HR Corner

HR News and Updates

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We are very excited to announce our benefit change for 2024. This transition has been many years in the making.  Even though we have been generally happy with Kaiser, as we have grown, we have had the desire and the need to move to a plan that does not have as many restrictions, offers national coverage, and at an affordable cost to participants and the company.  After careful review by the committee, Cigna was chosen to be our employee health partner moving forward.  Below is some of what you can expect with this transition:

 

  • Cigna will allow you the opportunity to access a significantly larger network, which is nationwide and one of the largest networks in the country.
  • You will have less restrictions on access to care.  For example, you will not need a referral to see a specialist.
  • Cigna offers a transfer of care team that can assist in transferring prescriptions, finding doctors, and matching you with comparable care.

The HR Team is happy to answer questions and help as we make this transition and do everything in our power to make sure you’re able to access our employee benefits with ease!

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New Staff for Eastern Plains!

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Please join us in welcoming new Residential Coordinator, Jennifer Schutz to the Support Inc. Family!! Jennifer will be joining our Northern Region team and supporting our individuals and families on the Eastern Plains. We’re excited to have a team member with local knowledge to help serve our many individuals and families in Eastern Colorado. Learn more about Jennifer below.

“Hello Support Inc., My name is Jennifer Schutz. I have joined Support Inc. as a Residential Program Coordinator. I have a B.A. in Psychology and have been a Case Manager for 8 years with Eastern Colorado Services serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. During my time there, I worked with ages 3-17 and adults. I have also worked with 6 different long term Medicaid waivers. When I am not working, I am at home with my husband and 3 kids (6-year-olds *yes twins* and an 11-year-old). Also, can’t forget the pets as well- 2 kittens, 1 dog and a hedgehog. We enjoy playing video games and I enjoy reading. I am excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to meet and work with everyone!

 

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Support Inc. Client Featured in Local Art Show!

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Café Show by Local Artist and Support, Inc. client- Maria

Maria has many talents. She is an athlete, baker, dancer, skilled with animals and very charismatic. She is also a prolific painter, using art therapy as one way to calm her busy mind. While flamingos in funny situations are a common theme, she also paints other marine life, horses, flowers, holiday settings and landscapes.

During the month of October, Maria was the featured artist at the French Press Café in her neighborhood on Iliff near Buckley. If you have not been there, they have the regular coffee and tea-related faire, as well as an incredible kitchen. (Their chilaquiles are THE BOMB!) Maria’s paintings covered an entire wall, which is really saying something in the small space the café holds. She wrote her own bio, which had a lovely photo of her with a horse attached and even sold two paintings!

Maria’s accomplishments are a source of pride for herself, her family and our community. Here’s to the next show where we have our eye on a certain flamingo wearing a pool floaty and carrying a cocktail. Congratulations to Maria on this amazing accomplishment!

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Host Home Provider of the Month- November!

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Please join us in congratulating our November Host Home Provider of the Month, Lisa Mugalu!! Lisa was nominated for Host Home Provider of the month by the Support Inc. Denver Metro 2 Team. According to Residential Coordinator, Malika, “I have been working with Lisa since February 2022, and although there have been ups and downs with the health of the person in services in the home, she has remained resilient, patient, and most importantly kind. Coming from living in a home with her sister was a huge transition for not only the person in services, but the entire family, and Lisa has always had an open-door policy and treats them like family too! When the individual in the home experienced some health issues last year, she made sure to be proactive, ask questions, and be an advocate for the person in services to finally receive physical therapy, which helped tremendously. With thanks to physical therapy and Lisa, the person in services got so much healthier, stronger, and her lively personality was back. Every time I see the person in services, she is smiling, giving everyone hugs, laughing, and talking about pizza (inside joke). Lisa is extremely hard-working, and always does her best to make sure the individual in her home is getting the absolute best care. It has truly been a pleasure working with Lisa and I appreciate her positive attitude and kindness always. Thank you for all that you do, Lisa and congratulations on being the November Host Home Provider of the Month!!!

