Many are aware of the merger between Michiana Resources and Parents & Friends to form Paladin. Through their rehabilitation, residential and community programs, and vocational services, they’re doing good work for those with developmental disabilities. But among the positive things they do daily, some benefits can be found within the merger itself.
One of the many benefits of the merger is lower overhead across the organization. Savings translate into more services and better staff for those who utilize Paladin’s services. President and CEO Bill Trowbridge highlighted the importance of not only the savings, but the choice behind the name.
“Paladin, it means a determined advocate for a worthy cause. We’re very determined in what we do,” Trowbridge said. “The merger has allowed us to be financially stronger; by taking back office functions and combining them, we reduce overhead rate. That allows us to do a lot of things to invest back into facilities, people, and to open up funds for different ideas and curriculum for clients.”
Now, another merger is allowing them to put those savings to good use by catering to children with developmental disabilities in the community. Just this year, Paladin was able to join forces with Barker Woods Enrichment Center, which has its roots in the 1950s as a facility for children with disabilities. Today, it’s returning to its original purpose through Paladin.
“The Barker facility was set up for educational purposes,” said Jessica Macius, Children’s Services Program Manager. “There’s a lot of growth with what we can offer, like art and music. It’s a wide range of domains that we’ll be able to offer, structured and unstructured.”
Kim Latchford, Vice President of Participant Services furthered Macius’ thoughts.
“My biggest goal right now is entering into children’s services,” Latchford said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and it’s a big need throughout La Porte County itself.”
Overall, the mergers benefit those in need of Paladin’s services. By bringing multiple organizations together, they minimize the scheduling and outreach that parents need to do to find care for their children.
“Previously, the organizations did different things and we had a lot of clients going to both organizations for services,” Trowbridge said. “After the merger, we were able to create a single point of contact for all their needs without having to navigate a lot of case managers.”
This single point brings it all back to Paladin’s core: being determined advocates for persons with disabilities. For Macius, that ability to help families was part of what brought her to Paladin.
“When this opened up, I couldn’t even breathe I was so excited,” Macius said. “We want to let families know we are here to support them. It goes back to my love for working with families and the education aspect of it, and also being there to support people with support they had no idea even existed. It’s little milestones.”
For those in the community, Paladin and it’s expanding realm of programs offer options for those with disabilities. Their decisions thus far have brought additional options to the hands of many in La Porte County and will continue to do so.
To learn more about Paladin and their services, visit Paladin.care.