| Re: Huronia Regional Centre Closure – an Alternative Solution Sandra Macpherson, took off most of this year to help some families and as well do much research and come up with a solution that will satisfy both Community Living and the families of HRC as well as provide an excellent solution for all of the grounds and buildings at HRC. The following plan, also integrates the University and OPP expansions on-site as well. Both organizations can provide synergy to the below plan. We can offer apprenticeships, CO-OP programs for the University. Both the University and OPP can offer assistance with research and development and integration of developmentally disabled sector. If we get approval and momentum for this, we could resolve the ORC/HRC issue within a week. I have over 20 years of business experience, globally, to redefine business processes, implement systems and provide significant improvement and recommendations to business’s processes. I have used all that I have learned in the business world and all that I learned in my research on the developmental disability sector to come up with a workable plan. The plan will put the Ontario Government and Orillia on the roadmap of North America, as the elite in the technology and care of the developmentally disabled. Much of what will be built can be deployed to nursing home care as well and also for the physically disabled. Below are the key deliverables in the plan. 1. Transfer HRC to a Transfer Payment Agency for the developmentally disabled. The Transfer Agency will be called Forget Me Not – Centre of Hope. 2. Transfer the staff and inspire the ones that have left to come back to the new non profit agency. 3. Open doors of HRC to the more medically and behavioural challenged that do not have the supports that the need. We will specialize in this area. 4. The new Transfer agency will much improve the services at HRC by allowing each apartment at HRC operate as a separate individual group home. It will empower the staff to achieve the goals of Community Living for those that have more significant behavioural and medical needs. By transforming HRC to a Transfer Payment Agency, we remove the ‘red- tape’ and standards that the government had placed on HRC and allow staff to be creative in providing services according to the individual needs, family participation and the needs of the unit as a whole. We will re-introduce the block programs and many more daily activities and programs. Each unit’s performance evaluation will be based on goals to provide more community involvement, communication and participation from resident’s families. As well for those who do not have families – a special big brother/sister program will be initiated, so that these residents have a mentor for them, someone they can share life experiences with and someone to take a stand and ensure that their needs are being met. We will be updating HRC to be fully computerized and provide families access to their resident’s activities, medical and other important information, using the latest technologies, data encryption and privacy solutions. 5. HRC will continue to have all services it currently has plus many other services will be introduced. The plan will expand many of these services to all of community living in the North Simcoe area. The Beach Program and Camp Program, the Physio swimming pool, movie nights and dance nights will be expanded to server all of community living in this area. Those that have left HRC will be able to enjoy this as well. 6. HRC will expand to add in Respite services to the Simcoe North area. This will be an excellent fit as health services are already available on-site. As well we have an excellent team on-site with behavioural expertise and much more. 7. HRC will expand to add Client Whisper Services – in any case in Ontario, where a group home/resident is not working out, the resident and staff will have access to all the team at HRC, including doctors, psychiatrist, behavioural specialists, kinesiology, etc. We will assess the resident and design a program for them, upgrade the skills of the Group Home staff and transition the resident back to the group home. This will help reduce some of the turn-over in staff in group homes and be much more cost effective for community group homes. This can also be used for many parents having their developmentally disabled child living at home, including those with Autism. We will be designing as part of our programs research and development of support programs for all, including adults with Autism. 8. We will also build a full training centre for the Special Olympics. This will include a complete recreational centre that both the current residents of Orillia and the disabled will be able to share and use. We will use some of the existing vacant buildings to serve as hotel/lodging for families to stay and be with their child participating in the training. As we have a full medical complement on-site, as well as the Soldier’s Memorial hospital within 2 minutes drive. This is an excellent location for such services. Considering that Toronto, may once again bid for the Olympics in the next 20 years, think what this would do for the expansion of Orillia for the Special Olympics. 9. With all the expertise at HRC, and combine with what is out in the community, we will create a central repository of information for this sector. We will design programs for hospitals, doctors, schools, Churches, etc. that will expedite and greatly improve and enhance the integration of the developmentally disabled into communities. We will become the information centre for the disabled sector. This sector is 20 years behind in community integration. With a central information centre with research and development sharing, we can quickly get this sector up to speed, especially with all the expertise that HRC has and had. 10. I have designed a program that computerizes all of my sister’s medical and daily records. With this program, I can analyze cause and effect of behaviour and medical issues and find specific information at my fingertips. It is a program in which doctor have said if they had this, they would save at least 80% of their time in serving the developmentally disabled. They also said that they would love to have this for their patients in nursing homes. This program is very expandable to nursing home application. 11. The computer program will be expanded to work with hospitals, police, and other areas that can significantly cut down the time to serve and provide significant improvements to the quality of service. All group homes using a standard computerized program for support services will cut down on costs, while improving the quality and consistency of care and supports. 12. We would also implement a fully automated compliance system. This system will ensure compliance of all group homes, and will reduce the government’s administration costs significantly, letting the government spend the time to address issues and resolve them in a timely and cost effective manner. 13. Finally, we will implement a ‘call centre/CRM’ solution for all Ontarians to use. This solution will provide anyone, whether it is a doctor, a teacher, a family inquiry of services or how to handle or information or training, etc., with the ability to call and get an ‘agent’ knowledgeable on the information required instantly. Please note I designed and managed a similar project for av very large global corporation – it works, it is ingenious and it is simple. Putting in what I have learned in the business sector and apply this to the government’s infrastructure for this sector, will significantly improve service, reduces cost to schools, police, hospitals, municipalities and to the province. 14. Funding – can be split with Special Olympics, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Community and Social Services. As well, there are ways to obtain substantial corporate funding to build this project and deliver all within 3 to 4 years. The benefit to the Community Living in the Simcoe North region with this plan as well as all of Ontario will provide the infrastructure to handle the needs of the current population, future population, and provide better and consistent services to all. For those that have left HRC already, this plan will provide better supports for you as well as offer a back-up and improvements to your new group home if needed. Let’s capitalize on the expertise of the regional centres and all of community group living by moving forward with this plan. |
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