Month: February 2014

The ViaQuest Foundation recently received a grant from the Union County Board of Developmental Disabilities (UCBDD) to help fund an innovative client advocacy program.  The UCBDD believes that meaningful outcomes are experienced by people with disabilities when they have a voice about what happens in their life.  The purpose of this grant is to create opportunities or experiences that will enable individuals to obtain and apply the skills needed to successfully advocate for themselves.

 “We took a look at what ViaQuest was doing as a whole for client advocacy.  We looked at our Quality of Life Survey, Consumer Complaint tracking program, and our newly created Client Advocate position.  We knew we had some really innovative ideas that would benefit the board in developing best practices.  Ultimately our team, realized that we could bundle our proposal with the new iPad roll-out for mobile administration!” said Patrick Soller, Executive Director.

As a large provider, ViaQuest has the unique advantage of using our resources to deliver results statewide.  In addition, we are able to provide individual counties with benchmarking data and best practices.  Partnership with the county boards and providers is becoming more and more critical as expectations change for residential, day, clinical, and employment services providers.

ViaQuest will implement the use of the Software Support Specialist and mobile personal digital tablets to deliver disability rights training, quality of life survey, and consumer complaint/concern tracking that will improve self-advocacy.  We have been using paper-based reporting for many years.  This program will allow our direct care staff to access and enter client information onsite and in the home in real-time more efficiently.  This will allow the staff to provide more hands-on time for self-advocacy and management can review data 24/7 to improve our quality of care.

The three main benefits of the program are:

1. Improving Accuracy:  Copying, missed entries, and misinformation are common issues with paper forms. Even when the paper forms are accurate, retrieving the information is difficult.
2. Reducing Risk:  Virtually every survey involves an intense examination of supportive documentation.
3. Improving Quality of Life and Complaint Resolution:  Direct Care Staff can transmit concerns and issues directly to the Client Advocate for resolution in real time.  The Client Advocate can trend, compare, and analyze collected data to proactively monitor for changes in conditions.

 

It is expected that ViaQuest will employ a full time trainer to assure that proper training of the technology is provided and that ongoing support is available during implementation of the hardware and software.  The trainer will be a certified trainer as defined by the software product company.

Components of the implementation include policy development to address work flow, hardware and software training, hardware and software deployment, dual paper and paperless systems, full implementation, and on-going training supports designed for orientation and annual training expectations.

As part of the grant funding, we expect the following outcomes and measurements:

Customer Satisfaction – The Software Support Specialist will be a resource for clients to become familiar with the technology and transmit survey results and complaints in real-time.  Benchmark data will be captured in the Quality of Life Survey analysis to determine the level of customer satisfaction.  The UCBDD data will also be compared to statewide data collected by ViaQuest in order to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.

Acquisition and Demonstration of Skills – The use of the mobile tablets will allow clients the ability to demonstrate their self-advocacy skills through an electronic medium in addition to using face-to-face communication.  Quality of Life Survey allows direct care staff to have a framework to focus on teaching the acquisition and demonstration of self-advocacy skills for our clients.  The survey ensures that every client is given the time to share their ideas in an appropriate manner and gain confidence in their ability.  In addition, through ViaQuest’s process improvement program and our Client Advocate, they will be able to see that their requests will be acted upon.

Service Provision – The technology will increase ViaQuest’s ability to respond to requests for new services or change in services.  By having a Software Support Specialist to train direct care staff, ViaQuest can ensure that the technology will be properly used to facilitate improvement plans.

This grant opportunity is a shining example of continuous improvement and innovation.  Union County Board of Developmental Disabilities may have been the first to partner with VQF, but they most likely will not be the last.  VQF has two statewide Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) contracts; one for CPR/First Aid Kits and one for Commercial Moving Services.  Both of these contracts have created employment opportunities.  Work is already underway to service Cuyahoga County’s moving needs.

If you would like more information about the ViaQuest Foundation’s work in Client Advocacy, CPR/First Aid Kits, or Commercial Moving; our contact information is below:

Patrick Soller, Executive Director, Pat.Soller@ViaQuestInc.com, 614-339-0847

Derek Kinzer, Client Advocate, Derek.Kinzer@ViaQuestInc.com, 614-374-0288

The ViaQuest Foundation, www.ViaQuestFoundation.org

CRP Contracts:

Commercial Moving Services, GDC801

CPR/First Aid Kits, GDC997

 ViaQuest, a leading provider of health and employment services, will provide hands-on training and related support to empower veterans and people with disabilities to secure employment in OfficeMax locations throughout the state.

DUBLIN, OHIO,  February 20, 2014 – ViaQuest, Inc. announced today that it is working with OfficeMax^® Incorporated, now part of the new company formed through the merger of equals with Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE: ODP), a leading global provider of office products, services, and solutions, to develop a work-training facility and direct employment program to prepare veterans and people with disabilities for job opportunities at Ohio-based OfficeMax locations.

The work training partnership, part of the OfficeMax Maxing out Diversity program, aims to increase employment for veterans and people with disabilities while providing OfficeMax with a model to further diversify its Ohio workforce. The program, which will launch in summer 2014, is similar to those that OfficeMax has initiated in Alabama, Illinois and Nevada.

The innovative partnership, facilitated through a two-year grant from Kessler Foundation – a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of people with disabilities through rehabilitation research and funding disability employment initiatives – will use a real-world work environment and specialized curriculum to train people with disabilities for meaningful careers within OfficeMax’s distribution and retail centers.

