If you have any tips, news, or content that you would like to see in the Springs Staff Scoop, please feel free to email Stephanie Keister.
Congratulations to our ABCD winners for the third quarter of FY21/22: Rachel Cook and Jenille Gudahl
And to our our Customer Service Superstar: Jacqueline Muniz
Rachel Cook is a long standing Case Manager on the team. She is always eager to learn and grow in the field and seeks opportunities to do so. Rachel also does an excellent job with communication and documentation, always meeting the required standards. Rachel maintains a professional, positive attitude in the Case Management office at all times and continuously handles change graciously. She is well liked by many disciplines in the hospital including patients, family members and community partners. Rachel is always willing to assist with other duties such as making Case Management assignments or assisting with legal paper work. She has become the backbone of the Case Management team on the weekends and helps lead the team when difficult issues arise. Every day Rachel comes to work she goes above and beyond the call of duty.
Jenille gives 100%, no matter what her role is or what task she has been handed. She consistently shows up with a smile and a can-do attitude. She is supportive of her colleagues and every task has a client forward focus. Jenille recently assisted in the developing of an EBP training that she worked tirelessly on. She put in extra hours, working evenings and weekends to provide a training that would be beneficial and worth the time spent away from clients. She has worked behind the scenes creating spreadsheets and documents for our program, thinking through each little detail. Jenille’s motto “wait a second while I overthink this” is an ongoing joke; however, her attention to detail has made others’’ jobs easier. It is a rare person that can be so efficient and also a joy to work with.
Jackie played an instrumental role in managing a high-risk situation on March 17, 2022. The client was brought in via law enforcement due to intoxication and SI. The client was very emotional, labile, and refusing to comply with staff direction. Other staff involved were in a power struggle with the client and Jackie did not hesitate to jump in. She not only supported the staff involved, but provided de-escalation for the client. Jackie truly embodied our mission, by providing client-centered, trauma-informed approaches, and reduced the likelihood of client and/or staff injury and re-victimization. Jackie’s work, as well as her ethic and moral compass that she displays, cannot be coached and deserves recognition.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Mind Springs Health, one employee per month will be picked (via a random drawing) to receive a paid day off (to be used within 8 weeks of the date it’s awarded). March’s winner of a paid day off is Saruultuya Jamiyansharav, Analyst, Data Architecture & Business Intelligence.
Are you interested in helping our organization become more diverse and knowledgeable about equality and equity within our communities?
Please join the next CET meeting on May 25, 2022
OR . . .
Are you interested in sharing an experience or something you have learned? Write a DEI piece for the Springs Staff Scoop!
As an incentive, you will be awarded with Eloops Fun-Nominal Funds! If you have any questions about the CET, please outreach David Hayden.
By Kathyrn “Kate” Frankenfeld, Intern, Colorado Mesa University
“Capitalism turns men and women into economic cannibals, and having done so, mistakes cannibalism for human nature”
– Edward Hyman
Balance is key for every aspect of life. Unfortunately, the distribution of wealth and resources in America is extremely unequal due to the competitive nature of our capitalistic economic structure. In this country, the top one percent owns around half of the wealth circulating within the United States. Meanwhile, 1 in 5 Americans are battling with poverty and the roadblocks that accompany it.
The poorest must prioritize their needs because their financial budgets are unable to cover all costs of living. Extreme economic hardships can cause difficulty obtaining housing, food, clothing, entertainment, and social mobility. People struggling through poverty are faced with increased lifetime trauma, educational setbacks, and demoralization. In addition, because poverty is stigmatized, society treats the poor as if they were less worthy of dignity. A clear example of this is the fact that low SES children are bullied at higher rates. The trauma from bullying alone can cause lifelong effects. Being economically disadvantaged introduces families to many stressful situations, health disparities, and challenges, which can be seen as trauma and have adverse effects on the brain. Low SES is positively correlated with reduced gray matter and integrity of white matter tracts in language and executive functioning (EF) regions of the brain. Problems like these help to perpetuate generational curses, increase the cycle of poverty, and expand the educational gap.
This severe inequality only benefits the wealthiest. From an economic perspective, extreme inequality causes many more disadvantages than benefits. It creates problems such as decreased long-term GDP growth rates, higher crime rates, worsened public health, increased political inequality, and lower average education levels.
Around 1.6 million people are in control of almost 40% of this country’s wealth. The current economic structure encourages financial and therefore social inequality to flourish. Few live an extravagant and lavish lifestyle, while 40 million people live in poverty in the United States. Even though 61% of Americans believe that there is too much income inequality that exists in this country, there is variation across political parties. The bottom line is that there is excessive income inequality in the United States, and many do not understand the severity of the wealth gap. In the 2020 election, 4 in ten American voters ranked economic inequality as a top political priority. The wealthy are the people who hold power within our society, which decreases the likelihood of legislation aimed to narrow the wealth gap. In the meantime, people who are struggling the most are left voiceless. Without bipartisan support, the wealth gap will not be diminished. Serious policy changes need to take place for the wealth gap to begin shrinking.
