Person Centered Care Services

Person Centered
Care Services.

Redesigning Our Services

We have been living in over 3 decades of person-centeredness, self-determination. Yet, we’ve been oppressed by pre-packaged, one-size fits-all services controlled by non-disabled so-called experts. For years, our supports have been cut, defunded or as the so-called experts say, Transformed. Well, here we are again, faced with more defunding and alarmingly so during a World-Wide Pandemic. In this short-time, these past few months, over 4,000 people with intellectual/developmental disabilities have been infected with Covid 19 and almost 500 people with intellectual/developmental disabilities have died due to Covid 19- and the numbers keep rising. Well, we’ve had Enough! We agree with the so-called experts it is time for transformation, but it is our time, it is time for us, self-advocates, our parents and our support staff to transform and reconfigure the services we need. We know first-hand, we are the Experts, of what supports we need to belong to our communities, to connect and communicate with neighbors, friends and make new ones. We know what supports we need to live, to survive and to exist. It is in this moment we rise up not to Save Our Services but to Design Our Services, the way we see it/live it.

 

 

best

 

cRis marchioNNe

An Open Letter From Our Director of Community Supports

Our Director of Community Supports, Jaclyn, penned an open letter to not only her ISS / Com-Hab staff, but all of our Direct Support Professionals.
Dear PCCS Direct Support Professionals, 
Thank you. Thank you for your courage, your bravery, your sacrifices, and the support you provide to help people achieve their goals and become more independent. When the pandemic first began, it  was a scary time for everyone and something we could have never imagined. It  was especially scary for the people we support. We did not know what to expect as an agency. One thing we knew we could expect, is for our Direct Support Professionals to continue to show and prove your commitment to your role.
The transition during this pandemic has been anything but easy. Some of us are now working remotely, some of us are utilizing telehealth services or other means of communication with the people we support, some of us are putting our masks and gloves on, carrying our hand sanitizer and reporting for work, ensuring the people we support are educated on the pandemic and all safety measures are met. We have staff assisting in picking and dropping off PPE, staff reassigned to other departments to provide support, staff insuring people have enough food and medications. We are all learning new ways to host meetings and communicate with each other as effective as possible. All of this while of course we have our lives outside of PCCS to juggle.
The role of being a Direct Support Professional comes with many titles in between the lines. As a DSP you are an advocate, a mentor, an ally, a teacher, a student, a coach and the list can go on and on. Every day you can expect to be different than the day before, however the outcome remains the same, each day you are making a positive impact on someones life.
We are all in this together, learning new ways to provide support from home, social distance, ensure health and safety of the person we support, ourselves and our family members. The role of a DSP is anything but an easy one however it  is beyond meaningful. Change and uncertainty can be uncomfortable, but discomfort make us stronger and more resilient. I am confident through this, we will become stronger and more resilient.
With that, please make sure you are taking care of yourselves physically, mentally and emotionally. The PCCS team is here to support you. Once again, THANK YOU.
Jaclyn Tocco
Director of Community Supports

#PeopleAtPCCS: Nicole Forgione

“When people think of a disability, people think of it only in one way,” says our Community Living Specialist, Nicole Forgione. The stigma against people with disabilities and what they can accomplish in life leads to a level of uncertainty about services we provide, especially one like ISS: a program that helps people with disabilities find independent living. “They just need someone who believes in them.”

Nicole has been at Person Centered Care Services for six years, running our ISS department, after over fifteen years in the field of disabilities. Coming to our agency was no issue with Nicole; she mentions how she adapted quickly to the idea of person-centered approaches after being person-centered herself. “[In previous jobs], I would ask, why can’t they do X, what if they don’t like Y, how can we do Z, and really help the people we support get to where they need to go?” This practice would help her tailor the ISS department to suit every individual need; no two people are alike and no two apartments are, either, and Nicole pairs a 20 hour Com Hab worker to most cases, finding a good fit to help their goals.

