2014 AIRS Conference Experiences Series: Jackie Wilmes

Jackie Wilmes
Social Services Specialist
Voluntary Action Center
Columbia, MO

Jackie was the lucky recipient of this year's MAK-AIRS scholarship to the AIRS conference, and shared the following about her conference experience...

Being chosen to represent Voluntary Action Center at the 2014 National AIRS Conference after Voluntary Action Center won a scholarship through MAK-AIRS to attend the event was amazing. My mind flooded with the opportunities that were before me: traveling on my own, meeting new people, learning new things, visiting a place I had never been. The possibilities seemed endless. I was ecstatic that this chance had been given to me.

As time grew near for the Conference the worrier came out in me, but as the Conference began a new level of excitement hit me. Being somewhat new to Voluntary Action Center and a “recent” graduate in the Social Services field I was still somewhat unaware of what all I&R had to offer. The Conference and what it taught me blew me away. The Conference gave me opportunities to learn, connect, communicate, and grow.

I quickly learned, as with much of what Voluntary Action Center does, our agency was truly unique. Much of the information seemed based towards call centers such as 211 and their affiliates. I knew 211 existed but had no idea of the extent that they can provide. Learning about these differences led me to wonder what kind of connections could be made in our area to better serve our clients and make our assistance more connected and efficient. Through the sessions I attended I was able to learn more about databases, referrals and follow up, marketing, outreach, and transportation. The sessions and activities at the Conference allowed me time and space to communicate with other attendees. I got to ask questions about other agencies and how they worked and functioned. It was wonderful to meet people with the same interests and working in a similar field and experiencing similar obstacles.

As the time approached for the Conference to end I scrambled to make a choice for my last session. I sat down in a session and I quickly realized this was not one of the sessions I had intended to attend in that time slot. I decided I would just stick it out and attend this session anyway. It turned out to be one of my favorite sessions from the Conference. The session was called “From the Training Room to the Call Center: How to be a Success!” While I do not work in a call center, that did not matter. The main focus of the session was to discuss learning styles and how to help everyone learn their own way yet still provide consistent service. The presenters were great and enthusiastic. This session was the perfect end to my time in Atlanta. This session, and my time at the Conference, reminded me that we are all growing and changing. We are all doing the best we can each day to impact the lives of the clients we serve. We all attempt to come together, despite varying viewpoints, and help people in need.

It was great to be introduced to a world of service possibilities outside of my area. I greatly appreciate all of the opportunities that were provided to me in this trip. I look forward to the possibilities that are even still yet to come from the things I learned and the people I met at this Conference. Thank you for allowing me this chance to learn, connect, communicate, and grow. I will always be grateful for the opportunity.​

2014 AIRS Conference Experiences Series: Heather Pierce, continued

Heather Pierce
2-1-1 Call Center Coordinator
United Way of the Plains
Wichita, KS

Continued from previous post...

“A Humorous Introduction to Disability Culture” was my favorite workshop this year. Pat Puckett with the Statewide Independent living Council in Decatur, Georgia and Roger Howard with LINC Center for Independent Living in Boise, Idaho did a bang up job of giving a brief historical perspective on disability. From their presentation we learned, disabilities of all kinds have been a part of humankind since the dawn of time. While some societies welcomed and accepted theirs citizens with disabilities, many did not. Until the early 1800’s most people with disabilities lived with their families in the community but some were left to a life of begging on the streets (cap-in-hand = handicapped). Some cities established ugly laws such as this example from the Chicago Municipal Code: “No person who is diseased, maimed, mutilated or in any way deformed so as to be an unsightly or disgusting object or improper person shall be allowed on the public ways or other public places in this city, nor shall expose himself to public view, under a penalty of not less than one dollar nor more than fifty dollars for each offense”. Because of such widely-held attitudes, but also out of a sincere desire for more humane treatment, institutions were established as early as 1817. But over time, institutions had proliferated, and many degenerated into human warehouses at best. By the 1970’s the movement towards deinstitutionalization began, and institutions began to close. Services and supports became available outside of institutional settings. With the advent of Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), people with even the most significant disabilities were able to live active, independent lives in the community. To end the presentation both Pat and Roger shared examples of humor in disability culture from bumper stickers to T-shirts, books and cartoons, to personal stories from their own lives. One wonderful example is a stand-up routine by Michael Beers that you can watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG2QFEARbeg. Check it out if you need a laugh!

