Tiffany Kalka honored for outstanding service to children with special healthcare needs.

Tiffany Kalka is the 2020 recipient of the Award of Merit from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC).

The award recognizes exceptional employees for outstanding dedication and service to children with special healthcare needs.

Tiffany is DSCC’s Training Supervisor and based in our Springfield Office.

She works with staff across the state to make sure they have the knowledge, tools and support necessary to provide the best service possible for children and families in our program. Tiffany wears many hats, coordinating training events and learning requirements for staff and their related technology needs.

DSCC moved to a new electronic care coordination system last spring. This new system helps our care coordination teams work more efficiently and effectively as they partner with families. Tiffany helped spearhead the system’s planning, implementation and ongoing support for employees.

She took on this huge volume of work while also fulfilling her training responsibilities with exceptional dedication and quality.

“Tiffany’s talent and knowledge have helped us develop our care coordination system that better meets our participants and staff’s needs,” said DSCC Executive Director Thomas Jerkovitz. “Tiffany’s efforts have empowered our staff to be better champions for the children and families we serve.”

Tiffany joined DSCC 19 years ago. She says she is honored and grateful to be nominated and selected for this award.

“The most rewarding part of my job is being able to help my peers navigate our electronic care coordination system,” she said. “By helping them, I know that I am helping the families DSCC serves.”

DSCC staff nominated a total of 10 of their colleagues for this year’s Award of Merit. As the winner, Kalka receives an Award of Merit memento, a $2,000 award and recognition from the Executive Director.

The other 2020 nominees are

• Carla Jo “CJ” Chandler, IT Technical Associate, Central Administrative Office in Springfield
• Darcy Contri, Program Transition Specialist, Central Administrative Office in Springfield
• Kimberley Firkins, Program Coordinator Assistant, Lombard Regional Office
• Connie Harriss, Program Coordinator Assistant, Olney Regional Office
• Tami Peleckis, Customer Service Assistant, Mokena Regional Office
• Summer Puckett, Care Coordinator, Champaign Regional Office
• Jamie Renth, Manager of Home Care Region 3, St. Clair Regional Office
• Gabrielle “Gab” Schmitt, Home Care Enrollment Manager, Champaign Regional Office
• Amanda Simhauser, Communications Manager, Central Administrative Office in Springfield

Congratulations, Tiffany! And a big thank you to all the nominees for their excellence on behalf of our children and families!

Chicago Home Care Regional Office’s Yesenia Bustamante honored for outstanding service to children with special healthcare needs.

Yesenia Bustamante is the 2019 recipient of the Award of Merit from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC). The award recognizes exceptional employees for outstanding dedication and service to children with special healthcare needs.

Bustamante is an Enrollment Assistant with DSCC’s Home Care Enrollment Team. This statewide team serves as a family’s first introduction to the Home Care Program. The program supports families who care for children and young adults who are medically fragile and require skilled in-home shift nursing.

Yesenia works at the Chicago Home Care Regional Office. Her colleagues say she is an indispensable team member who is dependable, motivational and passionate about serving DSCC’s participants and families. Yesenia often goes on home visits to provide Spanish interpretation services and frequently rearranges her schedule to be available to meet with families.

“Yesenia is highly organized and keeps her colleagues on task while ensuring our participants’ needs are at the center of what we do,” DSCC Executive Director Thomas Jerkovitz said. “She leads by example and shows the utmost empathy and care for each Home Care participant and family’s situation.”

After 15 years at DSCC, Yesenia says she loves the feeling of helping a family in need.

“Throughout the course of my tenure at DSCC, it has been a privilege and an honor to work on behalf of our families and participants to ensure that they have access to much-needed resources to assist them with maintaining daily life within their respective communities,” Yesenia said. “It is amazing and inspiring to see so many caring individuals come together as one to carry out DSCC’s mission to partner, help and connect families to services and resources.”

DSCC staff nominated a total of thirteen of our colleagues for this year’s Award of Merit. As the winner, Yesenia receives an Award of Merit memento, a $2,000 award and recognition from the Executive Director.

The other 2019 nominees are:

• Stephanie Alumbaugh, Champaign Regional Office
• Amy Cunningham, Rockford Regional Office
• Kim Firkins, Lombard Regional Office
• Jane Gowans, Mokena Regional Office
• Andrea Hoskinson, Central Administrative Office in Springfield
• Tiffany Kalka, Central Administrative Office in Springfield
• Roxane Lowry, Champaign Regional Office
• Charmaine McGovern, Lombard Regional Office
• Amy Nixon, Central Administrative Office in Springfield
• Brittani Provost, Champaign Regional Office
• Brenda Solomon, Central Administrative Office in Springfield
• Violet Wiker, Central Administrative Office in Springfield

Congratulations, Yesenia! And a big thank you to all of the nominees for their excellence on behalf of our participants and families!

