For 43 years, the Providers’ Council has been an association that is continuously Envisioning change • Leading advocacy • Driving progress. In 2018, we refreshed our logo to add those words as a tagline to ensure that others know a little bit more about the Council and our organizational philosophy. In 2018, our members helped us continue those efforts and we are proud to present what we achieved together in this year’s Annual Report.
A landmark accomplishment in 2018 was the release of our latest report with the University of Massachusetts: The Face of the Human Services Sector – Our Caring Workforce. The report detailed the efforts of the backbone of the human services sector – the dedicated workers who provide critical services to one-in-ten residents of the Commonwealth. The report contained several important facts about our industry, including that over a 10-year period, employment in human services outpaced employment in the state overall by a factor of nearly 10-to-1.
The Council also inaugurated a new committee to deepen our sector’s understanding of racism and equity in our communities – the Race, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. The new committee has partnered with the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley to provide several trainings and is aiming to help organizations embrace diversity through knowledge, practice and advocacy.
There was exciting growth throughout our organization, underscored by the record expansion of our online learning management system, Providers’ eAcademy©. It reached a milestone 75 organizations by year-end, serving more than 37,000 learners who took more than 205,000 online courses in 2018. That hunger for knowledge was reflected at our signature event, the 43rd Annual Convention & Expo: RISE!, which drew more than 1,200 people to hear from Lt. Col. Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, who shared her inspiring story, and Gov. Charlie Baker, who discussed the importance of our other first responders in the wake of disaster. And the color and excitement of the event and all of 2018 is reflected in a modernized and versatile website that makes it easier to share critical information.
These accomplishments would not have been possible without you – our members. From all of us on the Providers’ Council staff and its Board of Directors, we thank you for your tireless efforts in building caring communities and providing care to one-in-ten residents throughout the Commonwealth.
Sincerely,
Jackie K. Moore, Ph.D
Board Chair
Michael D. Weekes
President/CEO
