Bethesda 2022-2023 Annual Report

Annual Report 2022-2023

Land acknowledgement

This is the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee.

This territory, covered by the Upper Canada Treaties, is within the lands protected by the “Dish with One Spoon” Wampum Agreement and is directly adjacent to the Haldimand Treaty Territory. Today, this land continues to be the home of many Indigenous Peoples.

Acknowledging ensures we reflect on our past, on today and what changes can be made going forward to further the reconciliation process; and it reminds us that the great standard of living that we enjoy in Niagara is directly related to the resources and friendships of the Indigenous People who make up our community.

Message from Board President and Chief Executive Officer

Bill Jackson and Paul McGowan

This past fiscal year saw the ending and beginning of chapters for Bethesda. We set the direction of the organization for the next five years through the development of our strategic plan. The plan was created in collaboration with Bethesda’s Board, Senior Leadership, staff, those supported, and Familyhome providers to ensure all had a voice and the greatest needs were identified. To learn more about our strategic plan, please see our renewed commitment to Bethesda’s Mission, Vision, and Values starting on page six (6) and our informed strategic directions starting on page eight (8).

In addition, after 37 years service with Bethesda, and 27 years as Chief Executive Officer, we said farewell to Brian Davies who retired in January 2023. Bethesda flourished under Brian’s leadership and his passion to always ‘support people in the Spirit of Christ.’ With this chapter in Bethesda’s history closing, a new chapter began with the appointment of Paul McGowan as Chief Executive Officer. Paul has been with Bethesda for 22 years and is well placed to continue and build on the work of his predecessor.

One thing remains the same throughout these changes - people. Bethesda was founded in the faith to serve others and that principle remains to this day. Bethesda is here to support people, those in our care, their families, and our staff; they are why we exist, why we can do what we do, and why we excel.

We look forward to seeing how this new chapter unfolds.

Respectfully,

Paul McGowan Board Chair/President Chief Executive Officer

William (Bill) Jackson

Bethesda provides, in the Spirit of Christ, inclusive, collaborative, flexible, and holistic supports and services, empowering people to build their personal capacity throughout life.

Mission Vision

An inclusive community of supports and services that inspire, encourage, and empower children, youth and adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, and their families, to live their best lives.

and Values

• Respect and Compassion

We believe that people and families should receive compassionate supports that respect their privacy, choices, decisions, and rights.

• Diversity, Inclusivity, and Choice

We believe that all people should be included in society and have the right to choice.

• Collaboration

We believe that collaboration with people, families, partners, and communities lead to success and greater outcomes.

• Innovative, Quality Services

We believe that innovation goes hand in hand with providing quality services.

Strategic Direction

Strategic Direction

Adult Services

1 2 3 4

Develop further alternate housing options

Provide increased housing alternatives based on peoples needs.

Grow community inclusion options

Provide more opportunities for people to actively participate in their community

Expand Passport offerings

Provide additional opportunities for people to utilize Passport funding as they choose

The Passport Program, funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS), helps adults with a developmental disability be involved in their communities by providing funding for community participation services and supports, activities of daily living and persondirected planning.

Increase Respite availability and options

Provide Respite services geared towards peoples needs

Strategic Direction

Adult Clinical Services

Reduce time required to access services 1 2 3 4

Develop systems that will provide services as soon as possible

Increase staff expertise to respond to community needs

Ensure our staff are industry leaders in areas of need

In collaboration, grow the number of training and development options for our communities

Increase community capacity to better support people

Expand the coordination of clinical services between Adult Clinical and Children and Youth Services

Provide expertise in the transition from Children and Youth Services to Adult Services to make the process as seamless as possible

Strategic Direction

Children and Youth Services

Determine if and how Bethesda can provide Supported Living to children and youth

Expand family and child / youth mental health services

Provide services that positively impact the well-being of children, youth and families

Expand the coordination of clinical services between Adult Clinical and Children and Youth Services

Provide expertise in the transition from Children and Youth Services to Adult Services to make the process as seamless as possible

