Grafton in Action: August 2022
It has been an exciting and fun-filled summer here at Grafton. We welcomed our first residents at our new psychiatric residential treatment center in Cold Spring, Minnesota. We collaborated with Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre on a “relaxed” performance of Cinderella in Winchester. And our students grew and sold a record number of herbs and produce at the Berryville Farmers’ Market. After years of pandemic-related challenges, this summer felt like a welcome return to normalcy.
As we head into the fall, we’re seeing more reasons to feel optimistic. Grafton is once again receiving a healthy number of job applications, which we hope is a sign that the staffing challenges we’ve faced since the spring of 2020 are beginning to ease.
Nationwide, COVID-19 has created shortages in the healthcare labor market, contributing to a lack of residential treatment capacity across the country. The shortage is especially problematic for special needs individuals experiencing mental health crises, who are often sedated, restrained, or confined to hospital beds for days at a time while awaiting appropriate psychiatric treatment from professionals that can meet their unique needs.
Growing and supporting our team has long been our top priority, because without our amazing employees we cannot treat these clients who desperately need our services. We’re optimistic that the uptick in applications we’ve been seeing will translate into more children and adults with special needs living happier, healthier lives.
Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to adapt, grow, and innovate to best serve those in need.
Sincerely,
Jamie Stewart, Chief Executive Officer