Jeff's Blog

Thanks to all who were apart of the Missouri User Group meeting!  We took time to look at the newest release inside Therap as well as the latest on Electronic Signatures and the Missouri State Incident report.  If you were not able to join us today I do hope you will make the effort to be apart of the upcoming conference May 4-6 in Kansas City.  This will serve the purpose of next quarters user group meeting accross the state and we certainly hope to do some Missouri specific breakout sessions at the Conference.

Once again, Thanks to those who were apart and for those who were not with us we missed you!

It was great to be with the staff at BCFR this past week to get them started with Therap.  The staff was awesome in particpating and learning the applications that they will start with at the agency.  BCFR is located in Columbia, MO and began in 1977 with just eight persons receiving residential services in 1977, the agency has since grown to serve over 1200 children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Boone County Training

A special thanks to Michael Gibson and Joanie Chenault in getting things ready to begin.  Michael is the PA at BCFR and through the upload of information that Michael uploaded into the system the staff had a tremendous amount of information available to them at the very start of using Therap for the first time.  Joanie help in scheduling our time at BCFR and helping us move forward.  Below is Joanie begging to have her picture taken so I could show her face to the Therap world and beyond…not really.  What you can’t see is the multiple people holding her in place for me to get this snap shot due to her lack of wanting her picture taken…thanks for playing along Joanie.

Joanie Chenault excited to have her picture taken, NOT!

Thanks again to everyone at Boone County Family Resources.

This past week Mary T Inc., in Coon Rapids, MN gets staff trained and prepares to go live.  Despite snow, cold temps, and difficulty getting into the Minneapolis Airport, a great week transpired in training the staff at MTI.  The staff was excited and very paticipatory in going through the applications and getting everybody ready to go.  A big thank you goes out to Tina McKee who is the Provider Administrator at Mary T.

Provider Administrator Expert, Tina

Additional thanks go out to Annette Steensland who coordinated facilty, and scheduling and helped out with staff and training.  Thanks Annette.  I also wanted to thank Steve Liston who is the Director of Supportive Living at MTI.  Steve and some others at MTI are helping us in making Therap’s functionality optimal in the State of 10,000 Lakes.

Steve Liston, Director of Supportive Living

Lastly but not least, a big thank you to staff who came in difficult weather conditions to be trained.  Day after day, staff gathered ready and willing to learn and jump into Therap.  I was greatly impressed with the tremendous attitudes and participation of this staff.  I have great confidence as you move forward.

Mary T's Tremendous Staff train for Therap

NYC

Another curtain falls on a successful Provider Administrator Conference in Fishkill, NY.  The week was filled with new ideas, insights for agencies to take new steps into utilizing even more of Therap, and glimpses into the future of what Therap is looking to do to help agencies do what they do even better.

Provider Administrator Conference

The conference was the largest PA conference yet as the services of additional hotels were needed to accomodate the tremendous response by all the agency we partner with thoughout the country.  If no one from your agency participated in our annual PA conference I challenge you now to prepare  to send someone to the conference next year.  It is by far and away the conference where agencies across the country come together to share ideas, and collaborate together to sharpen each other.

NYC Pizza

Another great activity of the conference is the annual trip into NYC.  And what is a trip to NYC without enjoying some terrific NYC Pizza at Famous Ray’s.  We took 2 tour buses filled with great Therap users to the city to enjoy the lights, pizza, and the shopping at Times Square.

Thanks again to everyone who help make this year’s PA conference another tremendous year.  I look forward to seeing you again next year for another great year!!!

