Offering health care to those with special needs a uniting effort
Five area health organizations focusing on bettering the health of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families have united in their effort to provide the ultimate care services for the public, forming the Community Care Coalition.
Mental health and well-being, navigating the path of individuals with special needs and their families, and extending a helping hand to those struggling with life’s difficult decisions are at the heart of a recently created coalition that was created through the uniting of several area health organizations.
The Community Care Coalition has seen five area organizations come together.
“The Community Care Coalition was born out of the necessity to connect like-minded agencies who share the same values and mission within the community,” Angie Willard of Cardinal Therapy Group said. “We have a mission to serve, and in particular we have a connection through the Amish community and want to come together to share these resources and services for everyone in our area.”
“There’s lots of resources right here in our local community, and we want to make sure everyone knows about all of them,” Sacred Ground administrator Griffin Long said. “We’re here to serve adults with special needs and their families, and each one of us has the same mission, and this is a great group to network and provide valuable service to families.”
The core members of the new organization include five area organizations that offer an array of services for individuals with special needs and their families.
The five include the following:
—Sacred Ground, a caring center that provides services for adults with special needs and their families.
—Cardinal Therapy Group, a therapy company that provides contract care for agencies and home visits within the community for therapy needs.
—Pomerene Hospital, a local community hospital that offers staff and programs to assure best practices for the Plain community including nurse navigation, Amish liaison, pricing care plans and transportation.
—New Leaf Center in Mt. Eaton, which provides medical care to special needs children with inherited disorders.
—Springhaven Counseling Center, which offers individual, couple, family and group counseling including mental health counseling.
The CCC members work together on a regular basis, and with each having its own set of gifts and areas of expertise, they felt a necessity to learn more about one another so they could recommend additional benefits the other organizations might offer that extend beyond their area of expertise.
Thus, the coalition was born, and the five entities have already learned a great deal about one another.
“We needed to learn more because, in networking together, we are benefiting families here who can now realize that they don’t have to travel far from the area to receive the necessary help they need,” Willard said.
Pomerene mobile health nurse Krystin Reynolds said her department provides mobile services to residents who don’t have or can’t afford health insurance and high-cost lab work.
From providing health care and developing social and language skills to offering quality audiology development, daily care or counseling, socialization and transportation, the group as a whole is able to network to guide individuals and families to resources within the CCC.
“I love that we are hitting every area of life for these families, in mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health,” Long said.
Jon Bobley, clinical director at Springhaven, said being part of the group provides all members with the opportunity to provide the most excellent care possible.
“Each of us may hit a portion of what an individual might need, but together with all of the support services, we can offer so much more. Individually, we are each a part of the solution, but together we can offer comprehensive support,” Bobley said.
New Leaf is a genetics clinic for the Plain population, and new Director Karla Hershberger said they have already utilized the services of each of the CCC members.
The group members began meeting as one this past spring, and the uniting of many has already paid dividends as they network together for the benefit of the community.
Tara Martin, director of wellness with Cardinal Therapy Group, works as a community liaison, and as such, she has consistently worked with CCC members before the coalition was formed and they’ve grown even closer since.
“We’re always brushing shoulders in a way,” Martin said. “But many people in the community don’t know all of us yet, and we want to change that.”
As a way of introducing the CCC to the community, the group is planning a community resource night at Grace Church on Jan. 28 from 6-8 p.m. It’s designed to help people gain insight into navigating the various programs available to them and the services they offer.
“It’s an evening to educate people about everything we have to offer,” Long said. “Maybe families have utilized one of our services but aren’t aware of the other members’ services and what they bring to the table. That event will be a night for them to learn a lot about everything that’s available to them right here close to home.”
Over the past six months, these five entities have already grown closer together, and as they continue to work closely together, it will certainly benefit area families in providing quality care as a whole.