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Project SEARCH Program Assists Graduates Land Jobs At Hospital

A program that teaches people with developmental disabilities the skills needed to work in a hospital setting recently held its first graduation ceremony, and two graduates already have landed jobs thanks to what they learned.

Abigail Adam, Joshua Holsinger and Nicholas Kenzie were the proud honorees at a ceremony that took place at UPMC Chautauqua in Jamestown. The three were recognized for completing a nine-month internship at UPMC as part of a collaboration between the hospital and The Resource Center that brought Project SEARCH to Chautauqua County.

Project SEARCH is an international program that gives people with developmental disabilities the opportunity to learn skills that are utilized by employees at a hospital. Adam, Holsinger and Kenzie worked in a variety of departments at UPMC. They also had classroom training to learn the soft skills successful employees should possess.

Cecil Miller, UPMC's vice president of operations, was the first to congratulate the graduates. He also expressed his desire that The Resource Center and the hospital will provide employment training to lots of people with disabilities through the Project SEARCH initiative.

"We hope this is the first of many, many, many years," Miller said. He told the interns, "You really became a part of our family here, and know that you'll always have a place."

Denise Jones, The Resource Center's chief executive officer, thanked TRC's employment services team and UPMC for their commitment to Project SEARCH.

"I'm very excited to see this program grow in Chautauqua County," she said.

Addressing the graduates, Jones told them, "I've seen so much growth and confidence in the three of you as you've gone through this project."

Katie Geise, executive director of Chautauqua Works, was the keynote speaker at the ceremony. She praised TRC and UPMC for partnering on a program that can help diversify the local economy.

"What we need in Chautauqua County is to have every, single person feel welcomed and have a place in the workforce," she said. "Project SEARCH did exactly that."

Geise marveled at the scope of work the graduates undertook and shared a partial list of the job skills Adam, Holsinger and Kenzie learned: sanitation of spaces; stocking and replenishing supplies; making beds; laundering; preparing and delivering patient trays; serving food in the cafe; operating the cash register; transporting patients; and monitoring oxygen tanks.

She said that in addition to learning the physical skills of the job, the interns demonstrated the soft skills people need to be successful at work. "That they show up, do their jobs to the best of their ability, and work well with other people," Geise said. "Having a positive attitude, being willing to learn, being willing to put your best foot forward. It doesn't mean you're always going to do it perfectly, but you're willing to try."

Kerry Mihalko, the hospital's director of nutrition and food services, said that when she and her staff were told Project SEARCH was coming to UPMC, they worried they wouldn't have enough work for the interns.

That fear proved to be unfounded.

"We quickly learned the extra sets of hands were a gift to our department," Mihalko said. "In fact, the comment I hear now is not, 'What are we going to do with them?' but, 'What are we going to do without them?'"

"You guys have worked so hard, and we're so proud," Faith Baker, TRC's employment services administrator, told the interns after presenting their graduation certificates. "I can't wait to see what the rest of your journey brings."

The graduates gave gifts to TRC and UPMC officials while stating their appreciation for the opportunity to participate in Project SEARCH.

"We would like to thank everyone at UPMC for giving us their time and putting in the effort to help us build on our employability skills," Kenzie said. "We are ready to work and ready to show the world everything that we've learned."

Terri Johnson, TRC's director of employment and community-based services, praised Donna Matheson, TRC community coach, for the time and effort she invested in supporting the interns during the program.

Having finished Project SEARCH, the graduates began looking for jobs to put their skills to use. Adam and Holsinger applied for positions at UPMC Chautauqua and were hired immediately.

The Project SEARCH class off 2023-24 will begin in the fall. For information about the program, phone The Resource Center at 716-483-2344.