Heritage Schools: Changing Lives - Health Executive - Red Coat Publishing - Inside Healthcare

Greek plays don’t always end in tragedy. Almost 10 years ago, a drama teacher at Utah-based Heritage Schools decided she wanted a forum for her teen students to publicly perform the Greek plays they had learned. Having lived in New York and understanding the importance of community, she knew that, despite the potential difficulties in supervising nearly 20 at-risk teens off campus, the confidence boost from performing in front of a live audience was more important.

Glen Zaugg, CEO

The first publicly presented Heritage Schools student performance had an audience of roughly 200 people and an impact on the teens (and administrators) involved that would last for a lifetime. “The lead of the play actually had severe Tourette’s, but while she was performing, it wasn’t even evident,” said Glen Zaugg, CEO.

After the performance, the teens and Heritage administrators had dinner with the people they invited to the performance. The teens openly shared how the experience of being in the show helped them stay on track with their clinical programs. Seeing what the performance meant to the teens made Zaugg and his team realize more could and needed to be done.

“We realized we were onto something. This was therapeutically helpful for these kids,” he said. “They’re here getting therapy and education; it’s kind of a whole package deal, but it helped them in their programs. We saw the benefit of it, so we decided to do it again.”

Solid foundation
In the process of moving the production from the borrowed Sundance stage to building an outdoor cement stage on its Provo campus, the administration realized the logistics of performing outdoor shows such as “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” were practically impossible. Because of the school’s location in windy Provo Canyon, sets developed one night were often blown away by the next morning.

“We then built a gymnasium with classrooms and brought the production indoors, but a gymnasium is still not a theater,” Zaugg said. “We had to put up a portable stage, hang lighting, and put up chairs. It was also extremely disruptive to our educational programs when we had to practice.”

Since its inception in 1984, the goal at Heritage has been teaching teens that success begins with their ability to form and sustain responsible relationships through integrity, commitment, and the belief that anything is possible. Much of the program’s success also comes from the more than 350 staff members who work to normalize the everyday activities of each of the 170 teens in their care. With full support of the board, clinicians, and other staff members, Heritage began walking down the path that led to the development of the James B. and Lynnette C. Loveland Performing Arts Center.

“Virtually every high school in America has an auditorium, but we didn’t,” Zaugg said. “We decided the performing arts, whether drama, music, or anything else, are an important part of helping our kids. We broke ground on our auditorium in 2007, and it’s scheduled to be completed by Memorial Day 2008.”

Clinical improvements
In the past few years, Heritage has seen more teens with more severe illnesses. Grounds that once consisted of a few buildings and lofty goals have transformed to include nearly 20 buildings, a 512-seat performing arts center, and even an indoor pool. But while those services set the scene for the lighter side of being at Heritage, they don’t cover the administration’s diligence in improving the clinical efficiencies onsite, including the development of a clinical services building.

“Our therapists were scattered around 15 buildings on campus, which was part of the original design to give the teens more of a homelike feel,” said Zaugg. “The kids live in these homes, and the therapists have offices off the living units. But during the daytime, the kids are in school, and the therapists are isolated.”

With both a concern for the safety and the mental well-being of the therapists, it was decided an office building for all clinical services, therapists, physicians, and nursing staff was needed. “Having the therapists in different locations at all times does not promote departmental unity,” Zaugg continued. “We felt they needed to be together.”

Heritage also doubled the size of its nursing space to include sick beds and exam rooms, to be located on a separate floor of the facility. Additionally, the organization is in the process of implementing an EMR, which will both reduce the amount of space needed for paper medical records while integrating the records of all clinical staff. The building’s projected completion date is March 2008.

“It’s beneficial for the therapist to see the medical records of students with notes from all stakeholders,” said Zaugg. “It makes treatment and working with the teens easier.”

True focus
Regardless of how the campus expands, or if Heritage’s dreams of going beyond Utah’s borders become a reality, the vision of the organization will remain the same: to change lives. In the past decade, Zaugg has seen programs similar to those at Heritage acquired by larger hospital organizations, but the secured stability often means a change in programming. Heritage’s focus is not to build up its programming to entice buyers; it’s to build up its program to improve the quality of care delivered.

“Our founder, Jerry Spanos, decided years ago that for his program to survive the way he wanted, he wanted it to be turned into a nonprofit organization, which is what he did,” Zaugg said. “We’re not here to get our program to a place where someone wants to buy it and take over. Our vision is to keep going the way we are but to keep our programs fresh. We treat kids, and that’s where our focus remains.”

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