Explore and develop new community partnerships

Examine offering supported living, including Respite 1 2 3 4

Enhance and grow relationships with all community partners

Develop new partnerships to improve services to children and youth

Strategic Direction

Corporate

Implement programs that build on the employment experience to attract and further retain staff

Implement technological solutions that ensure efficiency and data driven decision making

Ensure technology is implemented to build efficiencies in all of our operations

Expand research opportunities with community partners

Within all programs ensure appropriate research is conducted or participated in to enhance our services

Strengthen corporate wide training

Ensure our staffing group is the best trained staff

Increase community presence

Enhance the overall employment experience to ensure Bethesda remains an employer of choice 1 2 3 4 5

Build on our already strong reputation within our current communities and beyond

Board of Directors

Bill Jackson President

Bill Janzen Director

Cheryl Tyndall Secretary

Beth Vanstaalduinen Director

Sharron Haberfield Director

Doug Peters Vice President

Brenda tenOever Boks Director

Kevin Stienstra Treasurer

Tom Wall Director

Senior Leadership

Paul McGowan Chief Executive Officer

Liz Froese Director, Adult Clinical Services

Alyson Wilson Director, Children and Youth Services

Margaret Lockhart Director, Administrative Services

Shelley Mercer Director, Adult Services

Partnering for a common purpose

Specialized Clinical Developmental Services Network

“It takes a village …” is a proverb about a community of people coming together to support a single cause and it is through the assistance of our community and partnerships that we are able to achieve greater outcomes and share our stories.

Special thanks to those listed below; we value your partnership and support.

Research Growing together

We pride ourselves on being experts in our field, and that includes research.

PECS®perts is a community integrated research collaborative between Bethesda, Brock University and Pyramid Educational Consultants, with York University involved in related evaluation and research activities. The partnership began in 2019.

PECS®perts is focused on the development of efficient and effective caregiver and facilitator training of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS®) and began in response to changes to the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) to address a gap in evidence-based caregiver-mediated interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who would benefit from an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system. PECS® is an evidence-based AAC intervention for children with ASD.

The first two iterations of PECS®perts introduced the caregiver telehealth training intervention in 2020 and then the model expanded in 2021 to include caregiver/child coaching sessions. A total of 15 caregivers, 9 children, and 12 facilitators participated in the 2020 and 2021 projects.

The results of these iterations showed positive outcomes, including increased parent PECS® teaching accuracy and improved child PECS® performance. These results were generally maintained at various follow-up points. Parents also rated PECS® positively and believed it was helpful for their child and also rated the PECS®perts training approach to be acceptable and beneficial.

In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, two research projects were completed and preparation for an expanded community pilot for 2023 began. Brief descriptions of the research projects and selected research activities are noted below:

2022-2023 PECS®perts Research Projects

• 5 new PECS®perts facilitators trained August

• One week PECS®perts camp providing half-day intervention for 8 children and integrated parent training and coaching

• Replication of 2021 with a new option for a fully telehealth version of PECS®perts

• 10 children and parents participated

• 6 new PECS®perts facilitators trained

May 2022

October 2022

2022-2023 PECS®perts Research Activities

2 posters outline 2020 and 2021 results presented at the Association for Behaviour Analysis International (ABAI) Annual Convention in Boston, MA.

September 2022

Symposium summarizing 2021 and 2022 results presented at ABAI International Conference in Dublin, Ireland.

Recruited 7 community partners for 2023 community pilot.

November 2022

December 2022

Initiated process for joint contract between Bethesda, Brock University, and Pyramid Educational Consultants to set terms of use and intellectual property related to PECS®perts current and future materials, resources, and process.

Symposium summarizing 2021 and 2022 results presented at ONTABA Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario.

January -

March 2023

Development of enhanced video resources for 2023 community pilot.

