Case Manager of the Month: May

May 01, 2019

Cheryl Harmon was nominated for Case Manager of the Month by the family member of an individual she serves. The nomination said, "I nominate Cheryl Harmon for the Case Manager of the Year, not just the month! There’s no way to thank Cheryl enough for all she does for our loved ones who include our two daughters and my brother. If I have questions or issues, no matter when I send them to her or call her, she responds right away and I immediately feel better. Cheryl can put things into perspective that I, as a mother, guardian and sibling, often find difficult to do. If it’s not something she can immediately affect, she helps me come up with options on how to approach the situation respectfully with the care/service provider and always backs me up in person and by email, weighing in when needed. She has my back.

"I have to chuckle when she reminds us that we have the right to choose another case manager at any time. No way on earth would I ever want to do that! We have had many case managers through the years, many of whom I have fired only to get another who wasn’t any better and, sometimes worse. I finally decided to just stick it out with the last one – until I learned that Cheryl was now working for IPMG. No question but that she was who we wanted. There’s no one more motivated, more educated in the myriad of rules that seem to regularly change, and no one more dedicated to her clients. My family is fortunate to have her on our team!"

Cheryl writes, "I am very honored to have been nominated to be case manager of the month! Just short of 40 years ago, I started working weekends in a group home for adults with ID/DD. At the time I was teaching full time and really took the part time job to make some progress on my school loans. But I quickly discovered that working with adults was where I wanted to be. While, like everyone, there are days when I think why in the world am I still doing this, overall I continue to love working with individuals and their families.

"I have now been with IPMG over 5 years after many years on the provider side of the picture. I know that I am blessed to have found a career that I love and where I have so many opportunities to make a difference to someone. While there have been many highlights in my career, I consider my biggest accomplishments to have been being a part of helping individuals who had been institutionalized for way too many years to make a home in the community.

"On a personal note, I have always lived in Indiana. I currently share my home with Holly, a 4 year old cat who I adopted a year ago from a shelter where she had been for over 2 years! She graciously allows me to continue to live here as long as I feed her. I have three grown stepsons. Two of my stepsons coach Special Olympics. I love to travel, especially cruising, but this year I am going to travel to Washington, DC as that has always been on my bucket list.

"My favorite quote is from JFK- 'One person can make a difference and everyone should try.' I do try to put that into action every day."

If you would like to nominate your case manager for this award, please contact us or send an email to customerservice@gotoipmg.com.