Posted: 10/25/05
ABC Works reports on facilities, programs
Mental health group may add new program
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Representatives of ABC Works and Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center gave presentations to the Houston County Board on October 17.
The two groups were part of the Human Services Board meeting that takes place on the third Tuesday of every month following the regular board meeting.
Judy Wandling and Roger ìMackî McCabe did most of the talking for ABC Works.
ABC Works is a day training and habilitation program that provides rehabilitation services in Caledonia and La Crescent for persons with disabilities and other special need. It is licensed by the Department of Human Services.
Wandling, the program manager, said that the building expansion 62 North Third Street in La Crescent that was completed in January 2005 has been a big positive for the non-profit group, which serves developmentally disabled adults. It is licensed for 60 participants, and has eliminated the need to transport La Crescent participants to the ABC Works building at 730 North Pine Street in Caledonia.
The added kitchen in La Crescent allows clients to cook and bake. Square dancing is also a new popular activity.
ABC Works owns eight vehicles which they use to transport participants to and from job sites in the community. They also coordinate transportation with Semcac, MTU and ABLE.
ABC Works has served 93 participants this year, and is presently at 8. It has 68 community job sites in Houston County and the LaCrosse area. Average wage per hour is $6.50.
Participants also can go swimming once a week at the AmericInn in Caledonia.
ABC Works employs 41 regular staff and 10 temporary staff. It also operates a laundry service out of the La Crescent site, with 25 diaper customers and a contract with the La Crosse school district for their kitchen towels.
Woodland Industries in Caledonia, has 72 participants, McCabe reported. He called the production ìstable.î The retriever-trainer dummies are down slightly, he said, but the polishing pads for food equipment are solid. The clients are also sewing tote bags and laundry bags.
Steve Hill, the executive director of ABC Works, praised the excellent safety records and low job turnover of the two programs. He said there was outstanding support for the La Crescent expansion, with $250,000 in donations the first year to help pay for it.
Second district commissioner Kevin Kelleher said the community is aware of the excellent job hat ABC Works is doing. He said it was a tough decision five years ago to merge NetWorks with ABC Works, but that things seem to have gone well.
Day treatment in the works
The Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Centerís presentation focused on a new idea that the group wants to start called a childrenís day treatment program
John Rislove, who is coordinating it, said it is being modeled after a similar program in Winona County that is working well.
The goal is to help students in junior and senior high school with mental health concerns. Some of these problems are manifested in school with behavior problems or truancy, Rislove said.
School districts also have a vested interested in it, because it can avoid out-of-home placements, which result in loss of state aid to school districts, he added.
The day treatment program would address things like problem solving, assertiveness, and self-esteem. It would work with parents too, he said.
Schools need to look at their population and see how many students they would refer. The program would need to have referrals in order to work, he said.
A meeting with local school administrators has already been held, Rislove said, and another is set for October 31. La Crescent and Caledonia School Districts have expressed an interest, and a half-day program might be possible, Rislove said.
Hiawatha Valley is hoping to locate it at Bluff Country Learning Options building in Hokah (the former elementary school).
The goal is to get students to graduate, Hiawatha Valley director Julie Hanson said.
ìKeep them in school,î Rislove added.
Kelleher asked why school district would not want to participate. Rislove responded that some are concerned with the cost of transportation, and per diem costs. He said the program would pay for itself in 1-1/2 months if it could avoid an out-of-home placement for a student.
Hanson said that one school district lost two students to out-of-home placements. Had there been a day treatment program in place in Houston County, the students may have been able to stay in the district.
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