Next I attended a workshop by Pabitra Rizal and Diana Bui both with the Center of Pan Asian Community Services in Atlanta, GA titled “Newly Arrived Refugees: Cultural and Linguistically Competent Services”. First they quizzed us with some tough questions like: Do you know how many refugees resettled in the U.S. in 2012? (58,238) What documents can be used as proof of the refugee status? (I-94) Do you think most elderly refugees are educated in their native language? (No, not usually) A refugee is a person who is outside his or her country of origin because they have suffered (or fear) persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because they are a member of a persecuted “social group” or because they are fleeing a war. The resettlement process starts with submitted an application to the office of UNHCR. The UNHCR takes on average 3 months to review the application and conducts several rounds of interviews to determine there is no criminal history, no political affiliations, and no combat trainings. The Office of International Migration conducts a health screening and brief orientation. During this time there is typically delay after delay and the family has no information on which country will accept them. Once approval has been granted they receive their flight information and are moved to a different shelter where they receive additional health screenings. Once they arrive in the country they are faced with many barriers: language, education, transportation, chronic health conditions, clash of cultures, etc. Best practices for serving the refugee communities in your area include building trust, taking the time to understand their culture, offering step-by-step assistance, access to translation and interpretation, clear and understandable communication, and most importantly patience.

Demian Laudisio and Alexandra Rose Schneider with the Switchboard of Miami gave a high energy presentation “From Burnout to Self-Care: Inspiring Staff Wellness”. How many of us go through the work week like this?:

First we need to recognize if we are dealing with stress or burnout. Stress is typically characterized by over-engagement where burnout by disengagement. When you are stressed your emotions are over-reactive but when you are burntout they are blunted. Stress produces urgency and hyperactivity but burnout produces helplessness and hopelessness. So if caring about your work or home life seems like a total waste of energy and you feel like nothing you do makes a difference or is appreciated and the majority of your day is spent on tasks you find either dull or overwhelming you might be burntout. The “Three R” Approch will help you deal with burnout.

Recognize – watch for the warning signs of burnout

Reverse – undo the damage by managing stress and seeking support

Resilience – build your resilience to stress by taking care of your physical and emotional health

Developing a self-care plan might be a good strategy or if you are a manger creating a staff self-care plan to help your staff help themselves. Demian and Alexandra provided time for agencies to share what their wellness programs looked like. Examples ranged from yoga classes and cloud lighting to agency picnics and visits from dogs. So, what do your wellness program look like? Do you have a self-care plan?

2014 AIRS Conference Experiences Series: Jennifer Miller

Jennifer Miller
2-1-1 Resource Center Manager
United Way of Greater Kansas City
Kansas City, MO

I have attended multiple AIRS conference in years past and gotten a lot of good information and training. This year was unique in the focus of the workshops I attended; many of them focused on individual agency experiences and innovations that covered a broad range of topics.

The Innovative Collaborations workshop featured several I&Rs from around the country that were partnering with outside organizations. Tampa Bay Cares is partnering with their homeless services system to provide prevention and diversion services. One of the forms it takes is call specialists providing almost immediate financial assistance in qualified situations. In the Twin Cities of Minnesota, Call for Justice (a legal I&R) is partnering with the local United Way 2-1-1 to provide greater access to legal referrals through regular training on legal resources for 2-1-1 staff who can field the calls. Something that both partnerships endorsed was continual convening of the partnership and communication to ensure quality service and improvements.

