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BENCHMARK BLOG

Exemplar – January, 2025

Jan 21, 2025
Benchmark Blog

Welcome to Exemplar, the Benchmark Human Services (Benchmark) company newsletter. Enjoy, and please contact our Development team with any questions: [email protected].


Our Guiding Principles

By Anne Titus, Benchmark Vice President

Anne Titus, Vice President, Benchmark Human Services

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.”

I keep this saying posted in my office, and I reference it often. Taking a leap of faith is the first step in helping someone live a full life, and I have learned to embrace this vulnerability over the last 32 years of working at Benchmark. As a Vice President overseeing residential programs in four states, I remind my team that we have to be responsible and mitigate risk for those we serve, but we must understand that we cannot do great things without some level of risk.

In November, Benchmark moved the first of 40 New Hampshirites back to their home state from out-of-state residential placements. These individuals have complex needs, including dual diagnosis of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and mental health conditions. Local service providers were unable to support them, so these individuals were moved into more restrictive environments in Massachusetts and Florida—far away from their families and their communities. The State of New Hampshire called on Benchmark to help these individuals move back home.

At Benchmark, we use a set of Corporate Principles as a roadmap for our work. In New Hampshire and everywhere Benchmark provides residential support, our teams advocate for more options for people, better access to the community, the chance to be closer to their loved ones, and a place that feels like home. This kind of work doesn’t happen easily or without risk. It doesn’t happen without a team of mission-driven leaders who have a shared vision for what can be. It requires innovation and grit.

I keep another reminder on my walls: If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan but not the goal. To make our vision a reality, I challenge my team to work with the end goal in mind. If we focus on today only, we often see hurdles and roadblocks—whether self-imposed or regulatory—that can prevent us from getting where we want to go. We stay focused on our shared vision to support the individuals we’re moving back to New Hampshire, and we anticipate that all 40 will once again call New Hampshire home by the end of this year.

Most of all, I remind my team and myself: Do what is expected “and then some.” At Benchmark, the “and then some” is what sets us apart. It’s not enough to say, “Okay, we moved people home. We’re done now.” Instead, we ask, “Now that the person is home, what does the future look like? Do they want a job? Do they want to make new friends? How do they want to be involved in their community?” We ask those questions, and then we get to work on making a plan to help the people we serve achieve those goals.

As the individuals we serve begin to settle into their new homes in New Hampshire, we are grateful for the opportunity to take on this work. We believe it is an absolute privilege to help connect people and potential—and then some.


Celebrating Our 65th Anniversary

Benchmark is proud to celebrate our 65 years of service. Hear a special message from our CEO, Doug Beebe:

Throughout the year, we’re asking our team members to share their Benchmark stories. Anne Titus kicks us off:


Benchmark Launches Active Consulting Program in California

Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the Los Angeles fires. We are committed to supporting our staff, the individuals we serve, and the Los Angeles community as we rebuild.

Benchmark employees from Arkansas and Georgia met with the California Active Consulting team last fall. Noe Rivera (back row, fourth from left) is Benchmark's Active Consulting Director in California. Ashley Hogan (front row, third from left) is the Program Manager.

In December 2024, Benchmark launched Active Consulting in Los Angeles County. Active Consulting is a wrap-around service for individuals with complex needs who are experiencing a crisis and seeking to transition to lower levels of care. Through Active Consulting, Benchmark’s team collaborates with families, providers, and caregivers to build on their skills and strengths so they are more confident and capable of supporting someone in crisis, creating better outcomes for all.

The California Active Consulting program is led by Noe Rivera (MA, BSN), Benchmark’s Active Consulting Director. Rivera has more than ten years of hands-on experience providing and overseeing services to people with behavioral disorders and disabilities.

“We’re excited to provide this unique service for children, adults, and families in California,” says Rivera. Rivera previously worked with the Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health and as a Regional Department Manager for Behavior Respite in Action.

Ashley Hogan (MA, BCBA) is the Program Manager for California Active Consulting. Hogan previously worked as Project Director for Benchmark’s Alabama ACCESS program. Before joining Benchmark in 2022, Hogan worked as a Senior Behavior Analyst at an applied behavior analysis (ABA) clinic and as an instructor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

“We believe in collaboration, creativity, and an open dialogue,” says Hogan. “We deliver services through a trauma-informed lens and consider each person’s cultural beliefs, practices, preferences, and values as we support them in creating a path forward.”

Active Consulting includes comprehensive assessments to identify person-centered needs and supports, a multidisciplinary team of medical and behavioral clinicians, 24/7 crisis support and crisis debriefing, and more. To learn more, please contact Noe Rivera: [email protected].

If you’re interested in bringing Active Consulting to your state, please contact our Development team:

Sarah Chestnut National Director, Business Development Strategies SChestnut@BenchmarkHS.com John Lovett National Director, Clinical Development JLovett@BenchmarkHS.com

 


Nominee for the Cathy Anderson Award for Public-Private Partnership 

Benchmark is pleased to share that the Company was nominated by two states – Delaware and Georgia – for the Cathy Anderson Award for Public-Private Partnership. This award spotlights strong public-private partnerships that improve the lives of people with disabilities.

The State of Delaware submitted a nomination for Benchmark and the Division of Developmental Disability Services (DDDS) to receive this award. In Kent County, Delaware, Benchmark and DDDS collaborated to conduct a pilot project establishing two specialized, Enhanced Supports group homes for individuals with complex behavioral needs. Individuals supported in this pilot transitioned from individual placements with other providers who used 2:1 or 1:1 staffing arrangements that were unsuccessful. Benchmark and the State established a model with intensive clinical staffing to ensure the individuals and their teams receive adequate behavior and medical support. The State will use this pilot to establish Medicaid reimbursement rates to add this service to their HCBS waiver residential service array.

The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) submitted a nomination highlighting the innovative collaboration between DBHDD, Anthony Wayne Rehabilitation Center (AWRC), and Benchmark to address the complex needs of individuals with IDD and complex needs through Specialized Transitional Community Residential Alternative (CRA) homes. DBHDD recognized the need for a more flexible, transitional housing option to serve individuals who were experiencing extended stays in overly restrictive settings such as hospitals, state facilities, and jails. With this vision in mind, the DBHDD collaborated with Benchmark to contract with AWRC to implement a solution that meets this need in a way that emphasizes person-centered, community-based care.

To learn more about our work in Delaware, check out a previous issue of Exemplar linked here.


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