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RHA Helps Person Supported Achieve His Goal of Owning Chickens

Alan, a person supported by RHA in Tennessee, recently achieved a longtime goal of his by becoming a caretaker to his very own flock of chickens.

At RHA, Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) work closely with the people they support to identify and achieve individual goals. While goals look different for every individual, one person supported by RHA in Tennessee named Alan had a particularly unique goal.

“When I first met Alan, he told me that he wanted some chickens to raise,” said Brandon C., a Direct Support Professional who works with Alan. “The first home he moved into, the landlord didn’t allow them– but I promised him that he would have them one day!”

Brandon and one of his Direct Support staff members, Ramona, smile while Brandon holds one of his chickens.

Alan recently moved to a new location where he found out he was allowed to keep chickens.

“His dream of owning his own chickens came true! He purchased a good size coop to keep them in and he tends to them daily,” said Brandon.

By all reports, Alan has been an excellent caretaker to his chickens, and has even been enjoying collecting eggs to use weekly.

If you’re interested in helping people like Alan achieve their goals, then join the team at RHA as a Direct Support Professional! Visit us at rhajobs.com to view available positions near you, or learn more about the role.

 

RHA Team Members Named 2021 Most Valuable Clinicians

RHA’s Buncombe County CST Team comprised of Carolyn S., Cecilia H. & Aaron G. were recently awarded the Most Valuable Clinicians of 2021 award by the North Carolina IPS Coalition. 

“The CST Team embodies the tenant of integrated behavioral health services and employment. They assist with concrete needs (e.g., identification and exploring job interests) and provide critical support and communication around symptom management and wellness tools. They are a great team to partner with!”

Congratulations to Aaron, Cecilia, and Carolyn for their outstanding work. We are grateful to have you on our team!​

The award winners are pictured left to right.
From left to right: Aaron, Cecilia, Carolyn.

RHA Celebrates Administrative Professionals Day by Highlighting an Administrative Supervisor who is Blooming in NC!

RHA would like to recognize Meghan W., an administrative professional in NC who recently won an award for her outstanding work assisting with the Western NC IPS-Supported Employment (IPS-SE) program.

Meghan W., an Administrative Supervisor who supports the IPS-SE team with RHA in Western NC was nominated by one of her teammates for a Program Assistant of the Year award. Meghan was selected to receive the award at the Growing Together, Pushing Forward: A Joint Conference of ACT & IPS Coalition Members event on March 3, 2022.

Meghan’s colleagues describe her as the backbone of IPS-SE in Western North Carolina. Team members attribute their success as a team to Meghan’s knowledge of resources and organizational strengths and shared that they felt they would face additional challenges and barriers without Meghan on board.

One of Meghan’s co-workers, Agape P., said, “Meghan is an excellent team member and leader at RHA.  She has an amazing wealth of knowledge, insight, and wisdom in all that she does.  She is the go-to person when others need to figure out how to do something, who to talk to, or just where to start. When faced with a challenging situation, Meghan will lean into the messy details, sort them out, make a chart, find ways to address the issue, and create a plan to address them at a dizzying and impressive pace. Meghan’s knowledge and creativity work together in a way that seems magical at times!  She is also so capable in how she interacts with others in a manner that speaks to a level of care and attention to detail that is admirable. No matter what might happen at RHA on a given day, Meghan is able to help her team get through the day; she’s supportive and understanding of her colleagues, and overall, an excellent advocate for anyone who has the pleasure of working with her.”

RHA is grateful to have someone like Meghan on our team – congratulations, Meghan, and thank you for all your hard work!

 

RHA Offers Two New Behavioral Health Locations in North Carolina

RHA recently opened two new behavioral health locations offering substance use services in Fayetteville and Jacksonville, North Carolina.

The Fayetteville and Jacksonville behavioral health locations both include RHA’s Hilltop Comprehensive Substance Use Services program, and offer an array of services, including comprehensive clinical assessments, substance abuse intensive outpatient treatment, and medication management. Additional services may be added in the future.

“We are excited about these programs because they offer us another way to assist the people in these specific communities with substance use disorders,” said program manager Kiersten Jones. “Our clinical staff has over 25 years of experience in the field working with adolescents, active duty service members, family members, and veterans. We have staff that is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and other areas of need, which can be of great benefit for people in addressing both their traumas, and their substance use diagnosis.”

Staff involved with the new program have expressed excitement for the potential benefits these services will offer to the community, and individuals struggling with a substance use diagnosis.

“We believe that both counties are in need of additional services, based on statistics from the 2019 Cumberland County Health Assessment, and the 2019 Onslow County State of the County Health report. Substance use/abuse services are needed for a community health improvement plan,” said Jones.

If you or someone you know is living in Cumberland or Onslow county and is in need of substance use treatment, please call or visit one of our new locations:

Fayetteville Office
1014 Hay Street
Fayetteville, NC 28305
Office: 910-900-3100

Jacksonville Office
1300 Gum Branch Road Suite A
Jacksonville, NC 28540
Office: 910-968-4100

National Disability Provider Association Names Temeake Lowe Recipient of 2022 DSP of the Year Award

Recognition honors excellence in workforce providing long-term supports and services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities

The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) has announced that Temeake Lowe, a direct support professional with RHA Health in Georgia, has been named the recipient of the 2022 DSP of the Year award. Temeake joins 50 other recipients of ANCOR’s 2022 Direct Support Professional of the Year Awards, chosen from a field of more than 300 outstanding nominees.

