The foundation of our work is to provide support to individuals in our care. Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) are the backbone of our organization, working daily with these individuals. Bea Morehouse, Residential Program Coordinator, has spent her career lovingly building relationships with individuals for more than 20 years. Bea is a 2023 ARRM Cares Award winner recognized by our Minnesota association as a DSP who demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to quality services among her peers in the industry. Today, we invite you to watch this short clip and take a peek at a “Day in the Life” of a Direct Support Professional. See what makes Bea so special and why her role at Dungarvin is so important.
Bre is a 39-year-old fun loving woman who lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was born with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a complex, genetic disorder that affects multiple systems in the body. The syndrome usually results from partial chromosome deletions that affect how genes turn off and on. The most predominant symptom of PWS is an inability to control eating.
Brandy Gerdes-Schutz is no stranger to serving others. As Senior Director of Compass Career Solutions, Brandy is proud of the work she does. “The people that we help have experienced barriers to finding consistent employment or permanent housing,” she shared. “The state of Washington is trying to solve a chronic homelessness problem, and I feel fortunate to be part of a solution.”
Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead and DHS leaders shared their thanks for the acquisition during a recent visit to Dungarvin headquarters in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. Harpstead said she’s routinely checked in with Central Regional Director Karin Stockwell about how the transition has been going for clients and staff as the organization has increased in size.
Just under a month ago, TEN Dungarvin staff were invited to travel to Santa Fe, New Mexico to be honored as ANCOR DSP of the Year Winners! We had the best time honoring them as standout professionals as well as emerging leaders in their field. Relive the magic of Santa Fe and the opportunity to walk across the stage at the ANCOR Connect Conference. We already can't wait for next year's celebration in San Diego! #ANCORConnect24 #ANCORConnect25 #RecognizingExcellence #DSPOfTheYear #dungarvin #dungarvinway #dungarvincareers #sandiego
This past Tuesday, we took some time from the ANCOR Connect conference to get to know each other and to celebrate our Dungarvin DSP of the Year winners from across the country. We learned the difference between mesas, buttes and plateaus (oh my!), visited the historic Los Alamos research facility, and ended up at the amazing Bandelier National Monument. #ANCORConnect24 #RecognizingExcellence #dungarvin #dungarvinway #dungarvincareers
Wrapping up an incredible week celebrating our award-winning DSPs at the 2024 ANCOR Connect conference! Of the 55 winners from across the country, Dungarvin staff took 10 of those, and Doug Simmonsen of Dungarvin Nevada was recognized as the national winner. What an accomplishment! We had the best few days celebrating our hardworking staff, and we’re already looking forward to next year in San Diego. #ANCORConnect24 #RecognizingExcellence #dungarvin #dungarvinway #dungarvincareers #newmexico #santafe #sandiego
Dungarvin's Doug Simmonsen was named ANCOR's National DSP of the Year. In addition to this incredible honor, we had NINE other Dungarvin staff recognized as state winners. We are so proud of each and every one of these consummate professionals and excited to share more of their stories with you over the next several months. Congratulations to the following DSP of the Year winners: • Shonda Amspacher, Oklahoma DSP of the Year • Terri Baber, Indiana DSP of the Year • Anthony Flannery, Kentucky DSP of the Year • Emily Goldstein, Oregon DSP of the Year • Kelley McGuire, North Carolina DSP of the Year • Ngozi Osabu, New Jersey DSP of the Year • Paula Peace, Nevada DSP of the Year • Mariana Santana, Washington DSP of the Year • Ty’Naja Williams, Connecticut DSP of the Year
ANCOR, the leading voice in Washington for community-based disability services providers, has announced that Doug Simmonsen, a direct support professional from Reno, Nevada, has been named the 2024 DSP of the Year. National winner Simmonsen, representing Minnesota-based Dungarvin, leads the list of 54 honorees in this year’s edition of ANCOR’s annual Direct Support Professional (DSP) of the Year Awards. This year’s awards garnered a record-breaking 492 nominations from across the country. Read the full press release at the link!
In what has been a massive effort, the state of Connecticut is trying to move people out of traditional group home settings into more integrated, community-based living settings, and they are doing so through the Department of Developmental Services Supporting Transformation to Empower People Initiative, better known as the “DDS STEP Initiative.” Whether that living setting be an apartment or shared living, Connecticut wants to support more independence in the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities community. Within the last year, the Dungarvin Connecticut team has been recognized as being at the forefront of this initiative – cited as a model for other agencies to follow. Connecticut State Director, Robert Gallant, and Area Director, Melissa Mascari, have developed a plan that identifies barriers to independent living and what it will take to move past those obstacles allowing more people to succeed. They have been invited to share their plans by the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) at Town Hall meetings. Late last year, Dungarvin presented to fellow providers further identifying tactics they have employed to successfully place more individuals in independent settings. Dungarvin Connecticut has identified 16 individuals with whom they are working closely, as well as their families, seeking opportunities for greater independence through this program. Read full article: https://www.dungarvin.com/news/the-dds-step-initiative-is-a-step-in-right-direction/
