Polk County DAC celebrated their 55th anniversary on Tuesday. One of the first such programs in the state, they have been providing day training and habilitation services to adults with developmental disabilities in the communities of Crookston, East Grand Forks, Fertile, and Fisher.
More than 100 people, including Representative Deb Kiel, attended the celebration said Executive Director Jo Bittner. “We had just shy of 100 people attending,” said Bittner. “Deb Kiel was there as well. It’s a huge accomplishment for us. We were one of the first in the State of Minnesota to develop a DT&H program. We started serving children at first. That came about as a request from parents with children with special needs. It wasn’t long after that we added the adult program. It 1986, when the laws changed, the schools started serving the children’s program, and we just focused on adults.”
Bittner said that shortly after the children’s program went over to the schools, state institutions began closing to send people back to their home communities. “Shortly after that, institutions around the state – Faribault, Cambridge, Fergus Falls – all started closing their doors and sending people back to their home community which was really a good thing,” said Bittner. “So, we started to grow at that time, going from maybe 30 to 55 individuals.”
The DAC provides a wide range of services from job coaching for some of the more independent individuals to more complete support services such as clothing, bathing, changing, and transport. One of Bittner’s first tasks after being named director was getting a second facility in East Grand Forks. Which she says she did by getting the Department of Health to issue a citation over the agency’s transportation program. “I became the director [of Polk County DAC] in 1993,” said Bittner. “One of the first tasks I took upon myself was asking the Department of Human Services for a citation because we were transporting 22 individuals from East Grand Forks to Crookston. I always say that is the worst road in Minnesota. It is, actually, between East Grand Forks and Crookston it closes more often than any other stretch of highway. My effort was to get that citation because we were transporting over an hour a day one way. I was successful in that, and in 1995 we opened our doors in East Grand Forks and started serving those people over here.”
In the years since the expansion to a second facility in East Grand Forks, the total number of individuals served by Polk County DAC has nearly doubled according to Bittner. “At the time of our split we were 55 people total,” said Bittner. “We sent 22 to East Grand Forks and served 33 in Crookston. And since then we are now at 50 in Crookston and 30 in East Grand Forks. So, we are growing, things are going well, and we’re just thrilled to be celebrating 55 years.”
