Saratoga Bridges was thrilled to celebrate Direct Support Professionals (DSP) Week September 9-15 as it provided an opportunity to honor, showcase and express our appreciation to our dedicated, hardworking and skilled staff members. DSP Week is part of the American Network of Community Options and Resources national campaign.
As president of Saratoga Bridges’ Board of Directors, I am thrilled to be able to say THANK YOU on behalf of our board members, management team and families. Our DSPs are devoted to the people we support each and every day. We are honoring them this week with various activities and want to recognize the fact that our dedicated employees give their energy, creativity and passion to their positions.
However, they are often unrecognized throughout the community as true professionals. They provide invaluable services to the people we support and are responsible for their health, safety and emotional well-being. As they encourage our individuals to lead more meaningful, enriched, productive and independent lives, they truly make a difference.
And yet they are not paid fair, living wages. Our limitations have resulted in a crisis as far as the number of vacant positions we have open and available. We have been fervently advocating for the BFair2DirectCare initiative because our elected officials need to understand that our workforce is essential, and their wages must be competitive. We strongly encourage them to give us the financial resources in which to do. Our DSPs deserve nothing less!
In conclusion, I want to reiterate how much gratitude we have for our DSPs as they make a positive impact by ensuring that every day is full of possibilities.
Sincerely,
- Dr. Lawrence Fein
President, Board of Directors
