Extending our mission into the greater community.

We are very excited to be establishing new community partnerships and academic partnerships to help us extend our mission of providing extraordinary services for developmental disabilities outside our walls. We believe we have a unique opportunity to help others learn about developmental disabilities so they can provide better care for this population. Further, by welcoming partnerships and volunteers we can provide even more comprehensive services for our L.I.F.E. families!

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

We have developed a number of community partnerships.

We have worked with JustServe for many years to share volunteer opportunities at L.I.F.E.

We have partnered with Chandler Gilbert Community College for many years to be a clinical site for their nursing students.

In 2020 we partnered with University of Arizona’s College of Nursing Bachelor of Science in Nursing Integrative Health (BSN-IH) program. This is the first nursing program in the country to include integrative health content and interventions into its curriculum. The program focuses not just on learning to care for people with physical illness but also on well-being assessment and promotion. The program promotes a “healing-oriented, whole-person approach to health care.” https://www.nursing.arizona.edu/news/ua-college-nursing-launches-bachelor-science-nursing-integrative-health-program-gilbert-ariz We felt strongly their mission aligns with ours here at L.I.F.E.

We provide a week rotation at L.I.F.E. where Level 1 nurses have the opportunity to observe our consumers in all our departments and then ask questions to gain a better understanding. Through this experience, we know these nurses will help us expand our mission into the community by providing better care for the disability population.

We have established a partnership with First Things First Arizona’s Early Childhood Agency. They support no-cost programs for children birth to 5. Through First Things First L.I.F.E. has been able to provide resources such as free dental clinics with First Teeth First on campus.

Check out the great resources on developmental milestones at First Things First.

We have been working with GPD on introducing new recruits to individuals with disabilities as part of an initiative to ensure safer interactions between the two parties. It has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for all involved.

Our partnership with the Arizona Department of Public Safety has allowed our consumers to interact with members from the Arizona State Troopers. Each year the AZDPS hosts a toy drive for L.I.F.E. that ensures our consumers will have at least one toy for the winter holidays. They continue to assist L.I.F.E. in making the holidays magical by hosting Santa each December.

We expanded our outreach to include Fire and Rescue as a way to ensure that in emergency situations, those that will be responding to the calls will have some first-hand experience on how to interact with those with a disability.

In keeping with our desire to ensure our consumers’ safety, we have welcomed Gilbert Dispatch into our campus to encourage them to interact with those that have disabilities. This has allowed Dispatch staff to understand how to interact with those that may have a language/social deficit when calling for assistance. It has also allowed our consumers to practice interacting with individuals that they would otherwise only encounter in extreme circumstances.

STUDENTS AND ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS

assistive technology

We host students from a number of institutions and from varying fields.

  • Arizona State University:

    • Speech-Language Pathology
    • Undergraduate kinesiology and exercise science majors
    • Behavior analyst supervision
    • Service learning students
    • Capstone project students

  • Northern Arizona University:

    • Occupational Therapy
    • Physical Therapy

  • University of Arizona:

  • A.T. Still University:

    • Occupational Therapy
    • Physical Therapy
    • Speech-Language Pathology

  • Pima Medical Institute:

    • Physical Therapy Assistant
    • Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

  • Chandler Gilbert Community College:

    • Nursing students
    • Service learning students from education department

  • Gateway Community College:

    • Occupational Therapy Assistant

  • Carrington College:

    • Physical Therapy Assistant

  • Rocky Mountain College:

    • Occupational Therapy

  • Brookline College:

    • Occupational Therapy Assistant

  • Florida Institute of Technology

    • Behavior analyst supervision

  • The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences:

    • Physical Therapy

If you are a student or institution interested in setting up a clinical experience at L.I.F.E. please reach out to one of the directors below.

Richard Elicio, Director of Therapy Services, 480-621-8361, richard.elicia@laurensaz.org

Lori Kleinman, Director of Academy Administration, 480-621-8361, lori.kleinman@laurensaz.org

CONSULTATION SERVICES

We are developing consultation services to assist other organizations in providing extraordinary services for developmental disabilities.

If you are interested in us consulting with your organization please contact Tami Jursich, Director of BPS Outreach Services, tami.jursich@laurensaz.org.

VOLUNTEERS

We have a variety of projects and opportunities for volunteers to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to our staff and consumers.

Please contact our Front Desk Administrator if you are interested in volunteering. Victoria Miller:  480-621-8361, victoria.miller@laurensaz.org

  • Assisting at our events
    • Run, Walk, and Roll for Heart (Feb)
    • Spring Fling (Mar/Apr)
    • Christmas Festival (Dec)
  • Building or supplying therapeutic items (i.e. milk crate chairs, buddy benches, wheelchair swing
  • Classroom activity preparation
  • Classroom/playground aide
  • Cleaning/maintenance tasks
  • Handy man tasks (e.g. hanging items)

FAMILY TRAININGS

We provide free online and in-person trainings for our families on various topics.

RESOURCES

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES:

OUTREACH LEADERSHIP

TAMI JURSICH, M.S. BCBA/LBA
TAMI JURSICH, M.S. BCBA/LBADirector of BPS Community Outreach Services
480-621-8361
tami.jursich@laurensaz.org

Role:

As the Director of BPS Community Outreach Services, I manage many of our community and academic partnerships as well as provide consultation services for other organizations.  I also continue to assist in the BPS department by providing training to staff.

Education and Special Certifications:

  • Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), 2015
  • BCBA Certification Coursework, Florida Institute of Technology, 2015
  • M.A. in Psychology, University of Phoenix, 2009

Career History:

I have been working with children diagnosed with Autism and related disorders since 2009. Prior to that I worked in a behavioral health hospital with adults and geriatric patients diagnosed with mental health disorders including Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, and Borderline Personality disorder, to name a few. I graduated with my master’s degree in 2009 and completed my Board- Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification in 2015. During that time, I moved from Chicago- my home town- to Minneapolis. I began working with preschoolers diagnosed with Autism providing in-home support. I moved to a clinic-based setting which allowed me to work with clients from 2-17 years of age. I then moved to Phoenix in 2016 and began working for L.I.F.E. as a BCBA.

Personal Teaching or Management Philosophy:

I believe that all people learn and that all opportunities teach something. My goal is to make sure that we capitalize on teaching to those opportunities as naturally and functionally as possible.

Personal:

I currently live in the East Valley with my husband, three children and a rambunctious bulldog. I love to travel and try new foods but spend most of my spare time attending my children’s sporting activities, reading and swimming. Although not formally trained, I really enjoy cooking for large groups. I regularly host dinners with ten or more people at my home. I love to try new recipes and then enjoy the delicious outcome.

Contact Us for More Information About L.I.F.E.

call us at 480-621-8361 EXT 136 or complete this form

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