The Easter Seals Central and Southeast Ohio Adult Service program recently was notified it has achieved excellence status from Easter Seals headquarters

Pursuit of the achievement is voluntary and conducted after a center has asked for and been granted the opportunity to be evaluated, said Pandora Shaw-Dupras, director of programs and services.

“Over the last three to four years, we’ve been trying to upgrade services, as well as the building,” Shaw-Dupras said.

While early in the center’s existence, services focused primarily on providing adults with profound needs with medical assistance during the day, the focus has shifted to providing more social experiences for clients. The center works with clients each month to develop a calendar of events and outings from a day at the park or a festival to a visit to a horse farm or the gym at First Church of God.

The center also has partnered with many in the community via grants and donations to update the East Main Street building from the parking lot to a rubberized floor and an updated sensory room designed to specifically help patients along the autism spectrum. There also has been a focus on professional development of staff.

“(The excellence status) is a nice way to let all our families know we’re going above and beyond to make sure their loved ones are taken care of,” said Rob DuVall, director of marketing.

The center also is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, another voluntary evaluation. Although the center has been operating since the early 1990s, it had never sought to be evaluated for excellence status. The process involves a lot of paperwork, as well as a site visit in which staff, families and clients are interviewed about the facility. The information is then taken back to headquarters, where a panel evaluates the data gathered and determines whether the center meets the criteria.

The recognition letter pointed to the changes the center has been undergoing.

“We were impressed with improvements in physical plant, programming, and community integration, and encourage you to continue down this path!” wrote Lisa Peters-Beumer, program director for adult and senior services.

Shaw-Dupras explained the overhaul started as families commented positively on services but lamented the older building.

“We really would not have been able to do (any renovations) you see without the partners in the community,” she added.

Community partnerships with Ohio University-Chillicothe, Ross County MRDD Board and the Department of Job and Family Services also allowed the center to continue its five-week day camp. Without the partnerships, Shaw-Dupras said the camp, which is $65 per week for five 7.5-hour days, would have been too expensive for parents and they would not have been able to assist some with payment.

“It’s just exciting the kids get to go to this,” DuVall sad. “Without the creative partnerships, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Future wishes include obtaining a larger facility to service more people and to combine the adult day services with the life skills home on Mulberry Street. (source)