It isn’t always easy: Nicole cites two major hurdles, accessibility to apartments and neighborhoods, and clarity of what the program entails to the greater community at large. Many people have (often negative) preconceived notions on having people with disabilities in their neighborhood, and landlords don’t realize the benefits of having an ISS supported apartment, and the longevity our members have as tenants. This is combined with the obstacles of the current health pandemic, and having to reconsider the needs of their members:  any are just as confused as we are about the rules and restrictions stemming from it.

However, the rewards are innumerable: what keeps her going is seeing people who have lived in nursing homes, have been in homeless shelters, in group homes in which they’ve been told they’ll never live independently. She’s worked with our agency to not only help those who are part of the program, but also spread advocacy efforts to educate people that anyone can do anything, from any point in their lives. Now she has survivors of brain surgery, college graduates, and more, among her ISS roster.

That success drives her to want even more for the department: “I want my legacy to be in this program, to make sure the department is doing it’s best and all it can do to help.”

What Is A DSP?: Direct Support In Health Crises

In these strange times we’re finding the world in, the respect for people who work in the health care field has grown steadily, as they continue to risk their health and safety by performing their essential duties to society. Nurses, doctors, and many other health care workers work diligently while many Americans stay at home to flatten the curve of this epidemic we find ourselves in. In our gratitude to these medical professionals, we also must honor the duties the direct support professionals serve for the population of people with disabilities. But what is a DSP?

A Direct Support Professional is defined by Wikipedia as “…people who work directly with people with physical disabilities and/or intellectual disabilities with the aim of assisting the individual to become integrated into his/her community or the least restrictive environment.” To say that, though, doesn’t define the value of direct support, doesn’t portray the range of roles they play daily, especially in a public crisis such as this, doesn’t speak of the people behind these roles.

While much of the country stays home to combat the health crisis, one DSP leaves his two month old baby to help someone we support learn to cook healthy meals.

While there are Instagram Live dance parties for everyone to have a good time at home, another DSP works overnight to ensure people in our residences are safe at home and can sleep peacefully.

While we pour over the news to learn more about the new reality we live in, yet another DSP leaves her own family to ensure the people we support get the medication they need, and in some cases, the skills in order to take those medications themselves to further their independence.

While we scour our own apartments to ensure our personal safety, our DSPs are going to homes to ensure their safety.

Direct Support Professionals are our friends, our neighbors, our brothers, sisters, cousins, family members, members of our community, and in these difficult times, they are doing what they do best. They are advocating for people we support, they are teaching valuable life skills, they are ensuring their safety and support, they are leaving the comfort of their homes and families to help those who need more assistance.

When we give our thanks, when we advocate for more funding for our agencies to give back to the DSPs and staff in the midst of a confusing, scary crisis, these are the people we talk about. Our family.

To help us in this time of need, you can donate here, and continue to support those who support a vulnerable population in trying times, those with disabilities.

A Message To Our Direct Support Professionals

3/17/20
a message from cRis marchioNNe, executive director
I send this out to all Direct Support Professionals who are bravely waking up each day facing these strange unfamiliar times. It is you who put aside fears and your own circumstances to ensure the health, safety and well-being of the people you support.
I came into work today, and I saw quite a few of you patiently waiting to be reassigned to a person’s home or to support someone living on their own; I saw concern and care in your eyes. I saw passion in your communication with others. I saw how important it was to express what tools and information you will need for the day. I emphasize for the day, as all of us do not know what will happen tomorrow. We are all learning how to live ‘one day at a time’.
Our World is changing. We are learning new concepts such as social-distancing and we are learning to engage with one another in different ways such as telecommuting and relying a lot more on technology. Yes, these are challenging days, I will say these days are scary. However, there is one thing I know for sure. I know, all of us know, it is evident we can count on Direct Support Professionals to act and respond, to be there for one another and the people you support. I know each of you believe in and value the ‘wait for me when I fall behind’ way of life. And I want you to know, each Direct Support Professional, myself and my colleagues we are here for you.
Every day, I am in communication with government, with representatives from the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities receiving updates on service delivery methods and working with our colleagues at other agencies to share information, exchange ideas and to ensure we have plans to be prepared for what lies ahead. My colleagues and I are working with policy-makers to ensure program operations are not disrupted, to ensure we remain whole and sustainable. All of us are working in new ways to ensure we continue to support all of you in your meaningful role of supporting people with an intellectual or developmental disability.
I am certain all of us will get through these strange unfamiliar times, together. Together, we will learn from this experience, we will learn new ways of engaging with one another, supporting one another, communicating with one another. These are hard times, but it is in times like these we learn, grow and make progress. Together, we are innovators working resiliently to find ways to support one another and keep each other safe. I personally thank you for your support, caring and service. I am grateful for each and every one of you.
I wish all of you peace, love and hope…
cRis