Looking Ahead to 2023-2024

PECS®perts 2023/24 will be the largest PECS®perts project to date and will include 3 phases. The project will expand to serve approximately 35 families in the regions of Niagara, Brantford, Hamilton, Haldimand, Norfolk, and Six Nations, in addition to families in other parts of the province who wish to access a telehealth version of the service. We will also work in collaboration with Six Nations of the Grand River Health Services on the cultural appropriateness of PECS®perts for families in their community and the potential for members of the Six Nations community to be involved in future projects, and the Centre de santé communautaire has agreed to collaborate with Bethesda and translation services to support the translation of all PECS®perts written materials to French Canadian.

Funder

Shout Out

It is through the support of our provincial government and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services that we are able to achieve our Vision of inspiring, encouraging, and empowering children, youth, and adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, and their families, to live their best lives.

We were also grateful to be a recipient of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services’ Ontario Autism Program Workforce Capacity Grant.

This grant helped us to further our mission within Children and Youth Services through:

hiring a Social Worker to provide Mental Health and Wellness services increased Service Coordination hours

clinical supervision to build Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) capacity

staff training to build French Language service capacity

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Bethesda Home Foundation Inc. Grants

Our thanks go to Bethesda Home Foundation Inc. for their support of our Chaplaincy and Bereavement programs, providing opportunities for additional Adult Speech and Language assessments, Children and Youth Respite placements, Children and Youth psychological assessments and the Christmas banquet for those supported in Adult Services.

Would you like to support us in expanding our Mission to empower people to build their personal capacity throughout life?

Awards

We were honoured to be the recipients of the following awards in 2022-2023:

2023 5-Star Safety Culture

2023 HRD 5- Star Benefit Program

2023 Canada’s Safest Employer Excellence Award

Hamilton-Niagara Top Employer 2023

At a Glance

Staff increased over the previous year

New hires increased over the previous year

$2,995,950

6.9% 25.1%

Ministry funding increase to support more people

Those supported by our Intensive Treatment Program were limited this year due to challenges that arose when the individuals finished service and them not being able to return to their home in the community. Constant communication with the individual, their family, our community partners, and those in need of service took place to ensure the best approach for all and support to those waiting for service.

In 2022-23, we saw a loosening of COVID-19 measures as the pandemic came to an end. Bethesda cautiously reopened its services that had been closed or modified. Respite opened in a phased approach to ensure the safety of the individuals and our staff and we look forward to having a full year of open services next year.

As the world recovers from the pandemic, inflation can be seen globally. This is reflected in our expenses such as food.

Supports Provided

At a Glance

Supports Provided

Staff and Volunteers

International Impact

Under Bethesda’s umbrella, we are able to further our Mission and support people internationally.

Each year, Bethesda donates a portion of our land, zoned agricultural, to the Mennonite Central Committee Ontario (MCCO) and Campden Grain so that they may grow crops in support of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank; a project known as Grow Hope Niagara.

With more than 828 million people globally who do not get enough to eat each day, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a network striving to achieve food security worldwide. With local partnerships, they work closely with existing organizations to implement projects and respond to crises.

Earlier this year, our Board of Directors were honoured to host a representative of MCCO, Tom Neufeld, at their Board meeting to celebrate 25 years of our partnership.

As an organization, it is an honour to be able to participate in work that has a global impact on those in need.

Paul McGowan

Bill Jackson Tom Neufeld

Ukraine is in Bethesda roots.

Ninety-five years ago, Bethesda’s founders Henry and Maria Wiebe emigrated to Canada from Ukraine after meeting and working together at the Bethanien Psychiatric Hospital. Some years later on a farm in Stratford, Ontario Bethesda as we know it was established and eventually, in 1937, relocated to Vineland.

Through the generous donations of staff, our community, and the Bethesda Home Foundation, Bethesda donated $15,760 to the Canada Ukraine Foundation. A portion of their funding supports Dzherelo Children’s Rehabilitation Centre in Lviv, which provides a comprehensive program of educational and rehabilitation services to children and youth with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other developmental disabilities.

Irene Newton Bill Jackson

Bethesda Highlights

“The ETS program has been nothing short of amazing for my 3-year-old son. He started in April (goes 2 days a week 9:00am to 3:30pm).

