Name: Alexis Baker
Job Title: Gateway to Community Living Transition Coordinator
How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do? I have been at TARCOG for two years where I am the transition coordinator for the Gateway to Community Living Program.
The program is a Medicaid-funded, targeting Medicaid recipients in a nursing home setting. I cover 26 nursing homes in six different counties. My position can be described as the “middleman” between the participant and Medicaid. I collect all medical records, communicate with formal and informal support, and complete a Return to Community Assessment.
If deemed appropriate, I assist participants obtain housing, furnishings, medical equipment, household supplies, and utilities, etc. I also set up the participants housing so upon discharge from the nursing home, the participant has most basic housing needs to ensure their health and safety needs are met. The participant is then transitioned to another case manager to monitor their progress.
What did you want to be when you grew up? What didn’t I want to be when I grew up … I thought about being a teacher, a florist, or a veterinarian.
What do you hope to accomplish within the next year? I want to learn a new skill. I thought about learning to can vegetables.
Who is your hero and why? My grandparents. They have always been the most stable people in my life and helped shape the person I am through compassion, action, and love.
If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? Go to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, skip all the lines, and ride rollercoasters all day.
What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? Honesty without kindness is brutality. Kindness without honesty is manipulation.
What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? Moved to Alaska by myself. I skydived once.
Who knows you the best? Adam, my boyfriend.
What would you do if you won the lottery? Pay off debts. Go back to school. Invest. Help a non-profit. Travel.