Walk into Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital any day of the week and you will be met and assisted by a team of well-trained hospital staff, possibly including Chloe. For the past eight years, she has been a staple in and around the Food Services department at the St. Petersburg, Florida, hospital, working on the food line, hosting, and helping behind the scenes with food preparation.

She loves her job and rarely misses a shift.

Chloe’s road to success has been difficult. Struggling with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, everyday life skills are difficult for her. The prospects of finding a good job seemed challenging. 

Chloe is just one of the many young people who got their career start by being selected to participate in Project SEARCH, a one-year, business-led program that helps high school students with intellectual and developmental disabilities prepare for employment. The program combines classroom instruction, career exploration, and worksite-based training and support. It also teaches students how to develop independent living skills.

Project SEARCH is a cooperative effort among the hospital, the Pinellas School District, the Florida Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and Goodwill Industries—Suncoast.

The Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Project SEARCH program celebrated its 10th anniversary recently during a graduation ceremony. In addition to the newest graduates, several past graduates who are now full-time employees at the hospital were there to cheer on their friends, along with parents and hospital staff.

“You have shown incredible dedication and perseverance throughout this program,” says Alicia Schulhof, president of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, addressing the students at the graduation ceremony. “Today, we celebrate your accomplishments with great pride and admiration.”

How It All Started

The first Project SEARCH program began at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in 1996. 

“I found out about Project SEARCH through a physician who knew about the program,” says Joe Conrod, former human resources director at Johns Hopkins All Children’s. “He gave me a contact and I called to get more information. They volunteered to come to the hospital and present the program to our department directors. I gathered our troops together, and we pitched the idea to our leadership who showed overwhelming support. The rest is history.”

One of the first to jump on Conrod’s bandwagon was Therese Montanari, director of Speech-Language and Feeding.

“We needed a program like Project SEARCH, and Project SEARCH needed a hospital like Johns Hopkins All Children’s,” she says. “Our interns are an inspiration to our patients and are showing them what success looks like through their positive attitudes and actions.”

“The hospital has been fortunate to keep the same teacher from Pinellas County Schools for the Project SEARCH program since its inception,” Conrod says. “Janna Worsham has been successful helping to graduate students from the program. Staff consistency has been a big part of the program’s success.” 

How It Works

Once students are selected through an interview process, Project SEARCH provides them with a variety of work experiences, the ability to explore different careers and learn competitive work skills. This process helps to refine each student intern’s career goal and prepares them for employment in the community. 

Each year, students do three 10-week internships in hospital departments, from among: Environmental Services, Food Services, Rehabilitation Services, Peri–Operative Services, Gift Shop, Supply Chain and Child Life.

They also spend up to five hours a day learning job skills, then return to the classroom to discuss challenges and evaluate their progress. After graduating from the program, the goal is to help each student find a job locally, using the work skills learned.

To accomplish this, Worsham handles the classroom training and Amy Mendola, a vocational skills trainer from Goodwill—Suncoast, works with the interns when they are on the job. Mendola also helps these students secure a full-time job when they finish Project SEARCH.

“A student with intellectual and developmental disabilities traditionally only has about a 20 percent chance of gaining employment and keeping a job. Project SEARCH graduates have a 70 percent or higher rate of getting a job and keeping long-term employment” Worsham explains. 

This is Goodwill’s first year with Project SEARCH at this hospital, says Robert Batista, manager of community employment initiatives with Goodwill Industries–Suncoast. “Project SEARCH is very important for us because its mission aligns with our mission to help people find meaningful and consistent employment,” he says.

The Outcome

“Chloe proves herself every day by showing up. She is dependable and reliable and has become the model employee that can fill in anywhere her manager needs her,” Worsham says.

As a proud Project SEARCH alumna, Chloe and several other past graduates serve as mentors and speak to current interns about their experience and provide support and encouragement.

“A big part of the program success is the Johns Hopkins All Children’s staff who approach our student interns with patience, kindness and care, so they feel included and valued,” Worsham says.

Curtis Melhorn, director of Food and Culinary Services at the hospital, agrees. “Some of our positions are hard to fill and the Project SEARCH interns have the ability and desire to do many of these jobs. In just our department, we have hired five or six interns over the past few years.”

For Chloe, the program has taught her important life and job skills. “I never thought I would get to work in a hospital. Every day is different. I’ve been trained to do a lot of things and I’ve made a lot of friends. Some people just go to work for the money. That’s not always going to help you for your whole life. I really like what I do here and this is where I want to stay.”