We’ll be the first to tell you… we LOVE our employees. Volunteering is not only important to us, but we also have very compassionate employees that love to volunteer. On April 14th, we had 3 staff members volunteer at the Food Distribution in Johnstown that is hosted by The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Thank you, Kevin, Ashley, and Tara for embodying the qualities and culture of AUCP!
In March, AUCP staff were given a few opportunities to volunteer at Covid-19 Vaccine Clinics in the southwestern part of the state. We were able to send 7 staff to 3 different locations where vaccines were being given. Staff member, Samantha Graham (pictured) volunteered at the Somerset High School clinic on Thursday, March 25th. She gave individuals their vaccine cards and let them know they would be getting their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Additionally, AUCP staff have been busy making hundreds of phone calls to their participants and have scheduled many of them to receive their Covid-19 vaccines.
If you are a participant of AUCP and would like to be scheduled to receive your Covid-19 vaccine, please reach out to your Service Coordinator to do so.
To learn more about the Covid-19 vaccinations, please visit the CDC website.
For April’s staff highlight, we have Ryann Love who is part of our AmeriHealth team serving Northumberland, Union, Snyder, and Juniata counties. She will be celebrating her 1 year anniversary with AUCP soon. Ryann attended Keystone College and Marywood University.
Ryann lives with her husband of 2 years (pictured) and their two guinea pigs, Han Solo and Chewbacca. She says they’re her pride and joy. Some of her favorite interests are learning about animals, going to the gym, and relaxing. She also loves to travel, her favorite place that she’s been to so far is the Bahamas.
Her biggest goal in life is to make a difference in other lives. It is rewarding when she feels like she is making a positive impact in someone’s life. If she did not work at AUCP, her inner child would have her working in a veterinarian’s office since she has always loved animals.
The thing she likes most about working at AUCP is the supportiveness of the company and her team. She says this is the most supportive company she has ever worked for. The most challenging part of the job for Ryann is having barriers to a participant’s services. You want to do everything possible to help reduce the barriers to give the participant what they need, but sometimes it takes time, which can be out of the Service Coordinator’s control.
One of Ryann’s supervisors, Linda Freidhoff, only has wonderful things to say about her. “From the start, Ryann was eager to learn as much as possible and took off running. She is a quick learner… and is not afraid to tackle some tough issues. Team AmeriHealth has benefited from Ryann’s quick understanding of the processes and she has offered to train and assist the team within a very short time of being employed at this agency. Ryann has been a delightful addition to Team AmeriHealth, she brings joy and liveliness to our team! Ryann has a knack for knowing what to say and has a talent for coming up with some creative ideas to bring unity to Team AmeriHealth.”
This month for our Staff Highlight, we are featuring one of our new Community Health Workers, Cait Farber. Cait was the HUB spotlight for the 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health. Below are some excerpts from her interview. You can read the full article on their website at www.1889jeffersoncenter.org/.
Tell us about yourself. What drew you to the Community Health Worker position in the first place?
My name is Caitlyn, but I like Cait. I’m 27 years young, a lifelong Cambria county native, and a tired psychology student. I’m a very proud mother of two beautiful and bossy toddlers that were my inspiration for my recent joining of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children).
It was early on that I found my passion for helping people. I spent most of my life clawing my way out of poverty, generational abuse, and overall bad luck. Eviction, abuse, single parent life, homeless, unemployed… I’ve been there. It’s so hard to pull yourself out of it, but it’s not impossible. It’s what makes me a competent and successful community health worker. I’m not here to tell you how to live. I’m an everyday member of our community who has used the exact resources I refer my participants to. The moral of my story would absolutely have to read, “Be who you needed.” I am who I needed.
What do you feel is the most important quality for a CHW to bring to the table when working with a participant?
The most important quality to have to be a CHW is genuine compassion. Sometimes we are put in situations that challenge us, and you will need to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. You need to care more about your participants more than checking all the boxes and meeting a quota. We are all people who have struggled like the people we serve. This means we can relate to the people we serve on a personal note. To be a community health worker, you have to be strong, resilient, determined but also cordial, receptive, and patient.
What is the most challenging part of being a CHW?
The most challenging part of being a CHW is finding a barrier or a gap in services but having little power to change it quickly. We want to be aware of the mind, body, and soul cohesively, but also individually, as each participant has their own life. This includes physical health, but also social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
You might remember back in December when we participated in our yearly Holiday Blessings initiative. Of the recipients was one of our participants, Sally Campbell. She was in need of having the garage door to her home fixed. The garage is the only handicap-accessible exit to her home. Since she was unable to open the garage door, Sally was unable to leave her home.
Through Holiday Blessings, we were able to provide the finances to have Sally’s garage door replaced and an electric opener installed. She is very excited to have the door fixed and can’t wait to begin using the automatic opener! See the pictures to the right for the before and after of the garage door.
We would like to thank our supporters that make opportunities like this possible for our agency. If interested in becoming a sponsor of AUCP, we invite you to learn more on our website or contact us today at info@scalucp.org. We look forward to continuing to make a difference in the lives of our community with your support!
Recently, our agency had the opportunity to donate to a great cause, providing a small token of appreciation to the doctors and nurses who work tirelessly in the ICU at Conemaugh Hospital. With our assistance and members of the community, 75 gift bags were provided in just three days.