Other call centers were partnering through shared quality projects and contracts for providing service. Iowa Nebraska AIRS members have begun several projects within their affiliate. They have approached creating a shared resource database between several aging, disability and 2-1-1 organizations. They have also created a "mystery call" type call monitoring project that encompasses multiple organizations, which allows them to monitory quality standards across the states. The Epilepsy Foundation found a partner in Heart of Florida United Way, who could provide coverage of calls for their national hotline. This partnership helped the Epilepsy Foundation reach the staff coverage they needed, and provided funding diversification, training and recognition for Heart of Florida United Way.

These collaborations and partnerships were inspirational in a way; they reminded me that there are many ways to accomplish a task, and that not all of the burden for a project has to be carried by a single organization (or person for that matter!). I brought a lot of ideas and questions back to the office that I plan to look into. Things like... what more can our affiliate be doing? ... what services in my community can I help to increase access to? ... and skills do my staff have that I am not taking advantage of?

AIRS 2013 Annual Report

The AIRS 2013 Annual Report was released in July and you will find a link to it below:

AIRS 2013 Annual Report

Please share it with anyone inside and outside of your organization that may be interested in learning more about our activities last year. A copy will also be available on the AIRS Networker for our members to access.
Thank you for being part of AIRS and helping make our organization a success!

2014 AIRS Conference Experiences Series: Heather Pierce

Heather Pierce
2-1-1 Call Center Coordinator
United Way of the Plains
Wichita, KS

I had the pleasure of attending the AIRS National Conference in Atlanta, GA this year and although the highlight for me was attending a Braves game at Turner Field, I also attended some great workshops. In this series of blog posts I would like to give you are brief synopsis of each of the workshops I attended and what I learned from them.

“Managing, Surviving and Thriving on Change Within the I&R Sector” – this workshop was presented by Faed Henry who is with Findhelp Information Services in Toronto, Ontario. Change is a constant in all of our lives, but it is especially present in the field of I&R. As Faed said, “shift happens”. There are external forces such as funding and market changes and also internal forces like our strategic plans and new staff. Typically change in the workplace is first met with resistance. As managers it is our job to help guide our staff through change and one of the keys for success is communication. We must recognize that change is not just about the new processes but about the people. “Only when the people within it have made their own personal transitions can an organization truly reap the benefits of change.” The ADKAR 5 Elements for Individual Change can take us through the process:

Awareness of the need for change

Desire to support and participate in the change

Knowledge of how to change

Ability to implement the change

Reinforcement to sustain the change

“The Intersection of Mental Health Services and Supports for Veterans, Older Adults and Their Caregivers” – Stephanie McCladdie, a Regional Administrator with SAMHSA, shared with us a profile of the typical Army soldier: 24 yrs of age, moved from home family and friends. Has resided in two other states and has traveled the world (deployed). Been promoted four times, bought a car and wrecked it. The typical soldier is married and had children but has seen relationship and financial problems. This typical soldier has seen death and maintains millions of dollars worth of equipment; and yet gets paid less than $40,000 a year. In 2005 grantee/provider agencies noticed an increase of military/veteran populations who sought community-based services and requested guidance from SAMHSA. A new strategic initiative was created to support America’s service men and women – Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve, and Veterans – together with their families and communities by leading efforts to ensure needed behavioral health services are accessible and outcomes are positive. Some staggering behavioral health facts among this population include: almost 18.5% of service members returning from Iraq of Afghanistan have post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, and 19.5% report experiencing a traumatic brain injury (TBI); in 2008, 47% of all current DoD service personnel were binge drinkers. The strategic plans address increasing access to appropriate care; closing gaps in the system; building the system’s capacity; increasing interagency communication/collaboration; incorporating promising, best, and evidence-based practices; sustaining efforts; and dialogue with military. For more information and further resources visit www.samhsa.gov/militaryfamilies.