Windy City Wanders

I love being in the city, any city, really. I love the constant buzz, the culture, diversity, and food. I just love it all! I recently spent the weekend with my husband in Chicago celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary, and it was terrific.

Any time we travel, we notice or seek out the things that we are passionate about. My husband seeks out authentic food from restaurants we don't have at home and high school sports facilities. He loves food and has dedicated his life to high school athletics, so it makes sense!

For me, it's outlet malls. Who doesn't need an impromptu shopping trip to the outlet mall on vacation! I am also drawn to community and healthcare organizations and the way the area meets the needs of its most vulnerable citizens. It always impresses me to see the access to transportation, housing, food, and healthcare in large metropolitan areas. I get excited when I see colossal healthcare facilities and community agencies. I find myself googling them to see what services are offered or what sets them apart from others. I get even more excited if the business provides integrated or case management services. I find myself contemplating asking for a tour of the facility. Weird, right? Maybe a little, but I am from a rural area that lacks access for all, which always resonated with me. When I see multiple options for transportation, food, and healthcare, I get a bit giddy! It cracks me up because my husband will be googling property in the area to buy when he retires while I am over here down a rabbit hole trying to find out where all the homeless people are. Does the lack of presence mean they don't have a large homeless population? Does it mean they have a plethora of resources for the homeless population, providing them with a place to simply get off the street for the day?

"Hey, Google, what resources does Chicago offer their homeless folks"?

I spent a long time working in the hospitality industry, giving me the intuition to notice breakdowns in process or communication while dining at restaurants or attending an event. It is common for me to count the steps a server takes to get from the server alley to their section or notice industrial equipment that improves cook and deliver time. I see and feel the staff's energy and ask questions about employee relations and the work environment. I ask because I can relate. I have worked in hospitality and know all too well what it feels like to work in a toxic environment where employees aren't valued or supported by training and consistent policy and procedure. I am constantly looking for areas of improvement when I am in business. I guess you can say it is a blessing and a curse!

Literally, I oversaw the Infection Control Committee during a pandemic, and I don't know about you guys, but this is my first pandemic, so it was a learning curve for sure. When I travel now, I notice businesses' policy and procedure changes to stay consistent with CDC regulations and keep their consumers safe. When the pandemic emerged, I was faced with managing the needs of 13 locations and literally had no idea what to do or where to start. My work ethic and ability to problem solve came in extremely handy. I designed training on infection control and proper use of PPE. I created infection control policies and ordered, delivered, and maintained all PPE supplies for the organization. I developed our Covid 19 screening tool and a questionnaire for staff to utilize during telehealth when our contact with clients became minimal. So obviously, it was hard for me to not assess the Covid 19 scene in Chicago. I noticed instantly that the streets in Chicago are blocked off to create outdoor dining space for multiple restaurants, something I saw a lot of this summer on our family vacation in Florida and on the travel basketball circuit. Each restaurant we entered had hand sanitizer, no-touch menus, and socially distanced seating. It made my Covid queen heart skip a beat!

It has been said that I am extremely straightforward, and I would have to agree with the assessment and share that I am ok with that! It allows me to gain insight and ask questions, even if I am a stranger in your city wondering about your food pantries and access to healthcare, or what services they provide in that building, are you a consumer, what are they doing right. I am downright nosey, y'all. My ability to simply ask the question is how I have learned to engage and connect with individuals while also assisting me in understanding what works and doesn't work for businesses.

I knew I should have gone into teaching...

I met my husband Andre in the Secondary Education program at John A Logan Community College almost twenty years ago. He ended up making teaching his career, while I switched gears completely, going into psychology and healthcare administration.

I haven’t ever regretted that pivot way back when, but sometimes while I am providing a workshop or doing training, I say to myself, “Damn, you should have gone into teaching”! Even in high school, working in hospitality, I knew that I was great at onboarding new employees and training on standards and processes.

I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunities to provide the training and workshops I have over the years. My work with the community service organization FATE has allowed me to develop curriculums and strengthened my presentation skills. Fate provides a workshop series targeted at youth-specific financial literacy, bullying, hygiene, and self-esteem in our local schools and youth group organizations. This experience helped me immensely when I transitioned into a leadership role at work and found myself front and center with the need to train and onboard staff to policy and procedure, infection control, and healthcare integration.

You can pick from our list of offered training and workshops or let me create something tailored to your business’s needs. Perhaps you have training already designed but need someone to present it; if it is in my wheelhouse, I am down! Maybe you want an hour in-service where I chat about social determinants of health or what a super utilizer is and how they impact the community. We can do that as well. No matter the need, OHC can assist your business with its next innovative training endeavor.

Location, Location, Location

Omani Hope Consulting is in Evansville, Indiana, where I live with my husband and two children. I have lived in Evansville for over a decade and have grown to love the closeness of family and the beautiful relationships I have fostered here.

I am most familiar with Indiana regarding state regulation and law, public services, healthcare and insurance providers. In recent years I have grown more familiar with these things in Kentucky, Missouri, and Illinois. If your business is in the tri-state area, I will have much more expertise on the resources available to meet your needs.

Hey, please don’t get discouraged; regardless of the state you live in, I can obtain the information needed to gain insight into state requirements specific to your business’s compliance or program needs. Chances are, your organization already has the data. It just needs to be accessed, reviewed, and put into action.

OHC can work remotely with any company in the United States through virtual platforms, phone, and email and will travel to your location if needed. You know your business best, and if we can work through the phases remotely and still produce results, I am all for it. If that isn’t the case and your staff needs to be rallied and motivated to engage in improvement initiatives, I will gladly come to galvanize the troops. If you’re not quite sure what gets your team going, that’s ok. In the first three phases, we will establish what and how to inspire them towards excellent process and program improvements.