Since 2007, ANCOR’s annual DSP of the Year awards recognize outstanding professionals who deliver long-term supports and services to people with I/DD. The awards celebrate the important role DSPs play in ensuring individuals with I/DD are included and empowered in the community, and raise awareness about a direct support workforce in crisis. Inadequate investments in this essential workforce have led to turnover rates approaching 50 percent, as well as double-digit vacancy rates—challenges that have been amplified significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“From helping people with activities of daily living to supporting them to connect with long-lost family members and so much more, direct support professionals like [award recipient’s name] are proof-positive of the crucial roles this workforce plays in communities across the country,” said Heidi Mansir, president of ANCOR’s Board of Directors and executive director of Uplift, Inc., a disability service provider based in Gardiner, Maine. “ANCOR is proud to celebrate [award recipient’s name] and the 50 other professionals who comprise the 2022 class of outstanding honorees.”

Barbara Merrill, chief executive officer for ANCOR, added: “This is the sixteenth consecutive year ANCOR has presented the Direct Support Professional of the Year Awards, and the third class to have been honored since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we’ve been saying it for three years now, the challenges presented by the pandemic have collided with a recruitment and retention crisis in our workforce to wreak previously unthinkable havoc on our system of home- and community-based supports. For that reason, there’s never been a more poignant time to celebrate people like [award recipient’s name] and the more than four dozen other DSPs who exemplify excellence in our field.”

The 2022 DSP of the Year awards will be presented in a ceremony at ANCOR’s 2022 Annual Conference in Miami, Fla., on Wednesday, April 13 at 2:30 pm EDT. Members of the press interested in attending the awards presentation should contact Sean Luechtefeld, Senior Director of Communications for ANCOR, at sluechtefeld@ancor.org or 571.207.9108.

RHA’s Peer Support Services Empower People in Recovery to Help Others

Ethel A. and Tanya S. graduated from substance use programs at RHA – now they work for RHA in North Carolina helping others in recovery.

At RHA, Peer Support is an important part of our substance use services. Our Peer Support Specialists are people with lived experience who have graduated from recovery courses and gone on to receive specialized training in how to support others in recovery.

While Peer Support is not a required element of programs like SAIOP at RHA, most people elect to participate.

“Since embedding Peer Support into SAIOP our success rates and our graduation rates have absolutely skyrocketed,” said Cole S., who leads the Alamance, NC SAIOP Peer Support Team. “Our [Peer Support Specialists] provide an added layer of support of people in recovery. They’re more available than a counselor, they meet with you on a weekly basis, and they provide that sort of warm handhold that gives people the confidence to go to recovery groups or participate in other recovery-oriented activities that might otherwise seem intimidating.”

Cole has worked with many people who have gone on to become Peer Support Specialists themselves. One of those people is Ethel.

Ethel was a Peer Support Specialist with RHA for four years until her recent promotion to Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor. Before that, though, Ethel was a client seeking services with RHA.

“I actually participated in SAIOP [at RHA] three times,” said Ethel. “I was unsuccessful the first two times, but the third time I was in treatment, with the support of my Peer Support Specialist, Cole, I was successful.”

After graduating from SAIOP, Ethel returned to RHA in a job as a Peer Support Specialist, where she went on to work with many people in recovery—one of whom was Tanya.

“I think my experience in SAIOP at RHA absolutely saved my life. I learned a lot about myself, how to cope with my traumas, and about the disease of addiction… and I enjoyed my time in peer support so much that it inspired me to go into this field once I graduated.” said Tanya.

Although Tanya has only been a Peer Support Specialist with RHA for a few months so far, she reports that the work has had a huge impact on her personally.

“This role is impactful. I am reminded every single day of the exact place I was in, and that means a lot to me. I know how hard it is, I know how difficult life seems in early recovery. I can see myself in [the people I support]. It’s rewarding for me, because I understand, and I can offer them hope that the things they’re going through won’t last forever.” said Tanya.

Ethel echoed Tanya’s sentiment.

“It’s very rewarding to be able to give back what was given to me. There’s something special about peer support and working one-on-one with somebody and watching their growth. I tell people that all the time. Like, with Tanya and others who I’ve worked with who are now successful, to know that you really made a difference [in their recovery] is incredible. You come in hoping that you can do that, but to actually see it, it’s just indescribable.”

Sara H., a Behavioral Health Regional Director with RHA in NC, reports that the team has been great for the community.

“Working with the Alamance Substance Use team is a true honor. They strive to guarantee strong recovery principles and aptitude within our agency and community, and Ethel and Tanya are a cornerstone of this team…”

Ethel, Tanya, and Cole are just a few of the incredible team members helping people in recovery every single day. If you’re interested in Peer Supported Services, or RHA’s other Behavioral Health programs, please visit https://rhahealthservices.org/behavioral-health-services/ to learn more.