#PeopleAtPCCS: Doreen Smith

Supporting people with disabilities is something near and dear to so many of the employees in our field, and often it’s a very personal mission to help and advocate for those who need assistance. One of our Employment DSPs, Doreen, took her experience with a disabled child and made it a career.

Doreen has been with us for almost 2 years, though her journey began long before; she had volunteered for Autism Speaks, as well as became a registered Behavior Technician at Proud Moments. Her and 8 fellow moms of people with disabilities came together to create SI Autism Warriors, a non-profit group that funnels donations directly into staging multiple events during the year, welcoming anyone with any disability to attend. This is on top of her side business of making chocolates for the last 15 years!

The source of her inspiration? Her son, who was diagnosed on the Aspergers, on the Autism Spectrum, at the age of 3. Her and her husband stood together to help afford their son any and all possibilities, while their family stepped away from them out of fear and embarrassment. They haven’t spoken since.

Doreen doesn’t let it bother her, though. “It’s their loss,” she says, proud of who her son is. He is 17 now, playing ice hockey since he was 5, and attends a culinary program at Tottenville High School. Doreen has been supportive of her son doing anything he puts his mind to, and never limits him. Their strength carries both ways; she remembers crying when she had to discuss the differences between him and neurotypical children, and he replied, “But autism makes me who I am.”

Coming originally from a background in Wall Street (“I hated it after a few years”), her career path and passion for advocacy and support brought her down the aforementioned positions to find an ad with an agency called Person Centered Care Services. Doreen took a position with Com Hab, which she loved, and later made the transition to Career Supports, where she helps a variety of young people get prepared for the job market. She loves the creativity involved, and the times where she makes a real impact: she remembers fondly seeing a person she supports dapper and dressed to the nines, prepped and ready for his job interview. “Now I have a reason for getting up every day.”

Where does she want to go from here? She’s becoming more involved in our outreach team, joining the Gala committee to help make this year’s the best yet. And work itself? “I told [my boss], I’ll drag myself on my hands and knees if I have to; I love it here.”

 

Do you have a child, relative, or someone you know with a disability who needs help entering the job market? Find out more in our Career Supports department. Want to make an impact in the disability field? Apply for a position in our agency, or join our Disability Ally Initiative!

#PeopleAtPCCS: Mike Forgione

In the disability line of work, having experience in the field is often a driving force of success in veteran staff. Being familiar with disabilities, understanding how non-profits in this field function, and job requirements that go beyond a resume are tools that staff use to provide the best support possible. It isn’t often, however, that people consider disparate lines of work as skills they can utilize. Our Day Supports Coordinator, Mike Forgione, has a graceful ability to do so in order to build great relationships and help others around him.

Mike is relatively new to the agency, beginning as a Direct Support Professional only a year ago. He comes from a varied professional background: working on set building in movies and TV, cheffing it up in several restaurants, and using his everyday skills as a handyman. Though none of these directly correlate to the field of disabilities, his drive for helping others led him to PCCS, where he brought his experience to our Day Habilitation program. He found himself showcasing his interests with his peers and the people we support by bringing them to a variety of sites, taking hikes, and cooking alongside them in our cooking program.

