United Helpers Promotes from Within to Reconfigure Corporate Compliance Dept.

OGDENSBURG – For dozens of United Helpers employees a job as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Direct Support Professional (DSP) has led to a career with several promotions along the way, that in some instances, lead to management-level positions.

The newly restructured Corporate Compliance Office at United Helpers Behavioral Health and Life Skills is a perfect example. Both newly appointed Corporate Compliance Officer Jason Matthie and newly appointed Corporate Compliance Assistant Stephanie Lancto began their careers as Direct Support Professionals more than 10 years ago.

“When I started as a DSP, I had never really lived in one place for more than two years at a time,” Mr. Matthie said. “I had some friends who worked for United Helpers and I had just moved back to the area. I thought it would be a good job at the time, but I really had no concept of a career.”

Stephanie Lancto & Jason Matthie

That was back in 2003. Roughly one year later, Mr. Matthie would receive his first promotion becoming a Staff Development Specialist. In 2008 he became Quality Assurance Assistant and in 2014 he was promoted again, this time becoming Quality Assurance Coordinator. He held that position until his most recent promotion this fall.

Ms. Lancto began her career with United Helpers shortly after graduating from high school in 2010.

“I was fresh out of high school and just looking for a way to make some money,” she said. “I knew someone who was working at the Spruce Street IRA and applied to be a DSP there.”

She was initially hired in a per-diem role, but quickly earned a full-time position. In 2016 Ms. Lancto was promoted to Housing Assistant, a position with the United Helpers Management Company. She then returned to Behavioral Health and Life Skills in 2020 when she became an office technician for the Quality Assurance and Staff Development Departments, holding that position until her most recent promotion.

“When I started with United Helpers as an 18-year-old kid, I never envisioned I would still be working here as an adult woman who is now raising a family,” she said.

While some people do enjoy lengthy careers as a CNA or DSP, which is perfectly fine, Mr. Matthie said there is room for growth within the organization for people who are looking to advance their careers without having to move to another employer and “start over.”

Vice President of Human Resources Michelle Matthews, who began her own career as a CNA more than 25 years ago said, “The great thing about United Helpers is there are so many opportunities available. Whether you want to go from being a CNA to an RN or LPN or you want to change careers entirely, you can do that and still stay within the United Helpers family.”

She then cited several examples, including two IT professionals, one who began as a CNA, and the other who began in Food Services, the Director of Nursing at Rehabilitation and Senior Care in Canton, who began as a CNA, and a countless number of Program Leaders and Assistant Program Leaders who began their careers as DSPs.

If you’re interested in advancing your career, Mr. Matthie said the first step is finding the confidence in yourself to take the necessary steps needed to pursue the promotion.

“I was one of the shyest kids in my school, but as I gained experience and confidence in myself, I found that if I applied myself, I could do almost anything,” he said. “A lot of people get intimidated when they see new positions posted, but if they apply the experience and knowledge they gained from whatever job they’re holding now, and possibly other positions they’ve held in the past, they’ll often find they’re capable of far greater things than they give themselves credit for.”

Other internal promotions made as part of the department’s restructuring include Shauna Sears moving from Quality Assurance Assistant to Quality Assurance Coordinator, Will Robinson moving from PEACE Specialist to Quality Assurance Specialist and Nicole Bell moving from DSP to Quality Assurance Technician.

United Helpers currently has a variety of openings for direct care, nursing, maintenance, and office positions, with jobs available across the county. To view a complete listing of available positions, please visit www.unitedhelpers.org/employment.

 

United Helpers Rehabilitation and Senior Care in Ogdensburg Working to Relocate Residents, Staff; Still Hiring Across Organization

OGDENSBURG - United Helpers Rehabilitation and Senior Care in Ogdensburg has been working with residents, resident representatives and staff on the pending closure of the facility.   

Progress has been made with the placement of residents and staff as we work our way through the closure process. The current resident census is 89. No residents are being relocated outside of the North Country, and the facility is actively securing alternate placement and care according to their individualized preferences.

United Helpers has offered work for all direct care staff affected by the closure at other locations throughout the United Helpers organization. The Human Resources department is assisting staff with a training and a transition plan as the census declines in the Ogdensburg skilled nursing facility.

In addition to retaining our valuable staff, there are other opportunities for direct care and increased pay incentives. United Helpers has work available throughout St. Lawrence County allowing employment close to home in a team-oriented environment. Opportunities are still available in the areas of home health, skilled nursing, assisted living, housing and the developmental and intellectually disabled population. 

 Inquiries by residents or their representatives should be made to Stacey Cannizzo, VP Clinical and Quality Services/Compliance Officer at slcannizzo@unitedhelpers.org, (315) 393-0730 or (315) 393-3072 ext. 313.

Inquiries related to employment opportunities should be made to Human Resources at:  tlgotham@unitedhelpers.org. You may also contact Tapanga Gotham for more information at (315) 393-3072 ext. 4270 or call/text (315) 276-6413.

Job/CNA Class Applications Submitted Monday & Tuesday may be Lost

During the process of updating our employment portal, job applications and CNA Class applications that were submitted on Monday and Tuesday of this week were purged from the system. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, but we are asking people who submitted applications earlier this week to please reapply.

Secondly, if you know anyone who may have applied online for a job or the CNA class, please pass this message on to them.

If you have any questions or wish to verify that your application was received, please contact the HR Department at 393-3074, ext. 4270 or 4265.

www.unitedhelpers.org/apply

Employment Portal Unveiled on UH Website

OGDENSBURG – In an effort to streamline both the job application and hiring processes, United Helpers has launched an “Employment Portal” at www.unitedhelpers.org.

“We wanted applicants to be contacted quicker, which in-turn will hopefully reduce the length of time our hiring process takes,” said Human Resources Specialist Michelle R. Matthews.

The launching of the portal comes as the result of a joint effort between the United Helpers Human Resources and IT Departments.

“Our intention is to one day, in the not too distant future, have a completely paperless hiring process,” said IT Systems Administrator Greg Walrath, who added that in addition to benefiting the environment, the new portal is also beneficial to applicants, as well as the Human Resources Department and management-level employees.

“This has really allowed us to improve communication between human resources and managers, who are responsible for the hiring of employees at their respective facilities.” Ms. Matthews said.

Recognizing that not everyone does have access to a computer, Ms. Matthews said that in the near future, there will be a computer available for job applicants to use at the company’s 732 Ford St., Ogdensburg Management Company offices.

“This decision was made after several weeks of discussions and examination of national trends,” she said. “What we’re looking to do is make this process easier for everyone involved.”

Features of the job portal include a comprehensive listing of currently available jobs, as well as tools that allow potential job applicants to create an on-line profile and set alerts to notify them when jobs they may be interested in become available. Managers within the company may also set alerts that notify them when someone submits an application they may be interested in.

The portal will also allow United Helpers to generate reports, which among other things, will identify where those applying for jobs and visiting the website are coming from.

“Those analytics will give us data that will allow us to better focus our recruitment efforts where they’re needed,” Ms. Matthews said.

“Anyone applying for a job or thinking about applying for one with us is encouraged to set up an on-line profile,” Mr. Walrath said.

To view the employment portal visit, www.unitedhelpers.org/employment. To apply for a job with United Helpers visit, www.unitedhelpers.org/apply.