Joint Budget Committee Hearing Next Week!

Government funding is critical to our ability as an agency to provide services to people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD).  Most of our funding comes from Medicaid, a federal program that is administered by each State.  Since the bulk of our funding is impacted by fiscal concerns at the State level, it is critical for us to follow and participate in the State budget process.

Every year, the Colorado General Assembly's Joint Budget Committee (JBC) meets with each department to discuss their budget for the upcoming year.  The JBC process starts with a "briefing," where a JBC staff-person presents the department budget request to the Committee, and offers recommendations for follow-up questions and requests.  The Department prepares written responses to the questions, and responds at an in-person "hearing."

The two governmental agencies that have the most impact on our services are the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) and the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS).  The hearing for both HCPF and CDHS will occur on Tuesday, 12/22, from 9-12, at the Legislative Service Building in Denver (200 East 14th Avenue).  The hearing is a public event, and all are welcome to attend.  If you would like to listen to the hearing but are unable to attend in-person, you can listen to the event by clicking on this link (click on "Year-Round Committees" on the left side of the page, and then "Joint Budget Committee").

Through our involvement with this process, we become more educated about our system, and ensure that the people we serve receive the best possible services here in Colorado!

Super Hero for the Month of November!

Every month, Innovations presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing
• Effective and Efficient
• Respect and Dignity
• Opportunities
• Integrity
• Care

This month, the award was presented to Martha Heimbaugh, who is an Administrative Assistant for our Innovations for Children program.

Martha was nominated by her supervisor, who wrote:

Martha has been such a trooper through all the changes in foster care, yet she continues to have the most upbeat attitude about things. She's done such a great job keeping everyone organized and is an amazing support system.  She is always on top of things and keeps foster care running smoothly.  Martha is always willing to assist with projects and to create new tracking systems that are effective and efficient.  She is a wealth of knowledge and is pleasant to be around.  Thank you, Martha for everything that you do.

If you see Martha around, please congratulate her on being our Super Hero of the Month!

Super Hero of the Month for October!

Every month, Innovations presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing
• Effective and Efficient
• Respect and Dignity
• Opportunities
• Integrity
• Care

This month, the award was presented to Jennifer Carr, who is a Site Supervisor II for our Family Model program.

Jennifer was nominated by her supervisor, who wrote:

Jennifer does an amazing job working with the individuals that are on her caseload.  Jennifer is dedicated to the people that she supports and has built robust, creative, and comprehensive training plans to assist with skill acquisition and increased independence.  Jennifer has done an amazing job tailoring supports to the individual’s preferences and is integral in endorsing Person-Centered Practices.  Jennifer is always willing to spend additional 1:1 time with individuals and is always responsive to their needs and family dynamics. 

Jennifer has been an active member of the Innovations’ Advocacy Council and has assisted in various projects such as the recent Innovations’ Fall Formal.  Jennifer was responsible for finding a photographer for the event as well as assisting with the photo booth and helping set-up the event.  Jennifer’s input has been invaluable to the council and she is always willing to lend a helping hand.

If you see Jennifer around, please congratulate her on being our Super Hero of the Month!

Super Hero of the Month for September!

Every month, Innovations presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing
• Effective and Efficient
• Respect and Dignity
• Opportunities
• Integrity
• Care

This month, the award was presented to Marie Handlin, who is a Program Specialist for our Host Homes program.

Marie was nominated by her supervisor, who wrote:

Over the last 6-8 months, the Innovations Host Home program has been extraordinarily swamped with moves and transitions, both planned and unplanned.  In her role as Program Specialist, Marie Handlin is responsible for coordinating and supporting all transitions, external, internal, planned and emergent but it has been a rough stretch recently to say the least.  Marie has always been an exceptional employee, always available and willing to help in any way she can whether it's her direct responsibility or not.  However, during these last few months Marie has really stepped up her game and been outstanding in her role.  She’s reliable, competent and consistent, always has a smile on her face and a great "get it done" attitude.  She consistently is in the line of fire, taking on the unexpected and always takes it in stride.  It’s not easy for anyone to move and it’s especially difficult for the individuals we support and Marie is always thoughtful and caring in working through this process.  We all want to recognize Marie for her ongoing hard work and compassion during these challenging times.

You really make a difference and we appreciate everything you do Marie, thank you!

If you see Marie around, please congratulate her on being our Super Hero of the Month!

Innovations Fall Formal Fundraising

At Innovations, we strive to give individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities the opportunity to participate in fun, uplifting activities.  Most of the time we support and encourage people to attend rewarding events in the community.  However, sometimes we find that there is a strong interest for a particular kind of event that is either not offered in the community, or not made accessible to the people we serve.  Specifically, we found that the people we work with wanted to have a formal event where they could dress to the nines and interact with their peers in a supportive environment that would allow them to express themselves while ensuring all of their needs were met.  Last year, we decided to hold our first Fall Formal event here at Innovations, and it was an incredible success!  

Last year's event was such a success that we decided to do it again this year, and will be hosting our second annual Innovations Fall Formal on October 23rd, 2015.  In order to make this event as spectacular as possible we have launched a crowdfunding campaign, and would love your support!  Please donate what you can, and share the link below with your friends and family through social media.  Our goal is to raise $1500 in 30 days, and we need everyone's support to get the word out and help make this Fall Formal a truly special event for the people we serve.  Thanks in advance for your help!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/innovations-fall-formal#/story

Happy Direct Support Professionals Week!

Here at Innovations, we are proud of the supports we provide to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and we rightly give the individuals we serve most of the credit for their accomplishments.  However, our purpose as service agency is to provide assistance to the people we serve to help them achieve their goals and maintain their health and safety.  This assistance would not be possible without a very important group of people.

This week we would like to take a moment and honor the people who work day in and day out to provide those services: our direct support professionals (DSPs).  Our DSPs help the individuals we serve to lead fulfilling lives by doing the challenging work of helping them where they need assistance, and of supporting them to be as independent as possible.  Some Innovations DSPs are employees, some are contract providers, and some are foster parents.  Some work part time, and some dedicate themselves to be available 24/7.  We have DSPs who are just starting their work in this field, and some who have dedicated their careers to do this work for decades.  

We deeply appreciate the hard work and commitment of our DSPs. To celebrate DSP week, please take a moment to tell a DSP that you value them and their work.  And this and every week, remember that all of the supports we provide are made possible by our heroic DSPs.

Here is the Colorado DSP Week Proclamation, issued our Governor John Hickenlooper:

Super Hero of the Month for August!

Every month, Innovations presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing
• Effective and Efficient
• Respect and Dignity
• Opportunities
• Integrity
• Care

This month, the award was presented to Christie Talkington, who is a Foster Care Placement Worker for our Innovations for Children program.

Christie was nominated by her supervisor, who wrote:

I would like to nominate Christie Talkington. This past month has been very challenging for two of her foster children and involved an investigation, move, safety planning, interaction with caseworkers, schools, guardians, and foster parents.  As soon as things settled down, one of the children had a health crisis and needed emergency care and surgery and Christie coordinated everything, drove all over the metro area, and even spent time at the hospital until midnight with the child so she wouldn’t be alone. It was tough work coordinating all of these crises as well as problem-solving through very tough situations which included helping new foster parents who have other children.  However, through it all she kept her same smile, laughter, and sense of humor.  Christie has done a phenomenal job and she is appreciated!!! These are the things that kids remember, so thank  you! Christie you ROCK!

If you see Christie around, please congratulate her on being our Super Hero of the Month!