Hello Everyone,
In appreciation to our Lifehouse staff during the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) here are a few highlights of staff contributions that demonstrate how many people went above and beyond their basic job duties. We know the list is not comprehensive, and want to share our appreciation to all Lifehouse staff and send our wishes for everyone’s safety.
North Bay Evacuations
Tran Van and Jonathon Hurst have teamed up to support Michele Selzer. Michele needed to evacuate late Saturday night and Tran, who was on shift, never wavered in her commitment accompanying Michele to Wilson House in Novato, not knowing when she would return to her home, also in Santa Rosa. She remained by Michele’s side until Tuesday to ensure safe transfers and care for Michele. Jonathon responded to the need for a second staff to assist with transfers and has come 2 times a day since to assist Tran and has offered his skill, strength and gentle nature to make what is a scary situation for Michele a bit more tolerable. Thank you also to Carmen Kinney and the Wilson House team for welcoming Michele.
Mary Gerber and Gillie Irwin are a dynamic duo supporting people receiving ILS in the North Bay. When evacuations were ordered for more people we support in Santa Rosa they crawled through stop and go traffic to knock on the doors and evacuate those requiring assistance. In the stressful times, they were a picture of self-control and courage.
Ben Winer, versatile in his ability to respond to the needs of a multitude of people, traveled between counties to provide support to whoever had immediate need. This is a trait Ben exhibits throughout the year, much to the advantage of the people receiving Lifehouse supports. Uwe Harck with Anna Johnson and Chris Snyder with Jeana Eriksen have evacuated and have remained with the people they support throughout. Each have a rich history with Anna and Jeana respectively, supporting them prior to Lifehouse initiated services within the past year. Meanwhile Barry Taylor has remained by Dillon Scheer’s side, while Rosania Salinas and Inanna LaFevre have been supporting Lisa Barron and Green House in Novato respectively around the clock.
Many members of North Bay management were up around the clock over the weekend fielding texts and calls to coordinate evacuations and staffing support. Many thanks to Sabrina Wilson, Makeylia McCorley, Shelby Gray, Megan Daos, Irish Krings, Essence Cook, Bill Toupal, Jacob Portlock, Anja Hansen, Olivia Vain and Lisa Carbone. Some members of the team continued to coordinate services while undergoing their own evacuation orders. We feel extremely fortunate for the commitment of our team members.
Johanna Schleret was instrumental in monitoring the ever-changing evacuation map and matching it to the map of where all people Lifehouse supports in the North Bay. Thanks to her ingenuity, we were able to move quickly and accurately.
Marin Power Outages
ICF and ILS teams did non-stop follow up to ensure the residents in our group homes were safe and care met regulatory requirements.
Crys Rohmer was relentless going to various homes to check on the well-being of the residents and to deliver supplies after completing her overnight shifts at UCSF ER. She even took the time to put on her nursing cap at Lifehouse and stop by to evaluate someone with a bit of a cough. With all her spare time she arrived at day program to heat up lunches for the people she supports. Crys’ generosity did not stop there, she also donated a mattress to an ICF resident because theirs has deflated.
Kayla Hotchkiss, Sara Holiday and Christine Leider were teaming up early this week to make sure all 3 ICFs had the supplies and staffing supports needed to minimize the effects of the power outage.
In the ILS, Mike Sus coordinated services throughout the power outage. Makayla Moore was busy transporting residents to areas with power to lessen the impact and gather supplies.
Michael Miller, our maintenance tech, went above and beyond by setting up generators, schlepping gas and ice, and fielding questions.
Finally, thank you to the Marin SLS Team, including Mario Newton, Ciara Turner, Holly Skidmore, Felicia Romero, Danita Mazzoleni and Gary Malfatti. Claudia Silva repeatedly made herself available to meet the needs of others. Your diligence made all the difference.
Finally, thank you Kate O’Connor and Michelle Condit. They were at the heart of coordinating all the evacuation efforts, logistics for staffing, delivery of ice, batteries, communications supporting staff and the people we serve. We certainly could not have done this without their outstanding efforts.
Again, we want to express how grateful we are to work with such a dedicated staffing team at Lifehouse. We send our thoughts to everyone for a return to a feeling of safety for each of you and your family.
Thank you to our Lifehouse Team,
