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Leslie Travels to Lincoln, Nebraska

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When our Host Home Providers send us photos from a weekend expedition, we love to live vicariously through the family! Leslie had an excellent time during a recent trip to Nebraska. Henry (her Host Host Provider), relayed how they use out of town trips to bond with family and also individuals. Henry and his wife, Nelke, also prepared to turn around, in case Leslie didn’t want to travel all the way to Lincoln. What a heart of gold these providers have, to be so flexible with no expectations attached to their trip.

Henry and Nelke also planned ahead by budgeting two hour stops into the drive, to ensure they fulfilled her needs.

Upon checking in at the Marriott hotel, located in downtown Lincoln, the receptionists were so sympathetic. They realized Henry and Nelke care for Leslie and felt especially touched by their career choices. The next morning, Marriott Staff surprised the family by providing a discount for the stay.

The trip continued with a tour to Sunken Gardens. This special place is the only garden in the state of Nebraska to be listed in the National Geographic Guide to Public Gardens 300 Best Gardens to Visit in the United States. Henry reports that Leslie had a blast. The flowers were vibrant and beautiful, with bright pops of color.

She kept on requesting me to buy Mother’s Day gift for Nelke. Instead we surprised her with a balloon and a stone with wonderful words ingrained on the stone.

Henry and Nelke believe Leslie enjoyed the trip, as evidenced by following indications- When driving home, she started loosening her grip on the front seat and fell asleep for a nap. Normally, Leslie hangs on tight to the seat in front of her. In addition, she thanked the couple for the trip once they arrived home. And before Leslie fell asleep that night, she asked Henry when they’re heading to Las Vegas.

We can’t thank Henry and Nelke enough for bringing Leslie on their trip! As we always say, we truly have the best providers. We thank Henry and Nelke for their kindness and dedication to Leslie. We also thank Danielle for nominating these two for Host Home Provider of the Month.

If you’re interested in applying to become a Host Home Provider, please visit this link to learn more.

GL

Greg Lands a New Job

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At Support, Inc. we pride ourselves on helping our individuals reach their goals. When Greg reported that he wanted make some extra money and create new relationships, the team worked on a plan to help Greg make his dreams a reality. Through working with DVR and a job coach, Greg was able to land a job at Goodwill in Northern Colorado. There, he was able to learn new skills, meet new people, occupy his time in a positive manner, and make that extra money.

Greg has been working at Goodwill now for 6 months and has expressed that he enjoys the independence he gets, in a setting that is positive for him. His favorite part of the job is pay day, where he is able to cash his check and spend his money the way he wants to. More recently, Greg has expressed interest in gaining his driver’s license and has begun saving for a car. At work, you can find him interacting with customers, helping his co-workers, and showing people the car he is saving for. Outside of work, you can find Greg shopping, enjoying leisure activities, finding new celebrity gossip to share, finding new cars to save for, or looking for a way that he can work more hours.

Big thanks to Greg’s residential team for helping Greg reach this milestone!

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Host Home Provider of the Month

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Please join us in congratulating Sophia on her Host Home Provider of the Month award! This nomination was submitted by Jared, on behalf of the Denver Metro One Team-

I am writing this on behalf of Sofia Escobedo and the amazing work she does with her individual in services. Sofia had her individual J placed in her home in the summer of 2020 and has been an extremely supportive and hands-on provider. She is very aware of his needs at all times and does everything within her power to make sure he is comfortable. She is also a strong advocate for J and makes sure his voice is heard by his team and the other individuals in his life.

Sofia has always been extremely compliant with her paperwork and understands the job fully. She takes pride in her work and is always quick to respond to her teammates if a question or concern arises. She understands J’s limitations and is able to help facilitate for him, and that allows him to engage in all of his planned events. She also helps him get to his appointments on time, especially his virtual clinical appointments.

All in all, Sofia has shown herself to be an exemplary provider and Support, Inc. is fortunate to have her. J has grown as an individual since joining her household and no greater compliment can be paid to her than that. Thank you Sofia for your continued hard work and attention to detail. You deserve the honor of Provider of the Month.

denver

Ryan Lives Life on His Own Terms

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If there’s one thing we love at Support, Inc., it’s helping individuals reach their goals. Ryan recently joined us for services, and his dreams of living independently have now become reality. Ryan was excited to move out on his own and reports he is loving his new space!

Ryan relayed that the move was a smooth transition from his Host Home Provider’s residence to the apartment. His apartment borders Aurora and Denver and is nestled nicely into a suburban sprawl. Ryan relocated to a trendy area in Denver where some of the space around him is still being developed. Still, the large park next door is available for walks and an Arc Thrift Store is just down the street for shopping. There’s a Starbucks within walking distance, along with several other restaurants and a grocery store. When asked what he’s enjoyed most about moving out on his own, Ryan replied

I love the freedom of doing what I want, when I want. In the past, I’ve had staff on top of me. With Support, Inc., I have the freedom to be myself and make my own choices.

Ryan looks forward to buying new furniture soon, unpacking his remaining boxes and settling into his new bachelor pad. His job remains a grounding element in his life as he adjusts to living in a new place. When he’s not working, Ryan is involved in super cool activities, like singing the National Anthem at local sporting events!

As the conversation wrapped up, Ryan explained what he’s liked about working with Support, Inc.

You guys offered a lot more things to do than other companies, like overnight outings in the summertime. Camping and stuff like that is fun. From the day I moved in with Asdesach to having my own place, I’ve been supported the entire time, and my team always goes above and beyond. They ask me to come up with ideas of what I need, and I appreciate that.