Integrated Life Choices in Lincoln, NE

I am pleased to announce that Integrated Life Choices from Lincoln, NE has signed up with Therap as we get rolling in 2010.  It was my pleasure to present to Josh Midgett (CEO) and Bill Arrants (President) and staff last December at there offices.  Together with staff we went through how Therap could make a difference with communication, accountability and quality assurance elements at already a tremendous agency.  ILC mainains both residential and a vocational work shop in Nebraska.  ILC believes that part of what makes life great is the choices we get to make and the experiences we have as the result of those choices. We learn from all of our choices whether they lead to success or not, often life’s greatest lessons do not come from our successes. People, no matter who they are, deserve the opportunity to follow their dreams and aspirations. In following these principles ILC will strive to assist the individuals we serve in every opportunity to make choices and experience things to further enrich their lives.

ILC welcome to Therap!  We look forward to partnering with you in Lincoln.

Make sure and click on the new release notes page from either the website home page or the initial splash page to see all the new items just released inside Therap.  The new releases are just one of the many great things in Therap as the site continues to get better and improve from feedback from users like you.

With that in mind I also want to encourage all of you to continue to give us your great feedback through the feedback link at the bottom of every page inside Therap.  You may have a thought that what you have to say doesn’t matter much, but nothing could be further from the truth.  Just like with 8.8 release and the many other releases, those new ideas and improvements come from insights and thoughts shared by users just like each of you.  Never underestimate what contribution you could make by simply hitting the feeback  button or the ideas button at the bottom of your page inside Therap.  That idea may just be the next great thing that happens in a new release.  Together we all make this functional system even better through on line collaboration.

Woodhaven in Columbia, MO

Another agency that is getting ready to start with Therap in this new year of 2010 is Woodhaven located in Columbia, MO.  Woodhaven has a long history of providing services in Missouri dating back to 1964.  Woodhaven has been serving people with developmental disabilities for more than 45 years. What began as a campus-based school for children with disabilities has evolved into a leading provider of community-based supported living services for adults.

Staff at Woodhaven have been hard at work getting things prepared to launch into Therap.  I can’t think of a better way to start a new decade for an agency than to decide to become more effecient, use less paper, communicate more to each other, and insure even greater quality assurances. 

This next decade is going to be awesome, well it could be with Therap!

Happy New Year to everyone!  I hope this is the year that you and your agency will take advantage of the effeciencies and cost effective advantages found in Therap!  We are now serving over 400 agencies accross the country!

One of our new agencies that is getting started is Your Freinds and Neighbors.  I am working with Stephen Flanigan throughout Northern Indiana to prepare Your Freinds and Neighbors to “go live”.  It has been by priviledge to work with Ernie Beal who has led YFN in this direction to become more effecient and more paperless. 

Ernie Beal

YFN provides program and services throughout Indiana and Georgia.  Stephen and I have been traveling throughout Northern Indiana despite crazy snow!!!  Valporaiso, South Bend, Fort Wayne, and Indianapolis will all be trained this week.

Crazy Snow Falling in Northern Indiana

I hope your new year has started off right and your New Year’s resolutions are still in tack. 

Netbooks to help utilize Therap

Developing Potential Inc.,  received some great news this past week.  They have received a grant to purchase netbooks for even greater use and flexibility in utilizing Therap at their agency.  DPI has locations in KCMO, and Independence, MO and serves close to 100 consumers total at both locations.  DPI is a day program in the Kansas City Metro that started back in 1993 with just 8 consumers and has grown to it’s present size.

If your agency has not considered going after a technology grant I certainly wanted to encourage you to look at doing this so that your agency might benefit as well.  The grant is certainly geared to helping an agency go more green and effecient in striving to become paperless.

Gerry Beagles, Executive Director at GCS

 Pictured below is John who had to put up with me for two solid days in training.  John is a member of the leadership team at GCS and is one of the PA’s.  John was a huge help with setup and class trainings for both of my days at Garden Center.  John also set me up on the smart board and for that I am extremenly grateful, what a great tool for trainings with Therap and staff.

John Kincinas

Training on the fine points of Therap!!!

Class in training

Thanks to everyone at Garden Center!  Don’t forget we are in TEST MODE until December 10th!  I have great confidence in all of you as you move toward being a paperless provider at GCS.