MultiCare works with schools to train, hire students with disabilities

Menorah Prasai loves her job as a food service worker at MultiCare Covington Medical Center. She says she’s treated well, earns a nice paycheck and gets to help people.

“I like it here,” she says. “I like the money and it’s something for me to do. I really like seeing the patients.”

Prasai applied for the position after a year of volunteering for Covington Medical Center’s nutrition services department. She was one of eight volunteers who came to Covington through a partnership between MultiCare Volunteer Services and Kent School District’s The Outreach Program (TOP).

Students participating in TOP work alongside a coach to go into the community and learn basic life and work skills, with the goal of getting a job. The program works with young people between the ages of 18 and 21 who have a documented disability, such as autism, Down syndrome or cerebral palsy.

At Covington Medical Center, three TOP students volunteered in nutrition services and four in environmental services. The group first learned to catch the bus to be at the job location on time.

In the cafeteria, students learned to fill the ice machines, restock the shelves and utensils, and wipe down surfaces, among other tasks.

Students in environmental services helped stock basic supplies, wipe down surfaces, dust and other general housekeeping tasks. They also learned how to swab spaces to test for bacteria.

“We can help generate ideas of what the students can do,” says teacher Angela Pahlow. “For example, the students working in nutrition have picked up the task of checking expiration dates on food and other supplies in the cafe and in nutrition rooms.”

TOP proved so successful for both MultiCare and the students that MultiCare is working to expand the program, working with additional school districts in the South Sound.

Jaime Garcia, volunteer coordinator for MultiCare’s South King County facilities, is working with other local school districts to expand the program to MultiCare clinics, hospitals and Indigo Urgent Care clinics across this region.

“I see volunteerism in a hospital setting as one pathway to a career in health care,” he says. “Volunteers are our future health work force.”

Preparing students for the workplace

Students enrolled in The Outreach Program through Kent School District are often referred to as “transitions” students because the program’s goal is to prepare them for adulthood and transition to the workplace.

Program managers and coaches work with local businesses to allow students to come to the workplace and gain skills. A coach works with three to four students to bridge the connections.

Students spend about three months at each job site, including schools and grocery stores. When the team feels the students are ready, coaches help them apply for paid employment, with help from their partnerships with the Developmental Disabilities Administration and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

“The program gets students ready for work, then transitions them to the state support,” says Susan Whitehall, a principal with Kent School District. “That’s an important step; the student is not abandoned.”

Volunteer work provides training for the job

Prasai, the worker at Covington Medical Center, was 20 years old and two years into the program when she decided she liked the work in the hospital’s nutrition services department. She enjoyed some of her other job sites, but “this is the best one,” she says of Covington.

She and teacher Pahlow looked through MultiCare job postings, came across an opening in nutrition services and put in her application.

Prasai interviewed with supervisor Alice Ray, who was excited to see her application. Ray had worked closely with the TOP team during their volunteer stint and enjoyed working with Prasai. She had no hesitation in offering the position. Ray even expanded some of Prasai’s duties.

“I sort and put away items in the cafe and the kitchen,” Prasai explains. “I work on the weekends, passing out breakfast, and I do the dishes. I take the trays to patients. I like seeing the smiles on their faces.”

Her favorite part of the job?

“Seeing the patients,” Prasai says with a smile.

Principal Whitehall says that MultiCare has “added a lot to this program.”

At Covington Medical Center, students and coaches work closely with Ray and Maria Perez, environmental services supervisor.

“One of the best things about MultiCare is that both the supervisors we work with treat our students like they do any other employee,” Pahlow says. “They don’t baby the students or talk down to them.”

Helping students meet volunteer requirements

Transitions students, like any other MultiCare volunteer, must complete a set of requirements before starting their volunteer work.

Volunteers must be at least 16 years old. The application process includes a criminal background check and bloodwork, primarily to test for transmittable diseases such as tuberculosis.

The onboarding process can take about a month. It’s all to ensure a safe and healthy environment for patients, staff and volunteers.

One transitions student was afraid of needles, so the TOP team worked with lab technicians at Covington Medical Center to help ease her into the process over the course of a few days. The lab tech took the student through the steps of the blood draw sans needle. They explained the process and what happens. And when she was ready, she completed the bloodwork.

“With help like that, students are able to overcome personal barriers,” Pahlow says. “That student is proud they work here. She has a certain swagger now!”