Ryan’s story is one of many we are happy to share! We currently serve over two dozen individuals living on their own in the community and offer our expertise to those that need it.

If you’re currently enrolled in the DD Waiver in the state of Colorado and would like to explore a new setting, don’t hesitate to contact us! We help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities find new apartments, connect with host home options and also serve constituents through our Family Caregiver Program.

We understand each situation is unique- let’s chat and see how we can help you explore DD services! Contact us at Intake@support.com

Support, Inc. redefines the life experience for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since 1989, Support, Inc. has evolved into the premier provider of community-based solutions for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the entire front range of Colorado. We offer residential services, along with clinical, nursing and social supports, to the individuals we serve.

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Congratulations to Our New Quality Assurance Coordinator

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We are growing and so is our Quality Assurance department! Congratulations to Nick Sickels on his acceptance of the Quality Assurance Coordinator position. Nick has been with Support, Inc. for about a year- many of you know him through his work as a Residential Program Coordinator on our Denver- Colorado Springs Team. In his time here, Nick has excelled as an RPC as he built rapport with the individuals he serves, providers and families, while always have an eye for quality and compliance. He will be moving into our new Quality Assurance Coordinator role in May. We look forward to seeing Nick’s contributions to the agency continue in his new role.

Stay tuned for more updates on the quality initiatives this year!

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Support, Inc. Welcomes New Coordinator

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Please join us in welcoming our newest Coordinator in Colorado Springs! We are so happy to have you with us, Malcolm!

Hi, my name is Malcolm, I’m a Residential Program Coordinator for the Colorado Springs area.  I’m very ecstatic about joining the Support Inc. team! Before joining the team, I worked as an advocate and educator for teens with at-risk backgrounds as well serving our IDD community as a Direct Support Professional. Outside of working hours, I spend time as a studio music producer and mixing engineer. Outside of my attempts at creation I’m and avid fan of music and I enjoy consuming it and having conversations about it. I also enjoy trying coffee shops, trivia nights, watching sports and exploring. I’m excited to continue to serve this wonderful community and I look forward to learning and expanding my roles with a focus on people helping people!

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Support, Inc. Welcomes New Coordinator

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Please join us in welcoming Abeer Ramstetter to the Support Inc. family and team! Abeer will be our new Residential Program Coordinator on the Denver Metro 3 Team/Hypernova Team, and we are very excited for her to complete our group!

Hello Support, Inc., I am so very excited to join your team and to be one of the people who are helping people!

For so many years, I have served individuals with developmental disabilities through different roles! I worked as a special education teacher, a para educator, a direct support professional in a group home for individuals with significant behavioral and medical needs, a DSP with PCA programs, and a residential program manager.  I am looking forward to learning and growing with Support Inc.

I love hiking, fishing, camping, running and yoga, but that is enough about me; I look forwarding to getting to know each one of you!

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Support, Inc. Welcomes New Registered Nurse

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Please join us in welcoming our new Registered Nurse, Heather!!

My name is Heather Markham. I am thrilled to be joining Support, Inc! I was born in Colorado and moved back here from the Pacific Northwest after earning a bachelor’s in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and International Affairs.  I went back to school for nursing at UNC along with your amazing Associate Director of Nursing Morgan Struck. Since graduating in 2018 I have been working in hospital bedside settings, most recently the Emergency Department.  I spend as much time in the outdoors as possible and enjoy skiing, swimming, climbing and hiking. I am quite thankful to be joining this team and can’t wait to use my current skillset as well as expand my nursing knowledge in this domain. Excited to get to know you all!

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Updates from the Finance Department

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The Support Inc Finance Team has gone through some changes since the last Newsletter!

Noelle Slocum has joined our team as a staff accountant!  Noelle’s enthusiasm and commitment to customer service has shined through these past 7 months.

Chris Neese also joined the team quite recently as our new assistant controller.  Chris is already making his mark at assessing processes and making improvements towards effectiveness and efficiency.

We wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone that the best way to receive payment from us is to sign up for ACH (or direct deposit).  Please email us at accountspayable@supportinc.com to request a form to complete.

As the Tax Season is under way, below are some links to information related to Difficulty of Care Payments for Host Home Providers and Family Caregivers.  These can be shared with your favorite tax accountant.  I have also attached a memo here that provides more clarification.  This information does not constitute legal or tax advice.  Persons needing such advice should consult the appropriate professional.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/certain-medicaid-waiver-payments-may-be-excludable-from-income

https://www.irs.gov/irb/2014-04_IRB#NOT-2014-7

Also, employees are reminded that should they need to make changes to their tax withholding election, address or direct deposit information they can do so directly in ADP workforce now or through the self-service app.

We also wanted to remind everyone that if you or a friend have interest in becoming a Host Home Provider or joining the Support, Inc. Team, you can follow this link: https://supportincjobs.applytojob.com/apply to complete an application.

IN THE SPIRIT OF GRATITUDE AND SHARING

We would like to thank all providers that continue to be diligent about submitting receipts that document the personal needs expenditures of their individuals in services.  This is very important as we are required to maintain these records up to date.

As some of you may know, receipts can be submitted as pictures or PDF format.  Some providers have discovered that the most efficient way to submit receipts is to use the Adobe Scan application.  This application allows you to take pictures of receipts and convert them into a PDF document.  Here is a link to information about the app, if you would like to research it before downloading:

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/adobe-scan-pdf-scanner-ocr/id1199564834

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adobe.scan.android&hl=en_US&gl=US

Lastly, don’t forget that our Day Services program provides varied experiences and connections that allow for the development and fulfillment of important life’s skills which become food for the spirit and the soul.