St. Bernards forms partnership to help disabled residents find jobs

Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department Director Erin Riehle noticed a problem in her hospital. Many entry level positions had constant turnover, and the hospital catered to a lot of patients with developmental disabilities. Despite these disabilities, she thought members of this group could fill those jobs and join the ranks of the working class.

Riehle helped to form Project SEARCH in 1996 to train the developmentally disabled to work. St. Bernards Healthcare announced Thursday it will serve as a business partner to allow SEARCH to operate in Jonesboro, St. Bernards vice-president of human relations Lori Smith told Talk Business & Politics.

“There is nothing like this in our area,” Smith said.

SEARCH has involved at more than 400 sites across 44 states and six countries. It has helped to train thousands of workers, according to the organization. Little Rock-based ACCESS, a non-profit organization and Arkansas Rehabilitative Services helped to form three SEARCH training sites in the state, including one at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. ACCESS provides full-time educational, therapy, training, and other activities for those with learning disabilities. Similar programs are slated to open this fall at the Ouachita Medical Center in Camden and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Russellville.

The goal is to recruit 10 adult students in the region, Smith said. Classes will begin in September and will run on cycle similar to a school year. Classes will be held inside UAMS building on Mathews Avenue near St. Bernards Medical Center.

Three job coaches from ACCESS will teach the students numerous skills including behavior at a job, safety guidelines, and finance information. If students are able to get jobs, they can earn a better living, invest in retirement accounts and can possibly no longer need public assistance, Smith said. Just as important is the sense of satisfaction these students will receive from having a productive purpose, she said.

To find students, several local schools from Forrest City to Paragould to West Memphis have been contacted, according to officials. Many in those school systems already know worthy candidates who’ve graduated in recent years, and lists are already being formed, Smith said.

St. Bernards is the largest employer in Jonesboro with 2,833 employees, according to the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce. St. Bernards operates a 438-bed acute care hospital in Jonesboro. It serves a 23 county area.

Another local partner will be Arkansas State University. ASU, the area’s second largest employer with 2,435 workers, will allow its occupational therapy students, and others to intern in the program. Smith said there will probably be expanded internships available for the students through ASU and other local businesses. Part of the plan is to get these students real life work experiences.

At St. Bernards, students may be able to get jobs in nutritional services, house keeping, entry level jobs at the Health and Wellness Center and others. The hope is other businesses in the area will be able to fill similar jobs with these students, Smith said. St. Bernards will only provide support staff from its employee roster, meaning it will not incur any additional costs to be a partner. It might help them find a few qualified, hard-working employees, she said.

“We really feel like this is part of our mission,” Smith said.