Message From The Superintendent - February 2021
Greetings!
January flew by here at Portage DD, but I would like to start by taking a step back and reflecting on the toll January had on the DD community in Portage County. Unfortunately, we had nine people test positive for COVID-19, setting a new single-month high for positive cases. Before January, the previous high for positive COVID-19 cases for people served in Portage County was established in November and December at six. Also, the Portage County community had to say goodbye to numerous people served who passed away. These deaths were all unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are still a horrible loss that has started the year off in a challenging way for the people we serve, families, providers, and staff. My thoughts go out to all the loved ones who have lost someone close to them.
Along with the changing of our calendars, Portage DD has many changes happening as well. At our January regular board meeting, Portage DD welcomed our two new board members, Maureen Haska and Tom Grist. Maureen and Tom are filling the seats left behind by John Gargan Jr and Carol Fruscella. Both are a great addition to an already tremendous Board that we have at Portage DD.
Our board approved a new position at our January regular board meeting, an IT Specialist. Throughout the pandemic and before, it has become apparent how much we rely on technology. We needed another person besides our IT director in the building to handle the demands. We have posted this position on the careers area of the Portage DD website and several other spots.
I want to extend a special "congratulations" to Deni LeMasters. Deni, a driver here at Portage DD for over 30 years, retired at the end of 2020. We were very fortunate to have her here, and the entire agency misses her. Fortunately, Joan Monroe, who has worked with Portage DD in the past, has agreed to rejoin the Portage DD team to fill Deni's vacant position.
At this time, our buildings continue to remain closed to the public, with minimal staff members on-site. The on-site staff's responsibility is to assist with the crucial day-to-day business that cannot be done remotely.
Unfortunately, like so many other agencies throughout the state, COVID-19 has also impacted Portage DD. Our school had to shut down for one week during November and the last week of school in December. Fortunately for Happy Day, this did not happen in January. We were able to keep the student in a class all five days a week and keep the students and staff safe. We once again have to commend the parents, students, and staff for facing these unique challenges this school year. We are grateful to all of you!
Portage DD's website has seen several changes recently. Make sure to check out our website and Facebook page. Most notably, we have added an "Events" page to our website. The "Events" page will have all staff training and other related events in our community. This addition will be accessible for people who are looking for various training, such as CPR/First Aid and MUI Trainings. A big "thank you" to Tim Torch, our fantastic Communications and HR Specialist who does a tremendous job internally with our staff and keeps our website and social media updated!
Portage DD has mailed out a survey to all the parents with kids between 3 and 21 and receives services. At this point, we have received only 36 of the 359 surveys that we sent out. A Portage DD staff member will reach out to everyone who sent their surveys back. We appreciate all of you who responded, and I hope we will receive more surveys. Our goal is to provide more service for the 3 to 21 age group. We are hoping to announce some more resources for that age group soon.
We continue to work with the Health Department to get our staff and the people we serve to set up with the vaccine rollout for phase 1B. We now have our clinic set up for February 5th at Happy Day School. This is for our staff and the people we serve that want the vaccine. We are incredibly excited about the Health Department doing this! The 1st shot of the vaccine has been administered or scheduled for all the people that live in congregate sites (Phase 1A). That is a total of 102 people. Another big thank you to our Portage County Health Department, who has been tremendous throughout the pandemic. They have had an open dialogue with us throughout the pandemic and an incredible resource for us. We continue to meet weekly with them, and they answer the phone no matter how often we contact them, which is often. They just recently gave us 25 Binax Now Home Test Kits for COVID 19. We are appreciative of all they do for us and Portage County.
Thank you again for your continued support. We are incredibly grateful for all your support! We will get through this together! Portage DD will continue to be available via phone, email, and virtual meeting (ZOOM or TEAMS) as we navigate these unique times together. Portage DD will continue to strive to meet and exceed your expectations.
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU.
Sincerely,
John Vennetti