ViaQuest also has connected with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) – the statewide agency for employment and rehabilitation services – to identify potential participants for the OfficeMax training program. OOD provides services to more than 2,500 central Ohioans with disabilities in Franklin and contiguous counties and more than 18,000 throughout Ohio to assist them in realizing their employment goals. By partnering with OOD for access to ready-to-work participants, ViaQuest believes the venture with OfficeMax will create unique employment opportunities initially in central Ohio and ultimately around the state. This goal aligns with ViaQuest’s history of success in delivering employment and health services to veterans and people with disabilities.

  “Our partnership with OfficeMax is a testament to how we’re expanding our circle of care to provide more opportunities for individuals to secure private-sector employment,” said Rich Johnson, CEO of ViaQuest. “At the same time, we’re well positioned to help companies such as OfficeMax reach their diversity and inclusion goals.”

The program will provide training on-site with specialized curriculum and will utilize a real-world work environment to give the participants the skill sets for employment in the OfficeMax distribution center or the retail store setting. The skills are transferable to assist students with successful employment at other businesses as well.

“The foundational strength of this program is twofold,” said Larry Worth, executive director of ViaQuest Employment Services. “We’re not only preparing people for work within the OfficeMax setting, but we’re also instilling skills that will empower them for success in a range of work environments. Participants will be well prepared to thrive and succeed as highly motivated, dependable and qualified employees.”

ViaQuest will launch the program in stages with the initial focus on creating a retail and distribution training facility to serve metropolitan Columbus, Ohio. The facility will feature products, shelving, inventory systems and employee training techniques that mirror those encountered in true OfficeMax facilities. ViaQuest is considering locations in the Columbus suburbs for the training facility. As the program expands, ViaQuest will develop similar training programs throughout the state to serve a broader range of OfficeMax locations in Ohio.

Ongoing OfficeMax Commitment to Diversity

OfficeMax’s partnership with ViaQuest is just the latest in OfficeMax’s ongoing commitment to working with veterans and people with disabilities. As part the company’s Maxing Out Diversity program, last year OfficeMax partnered with Aspire of Illinois to launch a work training facility in Illinois under the Kessler Foundation grant. OfficeMax also is working with the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) and local organizations to create career-training facilities in other markets including Dallas and Las Vegas. In 2013 OfficeMax was awarded the National Employment Team “Private Sector Business of the Year” by the CSAVR for its commitment to employing veterans and people with disabilities, including OfficeMax’s PowerMax distribution center in McCalla, Alabama, which has employed more than 60 people with disabilities. Additionally, OfficeMax has partnered with the Turning Pointe Autism Foundation to develop a work training facility for young adults with autism.

About ViaQuest

ViaQuest is a healthcare company that believes strongly in choice for its employees and the people it serves. Its areas of expertise include home health and hospice, mental and behavioral health, and developmental disabilities. ViaQuest offers quality, highly personalized, specialized and cost-effective care, empowering individuals to function independently and live their best possible lives. Through a wide range of innovative services referred to as ViaQuest’s Circle of Care, a skilled, dedicated staff ensures that the people served are active participants in their own care. The company is based in Dublin, Ohio. For more information, call ViaQuest at 800-645-3267 or visit www.ViaQuestInc.com.

About ViaQuest Employment Services

ViaQuest Employment Services is an exclusive employment and staffing agency for veterans and people with disabilities. ViaQuest Employment Services works with local, statewide (Ohio) and national businesses to develop and promote diversity and inclusion programs.

ViaQuest was recently honored by the State of Ohio Senate for the Hire Power Award.

“On behalf of the members of the Senate of the 130th General Assembly of Ohio, we are pleased to pay tribute to ViaQuest, Inc., on receiving the Hire Power Award from Inc. magazine.

This special honor offers all those associated with ViaQuest the unique opportunity to reflect on the success of the past and to look with optimism to the future.  Offering various programs and service for individuals with developmental disabilities, aging adults, and adults with mental health issues, the company created 334 jobs from January 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013, making it the third largest job creator in the healthcare industry in the country and the fourth highest job creator overall in Ohio during that period.  Through the hard work, dedication, and dependability of each employee, as well as through the business acumen and leadership ability of its founder, chief executive officer, and president, Rich Johnson, ViaQuest has achieved a noteworthy record of service, as evidenced by its many loyal and satisfied clients.

Over the years, ViaQuest has established a solid foundation of superior services upon which it can continue to grow and prosper.  This fine enterprise has set a shining example of responsible business practices, and it is truly deserving of high praise for its contributions to the economic well-being of our state.

Thus, it is with great pride that we congratulate ViaQuest, Inc., on its recent accolade and offer best wishes for the years to come.”

Thank you to Senator Keith Faber and Senator Jim Hughes for the kind words!

ViaQuest, Inc was honored to have our very own Art Miller, Director of Program and Development say a few words yesterday at the 2014 Columbus Chamber Annual Meeting. The brief presentation highlighted the partnerships formed with Charles and Karen Morrison, President and Vice President of MCR Medical Supply as well as Caroline Worley, Owner of Worley Law LLC. We look forward to building more relationships with the help of Christy Bertolo, Member Resource Specialist with the Columbus Chamber in 2014.