Olney Regional Office’s Dalena Ralston honored for outstanding service to children with special healthcare needs.

Dalena Ralston is the 2018 recipient of the Award of Merit from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC). The award recognizes exceptional employees for outstanding dedication and service to children with special healthcare needs.

DSCC is a statewide program that partners with Illinois families and their local communities to help children with special healthcare needs connect to services and resources.

Ralston is a Customer Service Associate in our Olney Regional Office. She’s known as the heart of her office who keeps operations running smoothly and in the best interest of DSCC’s families.

“Dalena embodies DSCC’s focus on partnerships and connections to help children with special healthcare needs achieve their full potential,” DSCC Executive Director Thomas Jerkovitz said. “She works hard to develop relationships with both our families and the healthcare providers who serve them to create a seamless support system.”

Ralston’s colleagues say she is the caring voice that greets all callers and visitors to the Olney office, providing a compassionate ear and a quick response for their needs and concerns.

Each family in DSCC’s program has a care coordination team that helps them identify their child’s medical, social, behavioral, educational and financial needs and develop a plan of care. Ralston takes the time to become familiar with the Olney office’s participants and their providers. She works quickly behind the scenes to make sure the care coordination teams have the necessary medical reports and paperwork to begin supporting families as soon as possible.

Ralston also tracks down available resources and community supports for families who are not eligible for our program but in need of assistance.

“I look forward to coming to work and enjoy helping people in whatever way I can,” Ralston said. “When you enjoy what you do and believe in the mission behind it, that is all you need to work hard and give it your all.”

DSCC staff nominated a total of eight of their colleagues for this year’s Award of Merit. As the winner, Ralston receives an Award of Merit memento, a $2,000 award and recognition from the Executive Director.

The other 2018 nominees are:

• Ana Lule of the Mokena Regional Office
• Kristina Marquez of the Rockford Regional Office
• Mariangely Spilotro of the Lombard Regional Office
• Mary Gruneich of the Springfield and St. Clair regional offices
• Lisa Washington of the Lombard Regional Office
• Kim Firkins of the Lombard Regional Office
• Kathy Thomas of the Springfield Regional Office

Congratulations, Dalena! And a big thank you to all of the nominees for their excellence on behalf of our children and families!

Mokena Regional Office’s Lynda Miller honored for outstanding service to children with special healthcare needs.

Lynda Miller of Lemont is the 2017 recipient of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) Award of Merit. The award recognizes exceptional employees for outstanding dedication and service to children with special healthcare needs.

DSCC is a statewide program that partners with Illinois families and their local communities to help children with special healthcare needs connect to the services and resources they need to reach their full potential. We serve thousands of families each year in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of nurses, social workers, speech pathologists, audiologists and other team members in 12 regional offices.

Lynda is a Program Coordinator Assistant in DSCC’s Mokena Regional Office, working with Care Coordinators in her office to develop a plan of care for each family that addresses their child’s medical, social, behavioral, educational and financial needs.

“Lynda exemplifies DSCC’s mission to partner, help and connect with families and communities to improve the lives of children with special healthcare needs and put them at the center of a seamless support system,” DSCC Executive Director Thomas Jerkovitz said. “Lynda has touched countless lives during her nearly 30-year career and is an unwavering champion for our organization and the families we serve.”

Colleagues across the state say Lynda’s primary focus and concern is giving DSCC families the best service possible and treating them with kindness and respect. Lynda is also praised as an effective problem-solver who is willing to step outside of her comfort zone to learn something new, hard or time-consuming to get the job done.

Lynda, who was also nominated for the 2016 Award of Merit, said she enjoys all facets of her job. “I love helping whenever and wherever I can,” she said. “I have been lucky to work with a lot of people who have mentored me along my DSCC career.  I wouldn’t have the knowledge and ability to do what I do without their help and assistance along the way.”

DSCC staff nominated five of their colleagues for this year’s Award of Merit. As the winner, Lynda receives an Award of Merit memento, a $2,000 award and recognition from the Executive Director.

The other 2017 nominees are:

• Dawn Brzostek, Customer Service Assistant, Rockford Regional Office
• Cherie Dalbke, Care Coordinator/Speech and Hearing Consultant, Chicago Core Regional Office
• Diana Maldonado, Program Coordinator Assistant, Lombard Regional Office
• Glenda Rahn, Program Coordinator Assistant, Champaign Regional Office

Congratulations, Lynda, and a big thank you to all of our nominees!