Update on State of Disability Services
We Are at a Breaking Point! Please Help Us Fix the State of Disability Services!
Please See Below for our End of Year Letter to All Our Supporters:
Dear Friends & Family Members
It has been nearly a year since we communicated with you regarding the "State of Disability Services" and the challenges the industry is facing.
In November 2021, we had to make the difficult decision to announce that we would no longer be able to continue to support individuals residing at Afton House. Delivering this news was one of the lowest points of my career here at Phoenix. The challenges of the workforce crisis, COVID-19 Pandemic, and an inadequate reimbursement system have created the perfect storm. Many providers across the state and country have had to close services due to the strain on an already fractured system.
We thought all was well with our departure from Afton House, as another provider had been identified and we worked with them to make the transition from one provider to another as seamless as possible. However, we later realized the individuals and families were struggling even more than before the transition.
Closing programs and forcing individuals and families away from the homes they have resided in for years and away from staff who are most familiar with their care is not the best solution. We quickly realized that closing programs and transferring services to a new provider who is facing the same challenges as the previous provider only exasperated the problem and creates the illusion that the system is stable, but that could not be farther from the truth.
Phoenix, like every provider, is struggling to work through the systems issues until the 2023 legislative session or until a Special Session is called by Governor Walz. We need your help now to narrow the gap between expenses and revenue shortfalls!
We are launching our Year End Direct Ask campaign and Give to the Max fundraiser early this year! Our goal is to raise $400,000 or more between now and the end of the year! We know this is a big number, but not an impossible task, if we work together to make it happen. The fact of the matter is we need to step in until the government decides to do the necessary work of enhancing funding for long-term care and home and community-based services.
DONATE HERE: www.phoenixresidence.org/give/donate.html
I appreciate your support! Please help us spread the word. Consider launching a matching gift or a social media campaign within your network. If you have questions or other ideas you would like to share, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or our administrative team.
The articles and video clips below illustrate the issues we are facing. Please take the time to review these important documents!
The Star Tribune Workforce Article
“Anything important to you can be accomplished in 90 days. There is nothing more important than people! The people, service, and the amazing staff that support them.” Michael D. Watkins
Thank you!
Darlene Scott
President & CEO
The Phoenix Residence, Inc.
FAMILY MEETINGS:
We hope you will join the conversation with us! Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for our Family Meetings discussing this issue. We will be hosting two more Family Meetings next week for those who were not able to join. Please see below for information on these meetings:
Wednesday, October 19 – 10:30 am
Thursday, October 20 – 6:30 pm
Join on your computer, mobile app, or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 282 387 676 995
Passcode: kgeBuX
Or call in (audio only):
+1 323-538-5492,,524297836#
Phone Conference ID: 524 297 836#