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John's usual--
Hard to believe that Christmas is here! 2022 went very quickly. While it's been a tough year in some ways, it's also begun to feel this fall as if we've finally started getting our feet back underneath us after 2020. While it's been very hard for the CLI team to be so lean-- it has also been instructive. CLI has always been fortunate to have really good, industrious staff. I know that I felt like our productivity was decent in the before times. However, I had no real idea of how much leaner we could be. What a team!
As we look toward 2023, I'm excited about the state wide attention to the importance of direct care staff in our field-- and the need to improve the status and the pay for those jobs. I'm also interested to see how the discussion around community-integration and employment-first evolves. I feel like those ideas got a bit sidetracked in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. I know that with winter will come an increase in all sorts of respiratory infections, but it doesn't feel like most people are willing to isolate again like we did in 2020. The Ohio Department of DD began to promote community integration webinars in the second half of 2022. I think we'll see more of that in 2023.
Financially, CLI still has some ways to go. We are fortunate that the business operations of both Firelands Local LLC & Kenilee Lanes have been able to subsidize some of CLI's administrative expenses. However, it's not really enough money to sustain CLI's operations indefinitely-- and it's not long-term sustainable for either of the subsidiaries either. Firelands Local & Kenilee need to be investing earnings in their own businesses, not siphoning it off to prop up up CLI's. But it has bought us time while Ohio sorts out what day services for adults with DD should look like moving forward.
I don't want to jinx this last week before our break, but we've been pretty lucky with the driving weather so far. We'll send out one-calls for all delays and closings. Remember that sometimes a delay turns into a closing if the weather doesn't improve-- so watch for further messages after a delay message.
We appreciate that so many people have chosen CLI services in 2022 and we look forward to helping you all reach even higher in 2023.
Have a great week. There won't be a newsletter next week. The next will come out on the morning of Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023. Have a safe & happy new year!
John
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