MRCI days services back but smaller; state funding an issue

Olivia Stevens, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
·4 min read

Jun. 27—For the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mankato Rehabilitation Center Incorporated's (MRCI) day services sector is fully staffed for the summer.

Now, clients are embracing a summer filled with mask-free activities, attending events like Songs on the Lawn and giving back through volunteering with organizations like Meals on Wheels.

"My summer's been going great," program participant Breanna Gehring said. She said she feels "awesome" about being able to spend time with her friends and fully experience the benefits of MRCI again, of which she's been a client for 11 years.

Since the pandemic lockdown began in March of 2020, MRCI has seen major transformations in their offered services and staffing.

"Change is in our DNA as an organization," said MRCI Chief Business and Marketing Officer Tami Reuter. "We were looking for ways to better meet the needs of the individuals we were serving."

When the organization suspended all programming, about 1,200 clients were unable to see their friends or go back to the jobs and activities that set their routine, Reuter said. Virtual day services kicked off in June, offering engagement opportunities online, but the organization didn't resume any in-person activities until the beginning of last year.

MRCI also used the suspension of their employment services to become fully community-based, which greatly impacted clients' lives long term. Clients who wished to return to work no longer had the opportunity to gain employment through MRCI, which was a scary change for the Menden family.

"He feels very productive and feels proud of his paycheck, and understands that [working] is significant to his lifestyle and makes him feel good," Mary Jo Menden said about her son Adam.

"We were concerned about Adam, interviewing in a community that had other people to pick from ... And so we were quite frightened that he was not going to have a job."

Despite his family's concerns, Adam Menden managed to get a job with a catering service contracted by Bethany College. Reuter said MRCI will continue to offers classes and programs to help their clients obtain employment within the community, making sure they are not left without resources.

Reuter said the company "really struggled" to hire when other activities returned, which slowed their ability to offer the same services to clients. To attract new workers, they gave out retention and hiring bonuses and improved benefits.

Because of a lack of staff, client Adam Menden was asked to participate in these day services for two days instead of his usual four last summer.

"'I'm sure others may have noticed the difference and may have been disappointed in that, but it worked out okay for us," said Mary Jo Menden. "He definitely was restricted to fewer days."

MRCI is one of over 100 member organizations of the Minnesota Organization for Habituation and Rehabilitation (MOHR), which lobbies at the state level for its members. MOHR President Julie Johnson said organizations across Minnesota are still struggling to hire staff because state-granted wages for those who work directly with disabled individuals are not competitive.

Johnson said she had hoped that money from the $9.25 billion budget surplus would go toward these organizations, which she said will continue to be unable to provide important services to their clients without an increase in funding.

"People stay home and don't get out and about because they have no transportation to jobs, leading to a sense of isolation," Johnson said. "It's a shame that we have the surplus dollars and that we're not able to meet these critical needs."

Mankato organization Leisure Education for Exceptional People (LEEP), which provides recreational, sporting and healthy living programming for people with disabilities, has been providing services on and off since the onset of the pandemic.

Executive Director of LEEP Lisa Wojcik said for the first time since 2019, certain Special Olympics sports like basketball, swimming and track and field are competing for the summer.

However, fewer clients have returned, between one-half and three-quarters of those who participated before the lockdown.

"State competitions are a lot smaller, there's a lot less teams, a lot less individual athletes competing," Wojcik said. "Our population really thrives on routine and knowing what to expect and I think this was just extraordinarily hard in so many ways."