Resilience During a Pandemic – Perception Programs, Inc
By Jaime Ley
We have all heard of “epidemics”, most known to Perception Programs, Inc. (PPI) is the ever-growing opioid epidemic. At PPI it is our mission to be warriors in this battle against the opioid epidemic. We work with people daily who struggle with opioid addictions. Our programs range from residential services, work release programs, intensive outpatient services, individual and family therapy, outreach services, and community case management, just to name a few. We have worked within our community for 50 years to stand-up against the opioid epidemic.
In March of 2020, like the rest of the world, gears were suddenly shifted to standing up to a pandemic. A pandemic that not only affected our community and the people we serve, but also our loved ones and ourselves. There was worry, stress, concern, questions without answers, and there was fear. This came without warning and without planning.
PPI’s 50-year commitment to walking alongside our community and our effortless battles against the opioid epidemic suddenly ignited to take on this new challenge. Our commitment was manifested in our staff who showed up every day to help, comfort and smile with our residents in our residential programs. Clinicians in outpatient programs showed their commitment by leaving their offices and instantly transitioning into telehealth and phone sessions to keep people connected and supported. Committed Case Managers and Outreach Staff transitioned to working from their phones and laptops, rather than in the community. The Senior Management Team and Administrative staff lead everyone to stayed connected electronically, supported our essential workers, and continued to help the agency run from their homes without warning. Our commitment to the clients of Perception Programs mostly showed through our resilience.
Resilience. Resilience is the ability to spring back from a crisis, becoming tough, and elastic-like; to bounce back. For PPI, resilience looks like staff, with the awareness of the risks and the concerns of COVID-19, who still show up every day. Not only did staff show up, they also smiled, they laughed, they comforted our clients. Staff cooked meals and desserts with our residents, enlisting special activities to help offset the discomfort of the unknown. Clinicians who incorporated Zoom community recovery meetings in groups so residents could stay connected to their sober communities. Leaders who showed up with donuts, or pizza, or a simple “thank you” email to everyone. Community members who made and donated masks to staff and residents. Case Managers and Outreach Staff who broke through the barriers and housed clients, assured safety and worked the ebbs and flows of new restrictions. Every single employee of PPI kept paddling downstream in the unknown rapids of this pandemic, leaving reluctance behind and showing resilience. It is yet another battle we will fight together, and like every battle, we will grow in our strength, learn from our struggles but come out of this a more powerful team!
Resilience is Perception Programs; Perception Programs is resilient!