Project SEARCH and CMH Regional Health System Celebrate Ten Year Partnership with Open House

The Project SEARCH program along with CMH Regional Health System (CMH) will celebrate their 10 year partnership with an open house on Monday, Oct. 26 in the CMH Conference Center, rooms 2 and 3. The open house will begin at 3:30 p.m. with a special anniversary celebration starting at 4:30 p.m. 

The Project SEARCH program, run through Great Oaks Institute of Technology career technical school, began at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and quickly spread to CMH in 1999. Because of its success, Project SEARCH is now being replicated in hospitals and businesses across the country and internationally. Over the years, it has won many awards, including the 2004 New Freedom Initiative award from the US Department of Labor. 

For students with disabilities, finding the right employment can be a challenge, but for area students, Project SEARCH at CMH makes the employment process a rewarding adventure. 

"Project SEARCH is a transition to work program," explains Linda Emery, who heads the project at CMH and is an instructor for the eight students currently enrolled. "We accept students with any type of disability as long as their goal is competitive employment." 

After completing traditional high school, Project SEARCH students add a 13th year to their education during which they attend classes at CMH. "We show students types of work are available to them, and our job coaches help students learn the skills necessary for those jobs," Emery says. "The students spend internships in various areas of the hospital, which provides on-the-job experience and introduces them to the adult work world."  

The program is free to students. Funding is provided by the school system, the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, CC Works and the contributions of resources from area businesses like CMH. 

"We have the capacity for 12 students and enrollments for next year are underway now." Emery says, "We are always looking for new students and employers to participate in the project." 

Approximately seventy-five percent of Project SEARCH students find employment or enroll in further education. Over its past nine years at CMH, the program has resulted in 14 students being hired by Clinton Memorial Hospital. "When our kids are valued for what they contribute, the change we see in them is phenomenal," Emery says. 

For questions about the open house and anniversary celebration, or to learn more about the Project SEARCH program contact Linda Emery at (937) 283-9713.