Mosaic in Omaha (www.mosaicinfo.org) is celebrating their Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who serve people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) during National Direct Support Professional Week, September 10-16.
“We want to raise awareness that DSPs are the heart of what Mosaic does to fulfill our purpose ‘to love and serve’ and achieve our mission to ‘relentlessly pursue opportunities that empower people,’” said Mosaic in Omaha’s Executive Director Nic Batterton. “Mosaic and other service providers couldn’t do what we do without them.”
Mosaic in Omaha serves many people who have a higher degree of independence. The nonprofit also serves others who have limited mobility that affects activities of everyday life, such as dressing, getting in and out of bed or a chair, using the restroom or bathing.
Mosaic advocates for higher pay for DSPs at national, state and regional levels; their compensation is dependent on government funding which varies from state to state. Cheryl Wicks, Mosaic’s Vice President of Government Relations, leads these efforts along with advocating for IDD disability rights with 2,000 of “Mosaic Allied Voices” volunteers. For more information about “Mosaic Allied Voices,” visit www.mosaicinfo.org/get-involved/advocate.
“Provider organizations across the nation are experiencing staffing crises like none before,” said Wicks. “States and the federal government must remedy the decades of chronic underfunding so wages for DSPs can increase, and people with disabilities have the support they need.”
Mosaic is a whole-person healthcare organization reaching across 13 states in more than 700 communities and providing supports to nearly 4,900 people. Mosaic is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, visit www.mosaicinfo.org.