March 19, 2024

Facing federal funding cuts, Progress Industries looks for help

U.S. Rep Dave Loebsack was back in Newton Monday afternoon to meet with representatives of Progress Industries to address its funding concerns in light of ongoing attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Progress Industries, based in Newton, provides residential, employment and day rehab services to more than 350 individuals with disabilities in central Iowa. Recent funding cuts have CEO Sandy Ham concerned about what lies ahead for the organization.

“Frankly, we don’t have a lot of excess cost in this organization,” Ham said. “Where we can we’re doing things to be very proactive with our cost structure.”

Despite funding concerns, Ham said Progress Industries is working to utilize resources as efficiently as possible by increasing their use of technology. During her meeting with the Democratic lawmaker on Monday afternoon, Ham detailed some strategies under consideration. Progress Industries maintains 16 residential homes in the area that provide 24-hour support for individuals in need. Currently, each of those homes are staffed around the clock, but Ham said they’d like to consider using cameras to monitor at night and have a staffer make the rounds nightly instead of having someone stationed at each home. Doing so would give the residents more privacy and cut down on the manpower required to staff each home, Ham said.

“If we can get to the point where we can have technology provide that support we could move from a 1 on 1 ratio to 1:10,” Ham said.

Staff members at Progress Industries have also used Skype, the online video messaging system, to communicate with a client in a test case. Checking in with a client via video twice a day is a way for staff to meet with more clients in less time, a critical factor when it comes to managing the budget, Ham said.

Funding these technology upgrades is the biggest challenge facing Progress Industries. While Ham said the organization does receive some grants, it isn’t enough to cover the costs associated with researching and developing new methods to deliver services. Using technology would help bridge the gap as Progress Industries staffers travel between Jasper, Polk and Story counties to meet with clients.

Coming up with the money to implement new technology isn’t the only roadblock, Progress Industries also needs to lobby for changes in state and federal regulations to be able to work on those projects. Still, Ham said she believes incorporating additional technology is the best option for Progress Industries, as well for the people they serve. Many of their clients yearn for greater independence, and technology is way to provide that feeling of freedom while still being able to provide support Ham said.

Loebsack said he’s concerned about the “general instability” he’s seeing in Washington, D.C., and he warned Ham it’s possible organizations like Progress Industries may be susceptible to “dramatic cuts.”

“Programs like what you folks do, those are subject to huge cuts,” Loebsack said.

This isn’t the first time Loebsack has been to Progress Industries, and on Monday he said he feels often disabled Americans go unnoticed in our society, something he’s determined to change.

“These people here, they aren’t seen on a daily basis, it’s easy for them to be overlooked,” Loebsack said. “We need to keep them in the forefront of our consciousness.”

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com