At its monthly Board of Directors meeting, the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities recognized the retirement of longtime Provider Supports Director Pat Stephens, gave a Special Recognition Award to the Zepf Center, and honored Investigative Agent Tammy Jones as the Staff Person of the Month.
Special Recognition: Zepf Center M.O.M.S. program
This year, the Lucas DD Early Intervention team has had the pleasure of teaming with Mirisa Castellese, Bobbi Constantinoff, and Jackie Strack at the Zepf Center.
The initial contact was made through Active Community Team, formerly known as Baby Court. Team members shared that the children who attend their weekly mom’s group are at higher risk for delays due to substance use during pregnancy and some children were already showing delays. The purpose of the partnership was for Early Intervention team members to break down barriers with the moms, who often have multiple systems in their worlds, to show that Early Intervention is a benefit for them and their child.
Initially, Early Intervention was asked to attend on a one-time basis to present an activity to the mom’s group. EI Developmental Specialist Teresa Miller helped the moms decorate a hula hoop to promote tummy time. The activity was such a hit that moms requested more developmental activities, so Mirisa, Bobbie and Jackie started brainstorming with Teresa. Early Intervention now attends the first Friday of each month, leading hands-on activities that focus on child development and parent/child bonding.
The group has made sensory bags with dirt and water, homemade playdough and a picture game where the child lifts a piece of felt to find an animal. When sharing how to make the activities with the group, we discuss the importance of communication with the child and how the activity will promote development.
Many of the moms report that they enjoy being able to ask questions without pressure and appreciate the honest answers given to them about their child’s development. Referrals and follow-up to Early Intervention happen more easily through this group because of the trust that has been built.
We are thankful for this partnership with this wonderful agency and look forward to its growth in serving this most vulnerable population. Thank you, Zepf Center! The Lucas County Board of DD is honored to present you with the September 2023 Special Recognition Award.
Lucas DD Staff Person of the Month: Tammy Jones
Investigative Agent Tammy Jones exemplifies the mission and core values of Lucas DD. She demonstrates this on a regular basis in all her interactions.
Her passion drives her desire to seek justice in cases where individuals are mistreated or harmed, and her compassion ensures she gets to the root of why an incident likely occurred. These traits assist with getting appropriate prevention plans in place to avoid further similar incidents and allow those served to live their LIFE to their full potential.
As a leader, Tammy demonstrates integrity, respect, empathy and effective communication with her peers, management, individuals served and their families, providers and community partners at large. Tammy recently took on the position of IA mentor and is currently mentoring two new hires. Her peers report she has been a vital part of their learning the IA position by sharing resources, materials and just checking in with them regularly to see how their cases are going. Her feedback and suggestions when reviewing peers’ MUI reports has helped many with content and clarity before submission to the State’s Ohio Incident Tracking System.
Tammy's understanding of being person centered and trauma informed has proved essential in many of her investigations. Earlier this year, Tammy was assigned the case of an accidental death, after an individual succumbed to injuries sustained in a fire. Tammy was sensitive to the effects the event would have on the primary witness, the SSA and provider agency who worked with the individual. She worked effortlessly with them all to ensure she would not re-traumatize anyone during the investigation process; all while still conducting a thorough review of what had occurred.
Tammy will be celebrating 13 years with Lucas DD one month from today. Prior to her coming to the MUI unit she was a SSA with a reputation of being a strong leader and team player. Tammy’s transition to the MUI unit was during the pandemic and her experience learning the new IA position and getting to know her co-workers and leadership via Zoom and phone calls was challenging. But, Tammy also knew what a cohesive unit looks and feels like from her days in the SSA Department so when we returned to the office she approached leadership with many ideas to help support her peers and establish rapport with one another. She organized “group sessions” where the IAs met once a month to work on their cases in a collaborative setting. She also scheduled an after-work event, and currently maintains the unit’s birthday list. Tammy is the unofficial cheerleader in the MUI unit and her efforts are appreciated.
Tonight, it’s our turn to cheer for you, Tammy. Congratulations on this well-earned award as the Lucas DD September 2023 Staff Person of the Month!
Lucas DD Retirement: Pat Stephens
The Board is pleased to recognize the dedication and career of Pat Stephens, Director of Provider Supports. Pat began her career with the Lucas County Board of DD in 1997 as a Job Procurement Specialist. She then became a Habilitation Coordinator at Hill, a Community Employment Manager at Hill, and a Facility Manager for Vocational Services Center. It was a few years later when she became the illustrious leader of the Quality Assurance Department, now called Provider Supports Department. Pat brought a knowledge full of rich history with her as she often told tales of the past. Her heart was always focused on supporting the people we serve.
The managers who were fortunate to learn and grow from her leadership throughout the years, would like to say a few words.
Lisa Poiry: Pat challenged me to “right her” when I thought she might be wrong, which wasn’t often. She encouraged me to be visionary and have foresight, to work independently and support the staff and providers. She wanted to move forward to meet our goals, drive initiatives and produce quality supports to meet people’s needs in line with the Board’s mission. Pat led with a kind-hearted spirit and compassion for all every day, never losing site of why we do what we do.
Julienne Hardman: It is hard to summarize all that I have learned from Pat throughout her years in the Provider Support Department. She has taught me to look at all points of view when there are conflicts. She has helped me grow as a person and always made time for me to listen. Pat always stressed “family first.” I am thankful to have had the opportunity to work with her and to have her as part of my extended family.
Erica McElmurry: As a first-time supervisor, it was a privilege to have Pat as a boss. I learned so much from you, whether it be your stories of your family and growing up, to your working in the private sector to your time at Lott. I want to express my deepest gratitude for your guidance and leadership these last five years. You believing in me and supporting the kind of supervisor I want to be has meant more than you could possibly realize. I need you to know that my biggest take away from your mentorship has been that I can embrace my vulnerability as a leader and share that with others. And lastly, thank you for showing me how to be a caring supervisor.
Sarah Diesch: Pat took me under her wing from the very beginning, teaching me what it means to lead with compassion. She gave me the opportunity to learn, grow, and make mistakes. Pat helped me develop into the person and manager I am today. Pat stressed the importance of family as well as taking care of ourselves and ensured we took time off to maintain our work/life balance. I was lucky to have 14 years of learning, laughing, loving and growing with Pat.
As you can see, we all miss our leader Pat and strive to make her proud by being the leaders she taught us to be.
Thank you, Pat, for your years of dedicated service to the Board and its constituents. Congratulations on our retirement!