For the staff highlight for the month of February, we would like to introduce you to Da-Trice Burns. Da-Trice has been a Service Coordinator at AUCP since March of last year working for team UPMC in the central region of the state.
Da-Trice lives in Hermitage, PA, but was born in Sharon and then moved to Ohio for elementary school and from there finished high school in Tampa, Florida. She received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and 60 credits in elementary education from Theil College in Philadelphia, PA.
Da-Trice has a wonderful family that consists of her fiancé, 4 children (ages 17, 16, 14, & 8), a 2-year-old miniature pinscher/chihuahua mix named Ace, and a kitten named Cain. Like any proud mom, Da-Trice boasts about how awesome her children are. Their schedules are full of high school and college classes, cheerleading and softball, and of course a few video games in the mix, too! Outside of spending time with her family, she enjoys reading, meditating, and listening to music.
When asked what her biggest goals in life are, she says she loves to make those around her smile and be happy. She also wants her children to succeed in life and to go further than she could ever imagine for herself.
Working at AUCP over the last year, Da-Trice has really begun to enjoy getting to know her participants, assisting them with their concerns, and feel like she has made a difference in their lives. She also loves the team that she works with, the teamwork makes the job so much more enjoyable. The most challenging parts are the sometimes overwhelming workload and not being able to handle situations for her participants that are out of her control. If she were not a Service Coordinator, Da-Trice says she would like to be a clinical psychiatrist with her own practice.
Participants have stated that Da-Trice is a wonderful person! She works diligently to help them, is in-tune with their needs, and always follows-up when she says she is going to. Her supervisor says she is a great addition to the UPMC team and we agree! We’re glad she is part of the AUCP family!
Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy (AUCP) has once again been awarded accreditation of Case Management for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) by the National Committee for Quality Accreditation (NCQA). This accreditation is a comprehensive, evidence-based program that is awarded to programs that meet NCQA’s Standards and Guidelines. It addresses how the organization delivers efficient, effective person-centered care that meets each participant’s needs, measures the quality improvement to support people living in their preferred setting, and meets the state’s Managed Care requirements.
This is the second consecutive time that AUCP has been awarded this accreditation, this time with a perfect score. We owe our success to our hardworking staff and their dedication to our participants and the quality of services provided.
For more information on the Accreditation of Case Management for Long-Term Services and Supports, please visit NCQA’s website.
For the last three years, we have celebrated the holidays by sponsoring Holiday Blessings to help our community and participants. We invite our staff and board members to submit applications for families that are in need of support during the holiday season. Staff then buy gifts for the children of the families through a Giving Tree. This year, it was our pleasure to sponsor four applicants.
Of the recipients, one was a participating Community Care Hub family from Portage, PA who is expecting their third child. They had no idea about the nomination. When we delivered the gifts purchased and gift cards, they were so surprised. The mother was almost brought to tears and her children did not stop smiling and giggling as they opened and played with their new toys.
Another recipient was a family of three whose daughter, Ava (6), is battling a second round of cancer. As a way to support the family as they make trips back and forth from the Cleveland Clinic, the agency purchased gift cards for gas and food. Ava’s face lit up with joy as she received the box of gifts purchased by staff.
A participant from the Altoona area has been unable to leave her home over the last few months because of a broken garage door. The door doubles as the only handicap accessible entryway to her home. As part of the Holiday Blessings, the agency is sponsoring the cost to get the garage door replaced with a new door and electronic door opener. We can’t wait to see the final product and for her to have the freedom to leave her home again.
Due to COVID-19, one of our participants from the Pittsburgh area has been unable to take part in activities at the senior high rise where she lives. These activities help her fine motor skills and maintain her diabetes flares. One of our staff members took it upon themselves to sponsor her by purchasing clay, coloring books, and supplies to gift for her.
Each year we are blown away by the generosity of our staff, sponsors, and community. 2020 has been a difficult year for all, yet this does not hinder their generosity. Being able to touch the lives of those in our community with their kindness, is heartwarming. Seeing their faces light up with joy, a weight lifting from their shoulders, and a smile spread across their face is why we do what we do. Offering Holiday Blessings is as much a blessing to us as it is to those on the receiving end. It thrills us to host another year of blessings and we look forward to offering them many years into the future.
AUCP’s 2020 Annual Report: New Opportunities is LIVE! For your convenience, you are able to view the report on your desktop or on your mobile device via Issuu.
In the report, you’ll find a full list of AUCP’s programs and services, a quick look at survey results from our participants, our accomplishments and challenges, a snapshot of our 2018-2019 finances, fundraising initiatives and stories, & so much more!
Click here to read now. Please contact us at info@scalucp.org to leave your feedback, we look forward to hearing from you.
AUCP has once again been awarded a three-year accreditation of Case Management for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) by the National Committee for Quality Accreditation (NCQA). This accreditation is a comprehensive, evidence-based program that is awarded to programs that meet NCQA’s Standards and Guidelines. It addresses how the organization delivers efficient, effective person-centered care that meets each participant's needs, measures the quality improvement to support people living in their preferred setting, and meets the states Managed Care requirements.