The 2022 MITC DSP Winner

MITC has awarded a total of $5,000 to Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who stand out and go above and beyond to provide exemplary service.

MITC values the hard work put forth by DSPs everyday, and is hoping to show our appreciation through these prizes!

After receiving 500+ nominations from hundreds of agencies, the 2022 winners of the MITC DSP Awards was chosen. After reading through his incredible story, William Jackson was chosen as the $1,000 grand prize winner.

William has been a full time employee at TARC working almost 80 hours a week for 5 years now. He has been primarily working with one main individual but has been cross trained and filled in for at least 8 other clients with disabilities. William has near perfect attendance for 5 years, never calls out, and is always engaged with his clients. William has stood up for his clients and defended them when people made ugly remarks and put himself in harms way to protect them.

William has donated his free time, his vehicle, his handy work and his personal items to clients. He has given clients in need clothes, fixed holes in a wall for a client that couldn’t afford repairs, helped moved clients that couldn’t afford movers and used his own time and gas money, has driven/ridden 4-5 hours to get behavior clients out of the hospital so that they could return home, never disrespects office staff or co-workers, always completes all required paperwork. William is always engaged with his client when on outings. He makes sure that everyone is having a great time when on group trips and assists everyone, not just the person he is working with. 

They do not make individuals like William anymore. He is not here for a paycheck, he is here because he cares! That is a hard quality to find these days. William is an ex-police officer, who stepped down to really make a difference in the life of someone who needed him. He is always defending his client and even gives up his seat for his client to be able to sit down. He treats his clients like equals and always finds something enjoyable for them to do together. He betters the lives of each individual he works with. He has helped many clients with self esteem issues step out of their shells and became vibrant interactive individuals. He allows his individuals to aide in helping them cooking , etc. and has given them the credit for it when people compliment them. William truly gives his individuals a shoulder to lean on and listens to each of their problems with empathy. He put his own life on hold to secure the safety, well being and happiness of his clients.

From all of us here at MITC, thank you to all DSPs who go above an beyond every day. Your stories and dedication to the individuals you serve is inspiring!

To learn more about all of our 2022 winners, download the ebook!

Rising Layoffs Provide Opportunity for Providers

Reprinted from Open Minds 9/8/2022

In health care, digital health companies have been hard hit over the past few months.  In fact, Digital Health Business & Technology recently reported that since June 1 of this year, 17 major health care-related companies have let go of a significant number of workers. In fact, the layoffs seem to be a daily occurrence in the digital health sector (see Tracking Layoffs Across The Industry).

But it’s not only those in the digital health category that feel the economic pain. Employees within every sector of health care are uploading resumes on job sites and interviewing for new positions. The Santa Cruz Valley Hospital in Tucson, Arizona, laid off approximately 300 staff (see Employees Of Closed Green Valley Hospital Left Without Pay, Seek Answers). This month in California, Watsonville Community Hospital will cut 673 from its staff (see California Hospital Plans For 673 Layoffs If Sale Falls Through). And in Tampa Bay, Florida, Shriners Hospital For Children announced they will layoff 20 employees this September after cutting 38 employees in April. Pediatric clinic chain Brave Health just announced planned layoffs for a third of its staff (see Portland’s Brave Care To Lay Off One-Third Of Staff).

It appears that the digital health layoffs and the layoffs in health care service capacity have different drivers. For the digital health companies, which are largely for-profit and investor-financed organizations, rising interest rates and declining investor appetite for deficit financing are causing layoffs (see A “Crucible Moment” Or No?). For health care provider organizations, which are mainly non-profit, we are seeing the post-pandemic market landscape take shape—with rising costs, flat rates, increased competition, and an end to federal supports.

This period of instability is painful for individuals who lose their employment and are forced to adjust their career plans. But for executives in the field, these employment shifts create a pool of available new talent—at a time when the competition for talent in the health and human service space has never been greater. However, recruiting new talent requires a nimble approach to recruitment, with the ability to respond with specificity in recruiting available direct care workers, highly skilled specialists, and/or managerial and executive team members. Doing that means having a focused outreach strategy. Craft a statement of your organization’s appeal to specific talent groups, and target specific talent cohorts using social media, outreach to outplacement firms, and networking with professional groups. These are just some examples of tactical approaches to targeted talent acquisition.

The period ahead is likely to be one of many pivots for health and human service organizations of all types—and more layoffs are likely as executive teams manage their service line portfolios. For the nimble executive team, there is the opportunity to acquire new talent amidst these shifts.

For help with hiring and attracting qualified applicants check out myApplicants. Download the fact sheet for more information.