It’s this drive to educate in different facets of daily living, while making it fun and relatable, that helped Mike grow in our agency; he has recently been promoted from Direct Support to Day Supports Coordinator. In this new role, he learns new skills to further enrich the Day Hab program, while still maintaining the bonds he’s built with the people we support. He’ll also be able to spread this love, education, and support in his personal life, as he is a new dad to a healthy baby boy!

Mike is a shining example of bringing varied threads together to make a full pattern of integration, impact, and fun to the lives of people with disabilities, and that support comes from all angles, as long as your heart is in it.

Melvin Holmes: A Life Changing Friendship

It’s easy to forget that our lives can often have deep, meaningful impacts on others. Acts of kindness can unfold in ways we least expect it and set off circumstances that can change someone’s life completely.

It was the father of our Division Director of Career and Residential Supports, Nicole DelPrete, that came to know Melvin Holmes, while Melvin was collecting cans in the neighborhood. Striking up a friendship, they came to find out that Melvin was receiving care coordination (formerly MSC services) through PCCS and was employed at TGIFriday’s before unfortunately losing his job. With our help, we assisted in getting him into our employment program, which led to him being hired at Trader Joe’s earlier this year. Continuing with the support of his employment Direct Support Professional, Melvin is thriving in his job, where he is well loved and can learn skills to continue to grow. He is a strong member of both his community and ours, attending our annual Gala every year with his friends, including Nicole’s father, whom he has maintained a strong friendship with since they’ve met.

A simple friendship unfolds into helping someone get a job and being active in their community while maintaining that bond. This kind of advocacy and support is what we’re all about, and we love being a part of this journey with Melvin and so many more.

 

I Deserve

As human beings, we all have rights. We all have needs. We all deserve justice. As an organization that supports people with disabilities, we see the injustices that surround people with disabilities, being unable to gain access to things that all persons should have access to. At PCCS, we want to hone in on individuals who have been denied a service (i.e. therapy, medical treatments, a safe space due to a domestic violence situation, etc.) because of their disability. We believe they deserve the same supports and services anyone else receives. We want to begin a conversation about why advocacy is so important and create social change through conversation.


Why do we do what we do at PCCS? It’s the stories of two people we support that strike a chord. Marsha, a person we support was denied the opportunity to live on her own. She deserved to live in her own apartment, just as anyone else could. Originally, Marsha was living in a state group home, where she didn’t get along with her other roommates—it became hard to build relationships. One of her personal goals was to learn how to cook, but with her living situation, she wasn’t provided opportunity to make choices or meals. Through a lot of advocating and maintaining a positive outlook, Marsha got the apartment she deserved and wanted! At first, she was scared to live on her own, but by setting specific goals, like cooking a meal for herself, Marsha was able to move into her own department.


Jonathan was denied the opportunity to advocate for himself. Jonathan was bullied in school, and therefore had difficulty build relationships that he wanted to. Jonathan recognized that he wanted to learn how to maintain relationships and having respect for others, despite being bullied. He deserves to be heard, make friends, and work hard to get a job and an apartment of his own. Jonathan’s future goals include one day work at Stop & Shop and bag items.
Stay tuned in the coming months to hear more stories and find out how you can join our movement of advocacy.

Relationships & Support

Welcome February– a month of love, appreciation, and support. Whether you are celebrating this Valentine’s Day with your loved ones, friends, or by yourself, today is a day to express this gratitude. At PCCS, we are one big happy family. We pride ourselves on the fact that we build relationships and support systems to grow as an agency and on personal levels.

As a growing agency, we have worked to partner up with other thriving organizations to become a well-rounded non-profit that could provide the most valuable resources and supports to the PCCS family. Our partnerships mean so much to us because through our partnerships, we have grown our connection with the community, found new resources, and have made genuine connections that we continue to build upon”

This Valentine’s Day, we want to say WE LOVE YOU to our engaged supporters including – Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, Staten Island Performing Provider System, Staten Island Non for-Profit Association, Empire State Bank, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, and the community based organizations that we continue to work alongside with. Through their support, we continue to grow a community of acceptance, love, and true allies for all.