339-8408  |  Email: Veteran.Services@ViaQuestInc.com

 

If you are an Employer interested in hiring qualified Veterans, please contact:
Larry Worth, Executive Director, ViaQuest Diversity & Inclusion Services
Email: Larry.Worth@ViaQuestInc.com

Bill has worked for ViaQuest Day Services in Westerville for 2 years. Prior to entering this field, he was a realtor in Florida. His passion to help others is what keeps him going. He loves his job, is enthusiastic and on time for everything that he does.

When Bill Baptista was chosen by his agency to attend the 2015 DSP Summit, he had no idea that his career as a DSP would be taken to a new level. Arriving early to the Summit he was greeted and welcomed by Bethany Toledo, the Executive Director of OADSP. As the day progressed, Bill met some of the DSP Council members.

His story however, truly begins with the game “Let’s Make a Deal”. Bill won the grand prize, an all -­‐ expenses paid trip to Lousiville, Kentucky for the 1st National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) Conference. As an added bonus, he would be travelling and staying with the DSP Council. I was concerned Bill would have some reservations about traveling, and sharing a hotel room with people that he didn’t know. But Bill had no concerns and fit right in! He had gotten to know some of the council members during the Summit and found them to be an energetic and friendly group. Bill prides himself in being a people person and quickly gained 7 new friends. The opportunity to be part of a much bigger picture was in his future.

After spending two days at the National Conference with the council, Bill knew that he wanted to be a part of the group and he wanted to help them accomplish their goals. Bill has a strong desire to help DSPs get the recognition that they deserve. He also wants to have a hand in helping others continue their education. The council was accepting applications and he immediately applied. Bill was chosen as the 8th member of the DSP Council.

When asked what he hopes to accomplish by joining the council, he proudly responded with this statement.

“I hope to reach as many DSPs as possible to encourage them to continue learning and to grow in this field. I want to help them be the best that they can be.”

Bill Baptista has now been an official DSP Council member since June of 2015. He is a great addition to the group and has proven to be a team player. During my interview with Bill, I asked him what he has learned from the council.

“I have learned how to improve my skills in public speaking and a lot about working together as a cohesive group.”

Thank you Bill! It has been an honor and privilege to work beside you. You will do great things! DSPs all over this great state will learn and grow through the work that you are doing. – Donna Rhodes, OADSP E-flash Editor

Story reposted from Ohio Alliance of Direct Support Professionals

Participants Enter Contest to Select Program Name

In previous years, ViaQuest offered a program for day services and a separate program for employment services. In order to better serve the individuals, we made the decision to merge the two programs and operate as one business line, to help enable all staff to provide consistent, beneficial and quality services. In addition, it allows for seamless transition between the day and employment services offered.

To ensure the merge was not only successful, but also exciting, ViaQuest decided to rename the program, making the process collaborative among the individuals who utilize the services. We decided to hold a contest to rename the program to be more inclusive of everything we do.

The contest included seven locations across the state. Any individual at any location was eligible to enter a name suggestion. Given the large number of entries, each location ended up choosing their top three contenders. These individuals received a prize determined by their management team.

The next round was up to the administrators, who were charged with narrowing down these selections to their top three picks, and submitting them to the executive director. Winners of this level received lunch with their management team and a ViaQuest t-shirt. It was up to the executive director and ViaQuest president and CEO Rich Johnson to select the winner from the top nine suggestions.

The lucky winner, with his suggestion of ViaQuest Day & Employment Services was Aaron Rohs. Aaron has been taking advantage of ViaQuest’s services since 2013. He likes the combination of community activities, the social aspect of the program and an option to work. Besides bragging rights, Aaron was treated to lunch by Rich Johnson and presented with a plaque for his dedication and contribution to the program.

Serving individuals and providing quality care and service has always been a high-valued standard of ViaQuest. In order to achieve such success, several staff members recently attended the Academy for Excellence in HealthCare – a program designed to help health care organizations identify and solve their greatest operating challenges to improve quality care and overall experience.

The Academy, a collaboration between the Fisher College of Business (The Ohio State University) and Cardinal Health, strives to drive results that significantly reduce costs and improve patient outcomes. The program focuses on LEAN Management strategies, motivating participants to try new things and ask questions, to further improve communication and leadership.

ViaQuest staff (Hattie Grills, Director of Central Services; Katie Gallenstein, VP of Home Health; Kathy Richard, Chief Clinical Officer; Gary Butler, Program Coach and Executive in Residence in the Management Sciences department, Fisher College of Business; and Sehul Patel, Chief Information Officer) were accepted to the sixth cohort of the Academy of Excellence in Healthcare. The team attended a week of on-site classroom training geared toward using LEAN Management concepts to achieve business or operational process goals.

The team identified their goal as improving the functioning of the Central Intake Department. More specifically, they were looking to decrease turnover, errors, overtime and referral processing time. They worked alongside representatives of other well-known healthcare organizations, such as the Mayo Clinic and Mount Carmel St. Ann’s.

