Message From The Superintendent - November 2021
Greetings!
We hope everyone is doing well! Here are the updates.
We continue to meet weekly with the Health Department. They give us essential data and information to help try and keep everyone safe. We now have had 43 people of about 1,000 people that we serve test positive. We are in discussions with coordinating a vaccine booster clinic with the Portage County Health Department. Once we have further details to share, we will let everyone know.
We are moving closer to getting several new services in place for the beginning of 2022. Here are some updates:
In a new partnership with Kaleidoscope, Portage County will have a new youth respite home in Ravenna. We are working on all the details to make this a successful new program.
Portage DD will be expanding our relationship with Unified Resources (URR) to create a social recreation program for kids ages 12 to 17.
Details are being finalized with A-Plus Home Health Agency, LLC. for an adult emergency respite house in Portage County. More information will be coming as soon as it is available.
Two of our local school districts are piloting a new transition program. Vince Valerio (Educational Services Manager), Tiffany Jones (Community Employment Manager), and Laura Fechter (School-Age Transition Coordinator) from Portage DD will spearhead this new service.
Portage DD will be expanding our relationship with North East Ohio Network (NEON) to recruit and onboard new direct support professionals for Portage County providers. This program should be starting in November. More details will be coming out soon.
Portage DD will be involved in two new initiatives with Probate Judge Smith. A guardianship advisory board will be formed to help recruit guardians for people with developmental disabilities and mental health issues who don't have guardians and need them. Also, we will be on an Assisted Outpatient Treatment steering committee. This steering committee will be focusing on people with developmental disabilities and mental health issues in the court system who need some mental health assistance or help to get into the proper treatment. Our next meeting will be in December.
Three new SSAs joined the Portage DD team in October. Two are replacing previous SSAs, and one is a new position. Please join me in welcoming Ashley Beam, Eric Metz, and Desiree Nastase to the Portage DD team. We are excited that they are now a part of the Portage DD family. Portage DD now has 21 SSAs on staff.
We held our 3rd annual Community Employment Recognition Event on October 1st. It is a day that we celebrate the individuals and employers that assist people in retaining and getting community employment. We gave out numerous awards. We partnered with DODD, OOD, and various other organizations. Great job by all that make inclusive employment in Portage County a priority!
Portage DD held our 2nd meeting with the people we serve, families, providers, DODD, OPRA, OACB, and our County Board staff. We met on October 21st. We again discussed the DSP crisis and ways we could all work together to lessen the impact. A lot of great sharing and brainstorming was done at the meeting. Thank you to all that participated!
Kudos to our entire SSA department, providers, families, and people we serve for diligently working on DSP crisis plans through important meetings. These meetings are to discuss the crisis plan if a Direct Support Professional (DSP) wasn't available in the person's home. We know these are some difficult discussions, but they are meaningful discussions that need to take place. Family, friends, and neighbors have all pitched in to develop emergency plans that will work. There is a lot of upfront work that will pay off if or when the issue arises. Thank you!
Thank you again for your continued support. We are incredibly grateful for all your support! Portage DD will continue to strive to meet and exceed your expectations.
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU.
Sincerely,
John Vennetti