An online community of nonprofit organizations in western PA

Beaver County APPRISE Coordinator Receives Secretary’s Award for Excellence

Joanne McDermitt, APPRISE Coordinator for the Beaver County Office on Aging, is the most recent recipient of the prestigious Secretary’s Award for Excellence in recognition of her service to seniors of Beaver County.

The award was presented to Ms. McDermitt by Secretary Teresa Osborne of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging at a recent statewide APPRISE conference convened in State College, Pennsylvania . The Secretary’s Award recognizes the efforts of an APPRISE local coordinator for his/her all-around excellence in the areas of collaboration, innovation, performance and client service. “This well-deserved recognition  documents the commitment that APPRISE Coordinator Joanne McDermitt has for the seniors of Beaver County. We are proud of her accomplishments “said County Commission Chairman Tony Amadio.

APPRISE is Pennsylvania ‘s state health insurance program which ensures that Medicare beneficiaries, their families or caregivers are educated and empowered to make informed choices about their health insurance. In presenting the award to Ms. McDermitt, Secretary Osborne thanked local coordinators and lead volunteers for their efforts, resulting last year in over 200,000 beneficiaries being served statewide and over 700 volunteers contributing over 77,000 hours of service statewide.

“Joanne McDermitt’s award from Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Aging is a tribute to her professionalism and dedication, but it also reflects the work that she, her staff and her volunteers perform every day for the seniors of Beaver County. It is encouraging to see Secretary Osborne recognizing an impressive local advocate for our seniors” commented Commissioner Joe Spanik.

Ms. McDermitt, in conjunction with APPRISE Counselor Jody Kohser and 7 local volunteers, offer counseling and supportive services to 1,794 Medicare beneficiaries in Beaver County in addition to representing the County and the APPRISE program at community meetings, legislative senior expos, health fairs, farmers’ market distribution sites, open enrollment events and other stakeholder engagement and partnership opportunities.  Additionally, Ms. McDermitt recruits and trains new volunteers for outreach to seniors while providing case management and assessment services to older County residents in need of home and community-based services.

“Coordinator Joanne McDermitt and her staff at the Office on Aging provide critical services to our older citizens and they are to be commended. The fact that Ms. McDermitt received a statewide honor from the Secretary of Aging is further confirmation of their accomplishments here in Beaver County” said County Commissioner Dennis Nichols.

Ms. McDermitt’s leadership also resulted in Beaver County’s APPRISE program receiving a Performance Award for meeting its key performance measures, thereby contributing to an improved overall statewide performance ranking for the Commonwealth .

Joanne McDermitt is a 15-year employee of the Beaver County Office on Aging. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Shippensburg University and a Masters Degree in Professional Leadership from Carlow University.

Secretary Teresa Osborne was unanimously confirmed by the Senate of Pennsylvania on May 13 to lead the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.

Posted on Filed under BCOA

Leave a reply

Connect with Facebook