At that time he spoke zero words, had an epic meltdown everytime I left his side and had no communication system. This is his last week and he now has 15 words with more being added daily, no meltdown when we get there; instead says bye and pushes me away, as well as get upset when it’s time to leave.

They’ve also set him up with a picture exchange communication system that he’s got the hang of pretty quick so he can communicate to anybody, not just me. The team from ETS also stays around for a few months to help the school. The guy from the school board was able to observe my son at the program as far as I know. All the staff are great. I have nothing but good things to say. There’s a speech therapist, occupational therapist, communication disorder assistant, three interventionists, a behaviour therapist and an ECE!!”

54 individuals from our Adult Services program attended a Toronto Blue Jays game in June, their smiles say it all!

“Oh I loved going to the good ole’ Blue Jays game! Watching my favourite buddy, double “B” - Beau Bichette and the rest of the Blue Jays was awesome!! Hanging out with my pal Jamie and my [Support Worker] was so much fun!! I can’t wait to do it again. GO BLUE JAYS!!”

Parent of child who attended the Entry to School Program (ETS)

Foundational Family Services Fall Family Fun Day, October 22.

Approximately 200 people joined us at the Niagara Family Centre for fun with a fire truck, police car, and ambulance.

Families enjoyed pizza and participated in a variety of different activities: an outdoor obstacle course, playground activities, bouncy castle, magic show, petting zoo, pumpkin painting, and crafts with a representative of the Niagara Falls Public Library.

“Thank you once again for everything you have done for C and our family. I cannot express how much we appreciate you working with us as a team, and more importantly valuing our opinions as C’s parents. I have felt like A PART of the team as opposed to a professional vs. parent. The same is true for C. Thank you for always advocating for C and appreciating him for who he is.”

Family utilizing Urgent Response Services

Bethesda Highlights

The opening of a new home in Niagara Falls.

Collaborating with the Volunteer Coordinator of the Canada Summer Games. Prior to, and during, the Games held between August 6-20, 18 individuals volunteered as Greeters to guests and athletes entering the games. One individual did so well, she was asked to stay on for an additional week to volunteer after the games were finished!

“I don’t know if we have ever been as comfortable as a family as we are right now with this team. The team is amazing. We haven’t met a single person who hasn’t been on point with what we’re trying to do and it really exudes a lot of competence. We’re very pleased and we thank everybody for all their effort. He’s really come a long way since he’s gotten there.

He expresses to us quite often that he truly feels like his quality of life has improved, he has actually used the specific words to us, “My quality of life has improved since I’ve come to Bethesda”. It’s great to see, so thank you everyone.”

I received a beautiful message from JB’s mother this morning which warmed my heart and is why I absolutely love helping people. It’s situations like this that make all the negativity we face worth while. It brought me to tears so I just wanted to share it with you.

“Hello, I had a phone call from [Support Worker] tonight. He gave me an update about JB. He is doing so well. It’s only day three and he’s taking his meds without crushing. He is wearing socks. He is standing to shower instead of bath. He’s doing chores around the house. And [Support Worker] said JB is very kind and respectful.

As hard as this is, it is very obvious that we are doing the right thing. Thank you so very much for your support, kindness and honest love. I truly appreciate all of your time and efforts to make this such a great success already. Our family is better knowing you.”

Angela Ethelston, Complex Support Coordinator

Feedback from the parents of an individual utilizing the Community Response Program’s Intensive Treatment Program

Bethesda Highlights

Celebrating our people through reconnection events

Bethesda is an incredible organization and the one stop shop for Niagara families with a child on the Spectrum. Our program manager assisted us in completing the mountain of government paperwork, educated us on available resources and has provided guidance and encouragement for next steps. At the point of diagnosis, everything feels overwhelming, but now I feel supported and like our family is on an actionable path for improvements.

Of course, I would prefer that government funding was better inline with the need level so that the access to services didn’t involve several year waitlists. But given the circumstances, I am so grateful that organizations like Bethesda exist to try and fill in the gaps and help struggling families.

Feedback from a parent who completed the PEERS program with their child