Thank you to Ethel, Tanya, and Cole for sharing their experiences and for all the incredible work they do every day!

This Valentine’s Day, RHA is celebrating love — sisterly love!

Jackie Smith and Lee Nichols are twin sisters working for RHA in LaGrange, North Carolina, in a facility formerly known as the Howell Center, which became part of RHA in 2006.

They have both worked in a variety of roles, from direct care to medical records, to I.T., and more. Today, Lee serves as I.T. Manager and Jackie is an Employee Benefits Specialist — and their offices are just down the hall from each other.

“It’s nice knowing she’s just down the hall. We’re both very busy, so we don’t see each other that much during the workday, but there’s just something special about knowing that if I have to work late or I want to come in early, I’ve got a partner in crime,” said Jackie.

Lee echoed her sister’s sentiment.

“We may not speak to each other all day, except in the morning and when she brings me lunch — we’re supposed to take turns [making lunch], but she really does it more than I do — but I still love knowing that she’s here. She’s still my favorite person in the world besides my baby sister, and I love getting to see her every day.”

Jackie and Lee began working together at the Howell Center as teenagers. The sisters were introduced to their work through their mother, who worked as a personal assistant to the director of the center at the time, Irene Howell.

“My mother worked for Ms. Howell for a long time — to the day she died, actually. She was one of [Ms. Howell’s] main people,” Lee noted.

Jackie and Lee have been with the Howell Center, now RHA, for most — or, in Lee’s case, all — of their professional lives.  As of January, Lee has been with the business for 43 years. Jackie has been back with the business for 17 years.

When RHA acquired the Howell Center in 2006, Jackie and Lee made the transition to RHA employees.

Jackie noted of the transition: “There’s been so many changes, but I think the one thing that has always been constant, is that we employ great people. [RHA employees] really care about the folks they support, and that’s the one thing that I can say has been constant through the years.”

We are so grateful to Lee and Jackie for their commitment to RHA, and for all of the incredible work they are doing to serve our staff and people supported every day. Thank you both so much!

Seeking Direct Support Professionals to Join our Team — Where Humans Bloom!

At RHA, we’re invested in people, and no one on our team embodies that value more than our Direct Support Professionals (DSPs.) We hope that this video will help familiarize you with – and celebrate – the work that our DSPs do every day.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a DSP, please visit our Careers page to view our current openings, or apply now to join our team and make a difference at a place #WhereHumansBloom.

RHA Residential Team Lead in NC builds team through referrals!

Paris Capozziello is a Residential Team Leader with RHA’s disability services in Hendersonville, NC, who has recruited more than ten new employees to his team.

“I think I’ve had somewhere around 14 or 15 people [I’ve referred] come in for an interview,” Paris said. “I was in healthcare management prior to joining the RHA team and I had a very faithful staff. Some of them came with me just because they liked being under my management, but there are a lot of good things about RHA that brought people over as well.”

RHA offers several different referral incentive programs, which vary by location, but Paris shared that while the financial benefit of recruiting folks has certainly been an incentive, he is also just proud to bring people on board with RHA.

“I spent a lot of time explaining to each candidate that RHA is a good company to work for. [RHA] definitely shows employee appreciation, they care for their staff, and the management has proven that if there’s an issue they will actively listen and try to fix it.”

Thank you, Paris, for all that you do for the people we support, and for encouraging others to join the team at RHA!

North Carolina Teacher Makes Learning Fun for Special Education Students

In honor of National Special Education Day, RHA is celebrating Bonnie Robbins, a teacher working with medically fragile children at an RHA campus in North Carolina.

Ever since she was a young girl, Bonnie Robbins knew she wanted to teach children with special needs.

“When I was little, I was in Girl Scouts. We worked with the Special Olympics every year, and I knew after doing it for so many years that I wanted to teach kids with special needs.”

Bonnie has been an educator for 38 years, and for the past six years has been a member of the team at RHA’s Tar River large medical center in Greenville, North Carolina. Tar River provides care for children with the most challenging medical conditions. Like all of RHA’s large centers, Tar River offers an on-site public-school option for school-age people. At Tar River, Bonnie and others work to ensure that the children they support receive a quality education.

“We have 30 kids right now. Most are non-ambulatory, and all are non-verbal. I work with them like I would any other children. I dance with them; I sing with them. We do academics, and the ones who are old enough get testing – it’s like any other school.”

According to others, Bonnie’s passion for her job is easy to see. Roger Jones, Director of Operations at Tar River and Bonnie’s supervisor, said “[Bonnie] is dedicated to the people that she supports and always makes activities fun. For Halloween this year, she made sure the kids she supports had matching costumes. We are fortunate to have Bonnie and glad she is a part of the Tar River team.”

Bonnie hopes that her passion for education and special needs children will inspire others. “Once you get in here this will become your happy place. These kids are happy…and they can do anything that they want to do.”

Thank you, Bonnie, for your passion and your commitment! We are so grateful to have you on our team at RHA.