Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, part of Main Line Health, has received the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA) Innovation Award for its Project SEARCH program. The award is presented to an individual or facility in recognition of a significant innovation.
“It is an honor to be recognized with the Innovation Award for this successful program that we created here at Bryn Mawr Rehab in 2010,” said Donna Phillips, BMRH president. The program has recently expanded to Lankenau Medical Center. “Project SEARCH has achieved an 82% success rate in assisting adults with disabilities to gain competitive employment, which is a significant accomplishment in workforce development.”
Project SEARCH, which expanded to Lankenau Medical Center in 2013, combines real-life work experience through the integration of classroom instruction and on-the-job training for adults with disabilities who want to enter or re-enter the workforce. The cornerstone of the program is immersion in the community and partnering with local businesses and corporations to provide interns with job coaching and mentoring that provides the skills and experience that allows them to compete for jobs on an equal footing with other candidates.
Richard Edley, PhD., RCPA president and CEO, stated: "In that so many of our members not only work in rehabilitation, but specifically in disabilities and work transition, we thought this was an exemplary selection this year."
The award will be presented at an RCPA luncheon on October 8 in Seven Springs, Pa.