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Residential Department Epworth Village’s largest

By: Marcia Schlegelmilch

YORK – At Epworth Village the light is always on in the Residential Department. That’s because all seven cottages; Blatchford, Dinsdale, Slife, Coleman, Stevens, Mills and Kruse, are manned around the clock with 24-hour wake staff. Yes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, young men ages 8-18 receive help with emotional and behavioral disorders.

At the helm of the largest Epworth Village department is Lead Residential Manager Dave Rea. Rea, a 15 year veteran of the agency, believes the Residential component of Epworth Village programming is an opportunity to give kids a second chance. He sees the multi-level, family-centered approach as a whole new way of working with children and families. He says making kids, their decisions and their families part of the treatment is what makes it work.

Coleman Treatment Group Home is one of seven residential treatment facilities Epworth Village, Inc. operates.  Residential treatment is just one aspect of Epworth’s continuum of care that also includes; the Epworth Village Learning Center, Foster Care, In-Home Safety Services and Family-Centered Therapeutic Services.

At the center of it all, according to Rea, is communication, “We communicate with the school, therapy and health care to ensure we are all on the same page. Everything is individualized. Every decision made about a child is a team decision.” As a department, “We have staff look at the whole picture and work on honest communication between child and staff,” Rea states.

The Residential Department at Epworth Village is made up of three levels of care. Rea addresses each level and its characteristics.

“The Residential Treatment Center (RTC) is the highest level of care Epworth Village provides. The RTC has a very structured schedule. There is not much free time and everything is supervised,” Rea states.

“The Residential Treatment Center (RTC) is the highest level of care Epworth Village provides. The RTC has a very structured schedule. There is not much free time and everything is supervised,” Rea states.

Two of the seven cottages at Epworth Village are RTCs; Dinsdale, the newest cottage, and Blatchford. Allan Schmidt serves as Residential Manager (RM) for Dinsdale. Ken Kush serves as Blatchford’s Residential Manager.

It is Schmidt who pauses from one of his “other duties as assigned,” wiping off tables in the Dinsdale great room prior to a group therapy session. Making his way to his office, Schmidt takes a seat and talks about life at the RTC, his job of eight years, staff and why the Residential program is so important for clients.

Dave Rea is the Lead Residential Manager over all seven “cottages” that serves a total of 72 boys on a daily basis.  Epworth’s programming overall helps more than 1,000 people each month.

The Residential component “is so important because of the opportunities we provide for kids (many of whom) haven’t had opportunities like a stable environment and people who care for them. There are challenges; but seeing kids leave here with a different perspective in life is a reward,” Schmidt says. “The Residential component is important because some kids don’t have a place to be. We provide structure and a secure, safe environment for kids to work on their issues. Kids are burdened … we try to lift that burden.”

Schmidt admits, “This is not an easy job. I am often challenged by kids who say, ‘You don’t care.’ My response is, ‘If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be here.”

In his role as a RM at Dinsdale, Schmidt sees agency-wide how people at Epworth Village are working together for kids. He says his job is made easier by the dedication of the staff he works with. Schmidt says working together as a team makes things easier for kids and staff alike.

Dinsdale Cottage is equipped to house 12 youth between 12 and 18 years of age. All told, the Epworth Village Residential Department serves 72 boys in its seven cottage system.

Rea says the Therapeutic Group Home (TxGH) is less structured than the RTC, “Kids there can typically handle free time a little better. We have three Therapeutic Group Homes … two out in the community and one on campus. Kids there are still supervised but have more activities. They go out into the community … there are definitely positives about being there.”

Todd Sterns is RM of both Slife and Coleman Cottages; both of which are Therapeutic Group Homes, the next level up from RTC. Garrett Schwartz serves at RM of Stevens Cottage the third TxGH. Youth residing in Slife range in age from 7-12; while boys residing in Coleman and Stevens are ages 12-18.

Sterns has been at Epworth Village for more than 16 years and the kids are the reason he is here, “I’ve always worked with kids. I felt I could impact tomorrow’s generation and it still feels that way.”  He adds, “It is not too late for these kids. Residential allows them to experience a different kind of normal, it helps them and allows them to take good skills home to their families.”

“I’ve always worked with kids. I felt I could impact tomorrow’s generation and it still feels that way."

With staff members having upwards of 8, 15, 16 and 27 years of service Sterns states, “One thing that is important is the experience of staff in this department. We have lots of experience working with kids and that is valuable to the agency and to the kids we serve.”

Group Homes such as Kruse (located in Grand Island) and Mills on campus are the third and lowest level of residential care offered at Epworth Village. Rea says boys residing in a Group Home see more positives; such as less supervision, more outings and opportunities for community involvement. For example, several boys at Kruse volunteer their time working in the local Salvation Army dining hall. Kids placed at Kruse range in age from 12-18. At the helm of Kruse is Residential Manager Curt Vodehnal.

One of the boys completes his daily chores at a residential unit operated by Epworth. Learning basic “life skills” while receiving therapeutic treatment is important to each child’s overall success.

According to RM Christy Osentowski, Mills Cottage is a Group Home with a twist. The recently introduced Mills program is a hybrid mix of two components; a long-term Group Home and a short-term assessment program – each with five beds. Stays at Mills are typically shorter. Children in the “long-term” portion of the program may reside at Mills for three to four months while taking part in Day Treatment, GED classes and therapy. Youth on the short-term side may stay only one to two months, during which time they participate in numerous assessments in order to determine appropriate placement for them. During this time educational needs are met through curriculum provided by the Epworth Village Learning Center.

Residential Therapeutic Specialists (RTS) staff cottages at Epworth Village around the clock. Members of the 24/7 wake staff provide boys a safe and secure environment in which change can occur. Most of a client’s Therapeutic Time takes place in the residential setting. Therapeutic Time is time spent working on a myriad of activities which include (but are not limited to): problem solving skills, creative expression through arts and crafts, drawing and journaling, music, relaxation techniques, boundaries in interactions with others, the practice of healthy thinking patterns and conflict resolution. Staff receives specialized training regarding facilitating and documenting required Therapeutic Time. Recreation is also built into cottage schedules each day. That’s why, when visiting campus it’s not unusual to find youth enjoying activities such as softball (weather permitting), basketball at the EVLC gym, bicycle riding and football on the grounds of Epworth Village.

Three shifts a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year the Residential Department here at Epworth Village provides boys with severe emotional and behavioral diagnosis the care they need.

Residential Staff Training is Key

Epworth Village Residential Managers and Therapeutic
Specialists receive two weeks initial core training plus on-
going training in:
    • Therapeutic Crisis Intervention
    • Providing and documenting Therapeutic Time
    • First Aid
    • CPR/AED use
    • Medication Aide certification
In addition each staff member is required to obtain 15 hours of training outside of the core group; this includes changes in policies and procedures.

A Day in the Life of Slife Treatment Group Home (An example of a day in a residential unit):