“Lauren is great. We all learn from her wisdom and insight.”
Congratulations to Lauren Gates, the recipient of the May Staff on the RISE recognition! Lauren is the Recovery Care Coordinator at Milestone Manor, a RISE Community Residence. She has been a member of the RISE team for 21 years. Her dedication to the program and the residents is appreciated by the Administrative Team and the staff at Milestone Manor.
As the Recovery Care Manger, Lauren meets with every resident upon admission. Together they complete a Recovery Care Assessment. “The information from these assessments is very useful,” Lauren explains, “it allows us to determine which community resources the residents should be connected with, and it helps us develop service plans goals and objectives.”
Dawn Daum, Milestone Manor Program Director, says, “Lauren is great. She has the ability to help residents utilize several different tactics to assist them in developing and attaining their goals of changing what is no longer working for them. Her ability to help residents ‘unpack’ what is really going on so they can determine the goals they want to work on is admirable and appreciated.”
“I especially enjoy working with the cohesive team at Milestone Manor
Lauren is also the primary counselor for at least one resident, and she oversees the medication management for all the Milestone Manor residents. “Assisting residents with their medications is very involved,” Lauren explains. “It entails coordinating their prescriptions with their service providers and the pharmacies as well as working with the residents themselves to become independent in their medication management.” Dawn reiterates the complexity of managing the residents’ medications and shares, “one of Lauren’s many strengths is her ability to help create systems for the Milestone team to use when tracking and managing residents’ medications. We all pull and learn from her wisdom and insight.”
Lauren has a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation from SUNY Cortland. While obtaining her degree, she had an internship at an alcohol treatment center for adults where she discovered how she enjoys working with individuals in recovery. When a position at Milestone Manor was offered to her, she accepted hoping to gain entry level experience while working on her career goals. She found she greatly enjoys the program and working with the residents, and she especially enjoys working with the cohesive team at Milestone Manor. Now, it’s been 21 years.
“The best thing I enjoy about my job is celebrating a resident’s success.”
“The job is fast paced, ever changing, and interesting,” Lauren explains. “The needs of the residents are always evolving, which challenges me to find creative and unique ways to help them meet their goals.” An aspect of her job which draws upon her therapeutic recreation background is planning activities for the residents. “This is a really fun part of my job,” she shares. “I get to plan actives around some of my own interests that I enjoy and want to share with others. But the best thing I enjoy about my job is celebrating a resident’s success. It is so satisfying when you see the initial vulnerability and then that moment when you are let in and, and you are able to help reach each goal.”
The Milestone Manor team looks up to Lauren and the excellent job she does. “We all pull and learn from her wisdom and insight,” Dawn says. “Lauren is truly a model and a leader for her teammates and those she serves at Milestone Manor.”
Lauren says that she enjoys managing her time, paying attention to details, and doing a good job. She says she gets her work ethic from her parents, “they both worked hard and set a good example. My father was in construction and enjoyed seeing the fruits of his labor. It is a great way to be rewarded for doing a job well.”
Lauren enjoys spending time with her family and being involved with her daughter’s sports and other activities. “I’m a softball mom. I try to go to all my daughter’s games and be involved with her interests.” Lauren also likes to hike, camp with her family, and play with her dog, Otis. She likes to read in her down time and to spend time with friends.
Lauren says that she is thinking about continuing her education and obtaining a master’s degree to become a therapist. “But,” she acknowledges, “I am really happy in my current position. I enjoy the various responsibilities and the fast paced, ever-changing nature of this job. I love the team at Milestone Manor, even though there have been changes in team members along the way, we’ve always had a great, tight-knit team here.” Lauren is open to new opportunities at RISE, and she exclaims, “it is an exciting time to be a part of this agency and all the growth that is going on. I am open to growing with it and to consider the new opportunities as it the agency expands.”
RISE Administration is appreciative of Lauren’s hard work, dedication, and longevity with the agency. Please join us in congratulating her for being the recipient of the Staff on the Rise recognition.