Support, Inc. Welcomes New Associate Director

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“Hi Team! My name is Samantha Cordova, and I feel honored and excited to join the Support Inc. family as an Associate Director of Operations for the Denver Metro 3 team. I have an MPH from Boston University School of Public Health with a background in health care management, process improvement, prevention, trauma-informed care, mental health, and substance use. I am passionate about serving my community, engaging in new experiences, and getting to meet new people.

 

I most recently worked as a Lead Case Manager for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program at Volunteers of America. I have also been serving in the Army Reserves as a Preventive Medicine Specialist for nearly 5 years. I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, but have lived in and traveled to over 10 countries. Colorado will always be home to me since I love the mountains, lakes, food scene, dog friendly patios and beautiful weather. I’m excited to start my next chapter at Support Inc., and I look forward to meeting and working with you all!”

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Support, Inc. Welcomes New Coordinator

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Help us welcome Lauren Strimer, one of our newest RPCs, to the Den-COS Team!

Greetings! My name is Lauren, and I am a new Residential Program Coordinator on the Colorado Springs team. Before joining the team, I worked as a Day Program Instructor teaching Life Skills to IDD adults in Colorado Springs. I believe it is so important for individuals with disabilities to receive coaching on life skills such as grocery shopping, dressing appropriately, communicating feelings etc. and I loved sharing those skills with my students! I look forward to impacting individuals in other meaningful ways with Support, Inc.

Outside of work, I like to listen to music, go window shopping, and adventure around the Springs with my husband and dog! (I am a proud Army wife and dog mom!)

I am excited to join the Support, Inc. team and meet more of my colleagues in person eventually.

-Lauren

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Support, Inc. Welcomes New Associate Director

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Hi Team! My name is Vince Johnson, and I have recently joined Support Inc. as an Associate Director of Operations for the Loveland region. I most recently worked as a Lead Case Manager for Imagine!, the Community Centered Board (CCB) servicing Boulder and Broomfield counties. Additionally, I have participated in two AmeriCorps programs, FEMA Corps, and Teach for America (Memphis, TN). I grew up and spent most of my life living in Wisconsin. I have called Colorado home for the past three years.

Outside of work I enjoy being active outdoors hiking, camping, skiing, and playing yard games. I am looking forward to growing in my position and having the opportunity to meet and work with you all.

 

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Nurse Updates and New Hires

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We are excited to announce a full and fully functioning Nurse Team! We welcome Hannah Ivey and Robyn Richardson as our newest Medical Coordinators. Heather Markham is our newest RN. We are so fortunate to have them as a part of our team!

Robyn Richardson is our Medical Coordinator for Denver Metro 1, 2 and the Colorado Springs Team.

Hannah Ivey is our Medical Coordinator for Denver Metro 3, 4 and the Loveland Team.

Heather Markham RN and Morgan Struck RN will continue to work across teams helping with medical concerns and training. Heather Markham is responsible for individual who have delegations.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to run them through your coordinator!

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September is Healthy Aging Month!

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Health Aging Month was created to bring attention to the challenges that come with aging and encourage people to focus on their health and take precautions. The focus was on helping people adopt a healthier lifestyle at any age. Exercise isn’t only good for our physical health. Adding exercise into your daily routine also stimulates the growth of new brain cells, slows down the aging process, makes the skin healthier, improve sleep and boosts confidence.

As we age, we also need to increase our health screenings beyond an annual physical. Everyone should start doing a colonoscopy (colorectal cancer screening) at age 45. Women are recommended to start getting a mammogram (breast cancer screening) at age 45.

This September, we can all focus on small activities to boost our health. Choose an activity you enjoy, it can be anything from playing a sport or going for a walk, even making small healthy diet changes such as opting for fruits/vegetables or lean protein snacks instead of chips.

Are you getting out this September to get more exercise or maybe trying out a new sport? Tell us about it and maybe you could be featured on our website or Facebook page!

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Support, Inc. BBQ

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Support, Inc. hosted it’s annual Summer BBQ last week for the first time in two years. With the pandemic putting a pause on in-person activities, we were forced to forego our traditions last year. Luckily, the STAR Committee was able to host it’s summer gathering again, and we were thrilled to have everyone at our main office in Aurora. Between the food, the games, the raffles and the prizes, it was a great time to enjoy each other’s company. The friendships and comradery developed through the years always shines through when we all get together as one big bunch of people helping people.