 

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Family Caregiver Town Hall

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Please join our Operations Team on November 30th, 11am for our Family Caregiver Town Hall. This meeting will occur virtually on Zoom. The agenda is filled with updates regarding Support, Inc., and Pueblo Community Resources news, as well as reminder for upcoming events, staff appreciation and recognition, and an opportunity to connect and ask questions. For more information and the zoom link please contact info@supportinc.com

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Quality Assurance News and Updates

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As summer ends and cold weather settles in so comes cold and flu season. Colorado has also seen an increase in COVID-19 cases. Protect yourself, the person you serve and your family. As a reminder, please do not send people to work or day program if they are sick. If people arrive to day program/work showing signs of illness, you will be asked to pick the person up.

Healthy habits to help protect against illness:

  1. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  2. Stay home when you are sick. Please do not send people to work or day program if they are sick.
  3. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
  4. Wash your hands often to protect yourself from germs.
  5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
  6. Practice other good health habits such a cleaning and disinfecting.
  7. Getting a flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine. Contact your primary care physician, local pharmacy or use Colorado’s get vaccinated website to find vaccine providers near you.
Recent News

CJ Rocks Out to Guns N’ Roses!

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Forget Moves Like Jagger, You Want Moves Like CJ!

Support Inc. Residential Coordinator, Jennifer, went to see individual in services, CJ, in October just like any regular, monthly Home Visit, but he was not just any regular old CJ. He was so excited for the next day that he could not stop grinning. Jennifer has seen CJ many times when he is looking forward to something like a trip to see his family, a dinner at Olive Garden with his girlfriend or even a day at Elitch Gardens, but this was the happiest, most excited she had ever seen him. The next night he was going to see Guns N’ Roses in concert at Ball Arena with his buddy from church. He told his Host Home Provider that he might not come home until after 1:30 in the morning because he would be too busy rockin’. They talked about his favorite song, “Welcome to the Jungle” and there was no convincing him that “Sweet Child of Mine” was better. The next afternoon, Jennifer called CJ to see how the concert went. It was obvious even over the phone that he was still smiling from ear to ear. While he didn’t stay out until the wee hours, he still had an amazing time and said he definitely “rocked out”. When she asked him if he did the famous side to side sway move of lead singer Axel Rose, CJ scoffed and said, “No, I’ve got way better moves than that.” With as happy as he was, that must be true.

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Intake Department News & Updates- Serving Individuals, Family Caregivers and Host Home Providers

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Greetings from the Intake Team! It’s been a wonderful year, and we hope you’re staying warm and cozy with the upcoming holiday season right around the corner. 2024 will be here soon!

Each year we strive to help as many people as we can by scheduling meet and greets in a swift manner with case management entities across the state. We understand how the DD waiver can offer life-changing opportunities for individuals seeking services. As such, we aim to reach everyone we can by closely and quickly reviewing referrals, getting creative and trying to serve each person in a way that’s unique to their specific needs.

We explored a few new methods this year (including a time-efficient process for onboarding Host Home Providers) and we’re proud to announce that 2023 might turn out to be our best year yet! For 2023 to be a year of change and uncertainty, in regard to the ongoing case management redesign, we couldn’t be prouder to share our recent successes. The team was approached to handle several unique situations this year. Although Cindy and Kristin have both been with the company for over 20 years, we still accept unique and interesting referrals that keep our jobs feeling fresh and fun on a daily basis. Problem solving is at the root of what we do. We love to get creative and help however we can!

As we continue to examine creative ideas for the remainder of this year and 2024, we want to thank everyone that has helped us bring our new folks into services. Employees, Host Home Providers, Direct Support Professionals we couldn’t do it without you; and we especially appreciate our new families that have trusted us to provide them with high quality services. Thank you all again, and we hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

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Tarrytown Pharmacy Partnership!

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Support Inc. is excited to announce our recent partnership with Tarrytown Pharmacy, which provides specialized care for intellectual and developmental disability communities nationwide. This is not only a huge benefit to our nursing department, but our individuals and families receiving services through us. Follow the link below to learn more about this innovative service offered through Support Inc. now!

Tarrytown Expocare Pharmacy – Long Term Care Pharmacy for Intermediate Care Facilities (ICFs) and Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (IDD)