Gainesville Meals on Wheels Improves Reporting and Expands Support for Seniors
In the State of Georgia, the Gainesville-Hall County Meals on Wheels (MOW) program delivers regular meals to about 500 seniors with volunteer drivers, as well as managing a senior center’s congregate meals. During the Covid-19 pandemic’s peak in 2021, city officials noticed the MOW processes needed to be simplified, and the pandemic provided the perfect opportunity to rethink the program’s processes. Between managing a few dozen volunteers, updating information regularly, and facilitating client intake and case notes, the program managers had a lot on their minds. We talked with Kevin Monge, the compliance associate for the MOW program, to get his take on the challenges overcome, processes improved, and future of Gainesville’s MOW program with ServTracker.
The Challenge
Before ServTracker implementation, reports for Gainesville’s MOW program were stored across multiple systems and led to organizational obstacles as it coordinated with staff and volunteers. Manual, physical notes were easy to lose or took a while to update for staff members, and filling out paperwork was a challenge for some clients.
The Solution
Overcoming past obstacles was a huge help for Kevin and others on the MOW staff. He remarks, “Having everything we need in one program, that’s really what we love. Being able to generate reports with just the click of a button is amazing. ServTracker really helps us save a lot of time.” Being able to manage routes more easily, get real-time case notes and client updates for anyone accessing a client record, and communicate asynchronously has really helped Gainesville’s MOW volunteers and staff have a smoother experience and save time for their clients.
There were some unexpected, downstream benefits of getting familiar with ServTracker, too. Kevin notes how learning the technology has improved the team’s ability to make other improvements and glean further insights on their program’s impact and clients’ issues.
Key Benefits and Efficiencies
Operational Ease
Now that volunteers can report real-time changes to client conditions, immediate interventions can happen when necessary. And because the system automates mileage tracking and route actions, Gainesville can report and recognize volunteers' contributions. The mobile app also allows volunteers to log client interactions and deliveries, which has reduced data errors and has improved response times.
Enhanced Reporting
With reporting now consolidated for the MOW program, leaders can efficiently access demographic and service data to ensure compliance and pursue new grant opportunities for program funding. This streamlined process significantly reduces administrative workload, allowing staff to focus more on supporting clients. Having reassessments and nutrition needs tracked within the same system enables program leaders to identify evolving client needs and plan proactively for the future.
Expansion of Services
“Our agency is now working with another project on emergency management services in our county,” Kevin says of the reallocation of saved time. ServTracker Touch functionality also allows senior center meals to go smoother when seniors scan their keychain bar code and sign in for the day, as well as choose what activities they’re participating in that day.
Implementation and Training Tools
“One of the things I really, really appreciate is CaseWorthy University. That tool really is a game changer because you can have all the training, videos, PDFs, and even sample reports in one place,” Kevin reports. “If you are a little hesitant about becoming part of CaseWorthy, don’t be scared. All the data entry you need to do at first will really save a lot of time later.” He emphasizes how learning a new system is always a challenge but that the CaseWorthy support team really made that process smooth for him, which allowed him to train Gainesville MOW staff and volunteers more easily. “They will teach you along the way,” Kevin concludes.
Conclusion
ServTracker’s paperless, mobile-friendly technology allowed Gainesville’s Meals on Wheels program to enhance communication, empower staff and volunteers to help clients more responsively, and improve its reporting and data quality, which allowed administrators to pursue further opportunities to help the community.