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July is Disability Pride Month

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Disability pride month occurs every July in the United States to commemorate the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life including jobs, schools, transportation and all public and private places that are open to the general public. This law makes sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.

The ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities like those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. The ADA is divided into five titles (or sections) that relate to different areas of public life.

Did you know Disability pride month even has it’s own flag? The flag has a black background and diagonally across the flag are five lines colored blue, yellow, white, red, and green. Each color represents something unique about the disability community. The flag was created to encompass all disabilities and was designed by Ann Magill member of the disability community. The black background represents the suffering of the disability community from violence and serves as a color of rebellion and protest. The lightning bolt represents how individuals with disabilities must navigate barriers and demonstrates their creativity in doing so. The five colors represent the variety of needs and experiences: Mental Illness, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Invisible and Undiagnosed Disabilities, Physical Disabilities, and Sensory Disabilities.

July is an occasion to celebrate people with disabilities, honor their inherent dignity and inalienable rights, promote their visibility, and applaud their achievements. July is also a powerful reminder about the importance of disability rights and why we fight for them.

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Host Home Provider of the Month

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We are pleased to announce the Denver-Colorado Springs Team’s HHP of the Month- Jamie Sanchez! The following write-up was produced by Kayla.

Jamie began with Support Inc, in 2018. Since starting as a Respite provider she quickly proved how valuable she could be to our agency and individual’s lives alike. She found the right fit with three different gentleman who are all in our services. Being a 3-bed is a challenge for any provider, but Jamie takes it with stride. She enlisted the help of friend, Carrie McDaniel, to be her full time Respite, but she is more than that to Jamie and the guys. Carrie is an unofficial Co-Provider who also goes above and beyond to ensure all guys are well taken care of.

The dynamic of Jamie and Carrie is unmatched when it comes to the care they provide. Each time I am in the home, Carrie and Jamie have this bond with each guy and both show a genuine interest in them as well as the things they like. Jamie schedules an annual camping trip for the guys in her home. This year they are going to Bayfield and stopping in Gunnison for a University tour for one gentleman since he loves all colleges. Next, they will be going to the marina for some R&R by a lake. They will also play games, enjoy bonfires and make s’mores! They will also be going around Durango to see some shops and get out and about after the wonderful weekend of camping.

Jamie and Carrie, we are so lucky to have you both as providers and it is such a pleasure working with you. Please help join me in acknowledging the hard work and dedication of Jamie and Carrie. The Colorado Springs Team could not do it without you!

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Quality Assurance Updates

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Support, Inc. utilizes continuous quality improvement as an ongoing effort to evaluate our services, systems, and processes to identify problem areas and opportunities for improvement.  One of the ways we employ continuous quality improvement is through regular auditing completed by the Quality Assurance Department. These audits allow us to review service delivery and quality of care to the waiver participants we serve. Recently we redesigned our file review tool to bring all Support, Inc. services and departments into quality auditing practices. We are calling our new tool the mock audit. The mock audit is designed to mimic a CDPHE (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment) licensing visit. CDPHE is required to survey every service agency in Colorado every 3 years.

Utilizing our own mock audit allows us to assess areas that need improvement while also identifying areas we are exceeding. The mock audit will also allow the Quality Assurance department time to prepare our internal teams and our providers for a CDPHE visit. As part of the mock audit the Quality Assurance Department, in conjunction with the Residential Program Coordinator will complete a site visit to the residential settings represented in the sample.

The site visit will cover a review of the key areas CDPHE assesses when they do their visits. This includes review of medications, review areas of health and safety of the participant, and ensuring the provider understands the support needs outlined in the service plan of the participant(s) they serve.

In addition, if the participant attends the Support, Inc. day program the Quality Assurance team will do a site visit. The day program site visit will review medications, areas of health and safety of the participant, compliance with regulation required inspections and ensuring the staff understand the support needs outlined in the service plan of the participant(s) they serve.  It is the mission of the Quality Assurance Department to engage all Support, Inc. employees and contractors in the planning and implementing of ongoing improvements while utilizing data to improve the quality of care for the individuals we serve. We look forward to starting mock audits in June; if you have any questions, please do to hesitate to reach out to Laura Viers at Laura.Viers@supportinc.com