Already, the project has made significant change to the quality of the department and the services provided. The team continues to expand their knowledge into other areas of the business as well. In just a short 13 weeks, the project reflected the following:

• Billing errors reduced from 12.7% to 3.8%
• Overtime decreased from 17.6 hours to 9.9 hours
• Referral processing time reduced from 77.3 minutes to 42 minutes
• Improvement of overall experience for both employees and clients
• Money saved and efficiencies improved
• The project will continue to reach longer range goals in each identified area

 

“The rapidly evolving health care industry has created a new standard of excellence for the safety and accuracy of patient care. With its proven record in creating and shaping lean leaders through an operational excellence curriculum unmatched in the country, Fisher College of Business is uniquely positioned to deliver this program. As a partner and thought leader, Cardinal Health is a health care services company with a decade of experience and commitment to LEAN management and Operational Excellence. This unique partnership brings together an ideal combination of academic and industry experience that will provide participants with a pragmatic and results oriented development experience.”
-The Ohio State Univeristy, Fisher College of Business

Westlake, OH – It’s been years since Erma Fowler set foot under the bright lights of a Broadway theater. But today, as she celebrates 101 years of memories, you can see the sparkle in her eye as she reflects on the days where she once shared a stage with Hollywood elite.

“The key to being a good dancer is eating right and getting plenty of rest,” instructs Fowler, the simple life lessons that today help her enjoy such a significant birthday.

Fowler worked for years as a Las Vegas dancer, which blossomed into the opportunity to travel the county, performing in Broadway shows alongside caliber celebrities like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

Born on West 40^th street in Cleveland to Hungarian immigrants, Fowler and her twin sister Gizella cultivated a love of dance at an early age. This determination and love led Fowler to dance her way into show business as part of the Nellena Dance Studio at age 17. With the nickname “Blondie” and a stage name of “Marsh,” legends, including Frank Sinatra, recognized her style, talent and her ability to make the crowd fall in love with her. With her twin sister performing at her side, the two traveled from coast to coast starring in shows.

“It’s not what I was used to, but my sister and I had the luxury of fame,” Erma said.

Erma later married love Allen Fowler, whom she met in show business. She is currently a resident at the West Bay Care & Rehabilitation Center’s Homestead Alzhemiers’ unit. Though she never had children of her own, that does not stop her from showing her enthusiasm for dance by twirling with visitors’ children and grandchildren at the unit.

ViaQuest staff were all hands on deck in the preparation of Fowler’s birthday. She was joined by her great nephew and niece, along with their two sons. Cupcakes and sparkling cider were a staple at the celebration.

The highlight of the day, however, was the unique performance by nine volunteer dancers of North Royalton Dance Academy. The grand finale, of course — an ode to Frank Sinatra.

The staff of the Homestead Unit fell in love with Erma as easily as her audience. Director Nikki Guarnieri says “she always has a kind word or a smile for staff members at the Homestead Unit, our staff are very proud to have her in their facility.

–She’s a real treasure.”

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Columbus – The Ohio Provider Resource Association (OPRA) in collaboration with the Ohio Alliance of Direct Support Professionals, have developed a plan that will provide high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to learn about the field of direct support through in-class training, on-site internships, and the opportunity to earn the Certificate of Initial Proficiency (CIP) and the Certificate of Advance Proficiency (CAP) through the Ohio Alliance of Direct Support Professionals.

This program, known as the Community Connections Career Partnership Ohio affords each student an opportunity to learn about a career that is in need of qualified workers, provides flex credits, and educates through a provider-based internship. Following graduation, students will be encouraged to apply for jobs as direct support professionals.

These full-time jobs are in demand and come with full benefits, as well as opportunities for advancement. By having earned the CIP and CAP credentials, the students will have an excellent advantage of being hired by any I/DD direct service provider in the State of Ohio.

At South-Western City Schools, the first program began at Franklin Heights High School in Columbus on August 31, 2015. Sophomore students who were enrolled in the Career Based Intervention class were encouraged to apply last year as candidates for the program.

Of the students interviewed, a total of 13 students are participating in the first class. Congressman Steve Stivers spoke to the students on September 1, 2015 (photo courtesy of OPRA, 2015). This class will begin in their junior year of high school and will be completed by the end of the school year with the students earning their CIP credential.

While working on the coursework, students will also participate in a four-day-per-week internship at area providers (ViaQuest, Heinzerling Foundation and Columbus Center for Human Services) who serve a diverse population, which will ensure a well-rounded career experience. Students can then continue during their senior year to earn their CAP credential. Stipends for completion of both the CIP and CAP will be awarded at a graduation ceremony at the end of each year.

Aligning this project with provider agencies in Ohio creates a win-win environment. Provider agencies will have access to a pool of qualified candidates who have already been trained and certified to fill currently vacant positions. This will help reduce the direct support vacancy gap and reduce turnover.

It is estimated that 20,000+ students currently in their sophomore year of high school are in Career Based Intervention classes throughout Ohio. When these students enter their junior year, there is no other structured option for them to build skills and gain experience that will lead to a career. OPRA and OADSP expects to have five additional locations in Ohio offering the program in the 2016-17 school year.

Source: Mark Davis, President, OPRA