Issue 43
2016
Building Partnerships
Creating Opportunities
Sharing A Vision
Fish Tale Brewpub – Outstanding Employer
Congratulations to Fish Tale Brewpub for being selected as a Morningside Outstanding Employer! This award is
given to employers who exemplify our vision of the future in which people with disabilities have access to the same
opportunities as all other citizens - working in the community! In selecting Fish Tale Brew Pub for this award we
recognize and applaud their ongoing commitment to our mission and their new employee, Samantha.
A gregarious and social young woman her job as a host and busser at Fish Tale Brewpub is a perfect match for Samantha.
She started her employment journey at the Yelm High School Transition Program located at SITE house. In this program
Samantha participated in multiple volunteer work experiences ranging from manufacturing to working in a thrift store.
Honestly, Samantha did not enjoy any of these experiences, largely because she received feedback about socializing
too much while working. Once she graduated Samantha gained more experience through short-lived employment and
Community Based Assessments. But none provided her just the right mix of duties and responsibilities.
Samantha has also volunteered at the Senior Center for 10
years and participates in all Special Olympic Sports and Parks
and Rec events. Because of all these activities Samantha
knows EVERBODY! Her mother tells of a time when they were
vacationing in Hawaii and she ran into someone she knew!
Kathy Kelly, Job Developer, began working with Samantha in early
2015 to find just the right job match. And the timing was perfect!
Fish Tale Brewpub had just opened an addition to their restaurant
and was in need of a host/busser for the family friendly area of
their restaurant. Kathy developed a customized position for
Samantha that included bussing, re-filling water glasses, rolling
l-r Fish employees: Jill Hammond, Dana Kimbel, Smanatha Warren,
silverware, washing windows, folding towels, and re-filling salt,
Richard Mullins and Jim Larson, Morningside
pepper, and sugar containers. These are all tasks Samantha is
good at and includes the opportunity for her to interact with
customers. At the holidays last year Fish Tale Brewpub held a fundraising event for a local charity. Samantha invited
everyone she knew and even dressed as an elf to greet attendees at the door. Her contacts and enthusiasm helped
Fish Tale raise a record amount in donations! With hard work and determination Samantha has succeeded at a job she
loves. Fish Tale Brewpub has a great employee because they value her skills and outgoing personality.
When the award was presented Samantha became choked up because this is where Fish Tale gave her a chance to prove
herself as a dedicated and valuable employee.
We salute Fish Tale Brewpub.
MORNINGSIDE RIDE
ROAD CHALLENGE 2016
Road Rally Start 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Olympia High School
SAVE THE DATE!
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Finish Line/Rally Brunch & Program 11:00 AM -12:30 PM
Lucky Eagle Casino and Hotel
Information: 360.596.3539
Morningsideservices.com/events
M o r n i n g s i d e ’ s
c o mmi t m e n t :
“Everybody Works!”
End of an Era
S
ince 1975 Morningside has had a contract with Health Care Authority formally known
as the Medical Assistance Administration. Over these 41 years we have witnessed many
changes beginning with the location. Once located at Air Industrial Park– now called New
Market Industrial Campus operated by the Port of Olympia - our team of clients and staff
opened mail and microfilmed every medical claim form received by DSHS from every
provider in the State of Washington. The paperless office wasn’t even a concept in those
days! Instead millions of envelopes were opened, sorted, and processed annually.
Matt Evans and June Truax
The program then moved to the newly built Town Square complex
in the mid 1980’s and has remained in that general location since.
During the time we were in full production at Town Square, we
had a supervisor that oversaw the program, a coordinator who
worked with three training specialists working with 30 clients, plus
a quality control specialist and eight production employees who
worked primarily evenings running the microfilm and developing
machines. We worked three different shifts and had a 24-hour
Gloria Saronhilo
turnaround from time of delivery to when the microfilm was sent to
the state workers. We were involved in all the operations from opening and sorting the mail, prepping
the documents (removing staples and taping tears in the forms), to filming and processing the film, and
Anthony “Tony” Burgess
quality control. The work, however, radically changed over time. We purchased more elaborate and
faster microfilm machines and processing equipment in order to meet the rapid and stringent contract deadlines. We were opening
mail and microfilming at the amazing rate of more than 20,000 pieces of paper a day, 248 days a year. We handled roughly 6.5 million
documents annually with an error rate less than 1%.
By the early 2000s the processes and equipment were shifting from microfilming to imaging documents. But the mail still had to be
opened and all those documents had to be sorted by claim type.
With the advent of the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the more recent Affordable Care Act (ACA)
the federal government required providers to submit claim forms electronically. We knew our days of opening and sorting thousands
of documents a day were limited. Over the last few years the numbers have dwindled to the point that the state will no longer accept
paper provider claims.
As a result of these changes June 30, 2016, will be the last working day for Morningside at the Town Square complex opening, sorting,
and processing medical claims. We are celebrating this long contract and the impact it has had on hundreds of individuals with
disabilities along the way by helping them learn about work and testing their skills! We’ll also be saying goodbye to many supporters
and friends at HCA. It’s been a grand partnership that not only performed a valuable function but was so important in the lives of so
many people.
We thank HCA for this long and rewarding relationship.
New Summer Youth Work Experience Program
M
orningside is announcing a new program for students with disabilities starting in June. Morningside was selected to provide
a summer internship program for students with disabilities in rural, low income schools in Thurston, Mason, and Lewis counties.
This program funding comes from Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council who applied for a grant from Washington State
Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to provide a summer youth vocational experience.
This two year program request had a relatively short turnaround time, but our staff has worked hard to stretch ourselves to provide
this new program to 16-21 year olds in rural high schools.
As part of the planning process, we met with superintendents of all the school districts in Thurston County at their regularly scheduled
May meeting to announce the program and got a very positive reception. In addition, we have also contacted many special education
directors to further explain and promote this valuable service. Studies show that individuals who have an internship experience have
twice the chance of becoming employed as those without.
We have such a rich network of partnerships that moving forward with such a short timeline made
this possible. Vice President Nikki Wegner and Training and Quality Director Laurie Schindler
have met with Mike Hickman, Assistant Superintendent of ESD 113 and various managers and
have conducted a job site analysis of various internship sites. South Puget Sound Community
College has also expressed interest as a possible job site. Nikki has been busy working
on methodologies for student transportation as we feel this is the major barrier to student
involvement. We have updated our web site so that students can fill out an online form and
provide us with pertinent information about enrolling in the program. Diane Lee Crawford, Senior
Program Manager is busy with scheduling dates for intake meetings. This is truly a team effort.
l-r Travis Reep and Ana Hernandez
Last we have made job offers to two college students (see picture) who will be temporary summer
job coaches for this program. After a whirlwind of activity we are poised to begin this exciting
program and are looking forward to serving these high school youth.
809 Legion Way SE • P.O. Box 7936• Olympia, WA 98507 • 360.943.0512 • www.morningsideservices.com