Breaking News: Milestone HCQU West is on Facebook!
What is a HCQU? Do you know what HCQU stands for? What services do they offer?
Back in January of this year, I had the privilege of attending the Everyday Lives conference in Hershey, PA. Some of my colleagues and I shared a vendor table with the other Health Care Quality Units (HCQUs) across the state and had an opportunity to meet and talk with a lot of people. From Program Specialists and Direct Service Professionals, to families and self-advocates, it was such a pleasure to see so many people in attendance. Perhaps you were one of them.
I was genuinely surprised by the fact that most of the people we spoke to had never even heard of a HCQU. I wondered how that was possible when we’ve been serving our communities for almost 25 years. We send out mailings, we’re active in community fairs and events, and we meet regularly with representatives from the counties we serve. But information about us doesn’t seem to filter down to the people who should know about our services.
Learning from the Past
On the ride home from the Everyday Lives event, my co-worker and I talked about how, since the pandemic, the world had become more connected, but we felt more disconnected from the community we serve than ever before. The fact that so many people had never heard of a HCQU seemed to validate that feeling. We wondered how to change that.
Back at the office, we tossed around ideas on ways to get the word out about who we are, what we do, and how we can help. It didn’t take long to realize that getting the word out was only half the equation. If we were going to reconnect with the community, it was equally important to get their feedback as well. And the one thing we didn’t have was a social media presence. It seems strange that in the year 2024 we wouldn’t have one, but we honestly never really saw a need… until now.
Looking to the Future
Over the next several months, we researched, planned, and learned everything we could about the various social media platforms. In the end, we opted to start with a Facebook page because the medium was most aligned with our vision. We developed our page and, with childlike enthusiasm, we launched it at the end of June 2024.
A Chance to Reconnect
We are excited for this chance to reconnect with you, our community, and to share information and resources to help you support people with intellectual disabilities and autism. We hope you will engage with us and help grow our community online. Thank you for joining us on this journey!
What are you waiting for? Go now, and follow us on Facebook!
