Dear Stakeholder,

They say character is built through adversity. I believe this 100%. I experienced this day in and day out as we encountered obstacle after obstacle throughout 2020. Our staff continued to provide much-needed therapeutic care around the clock to our youth in the Children in Community Care Program. This was no small feat. Continuing to meet staffing needs 24/7 was a challenge as we were asking staff to work in close proximity with our youth for 8 or more hours during a pandemic. The Behavioral Health Program made extraordinary efforts to reach and serve clients due to this changing world of providing services via telehealth and limited personal contact. And, our team will be ready when schools fully open because we know there are a great number of children and youth who are struggling with their mental health during this time due to increased isolation and economic hardship. So much of the work of the therapists and case managers are behind the scenes but they are our unsung heroes in the community.

And, just to give you a flavor of all of the unplanned successes of 2020, here are a few:

• Moved rapidly from providing in person therapy and Targeted Case Management services to telehealth services
• Staffed group homes 24/7 overnight when school closings were announced
• Transferred incoming calls to cell phones to meet community needs
• Continued to aggressively recruit and conduct interviews via Zoom for our Therapeutic Child Support Worker position
• Became ZOOM experts
• Moved to all virtual training of New Employee Orientation and adapted our Safe Crisis Management training
• Hunted down and found enough toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, gloves and other PPE for all staff
• Created a Healthy at Work Officer
• Adhered to all state mandates regarding safety mandates
• Developed safety protocols very early on and adapted as new information was shared
• Networked through a wide variety of friends and family to get donated handmade fabric masks for staff and youth
• Communicated frequently via MANY emails and texts with up-to-date COVID information and impact on KAK staff
• Provided bonuses with priority given to those working in direct care with the youth
• Supported staff through extra paid sick time (up to 80 hours) for COVID related issues
• Offered workday flexibility for those with childcare needs due to closed schools/day care centers
• Celebrated staff throughout the month of June with gifts, appreciation signs, goodies, t-shirts and spotlights in social media.

I am truly proud of our Key Assets Kentucky staff and how we persevered in 2020 to meet the needs of our clients during unprecedented times. I am proud to work side by side with amazing individuals who come to work each day with a purpose, Key Assets’ Purpose – to achieve positive outcomes for children, families, and communities.