By Mary Pickels
Tribune-Review
Copyright 2007 Tribune Review Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved
Greensburg, PA — American Red Cross officials are operating under more stringent performance standards in recent years, and three area chapters are among the top performers, the national agency recently reported.
Westmoreland County, Chestnut Ridge and Indiana County were among 80 of the 805 chapters evaluated in 2006 to receive the top ranking, Red Cross officials said. It was the second time the Westmoreland and Indiana chapters have received a top rating.
The accountability standards put into place three years ago mean more work for staff members, said Cathie Krofick, interim executive director with the Latrobe-based Chestnut Ridge chapter.
“But the stewardship is so clear,” she said. “Everything we do now is being rated.”
The standards are part of an effort at uniformity among chapters, Krofick said. “You will get the same level of service no matter where you are.”
The standards are meant to encourage more communication among the local chapters.
“We are getting to know each other’s players,” Krofick said. “We’re borrowing resources, sharing resources. We’re talking about applying for group grants, rather than (individual) chapters going and begging. We’re training together. There are some real pluses.”
Red Cross spokeswoman Nicole Gustin said chapters are judged by performance standards in six categories: governance (board of directors), financial strength, service delivery (determined by survey responses from service recipients), human resources, business standard practices; and corporate citizenship (working relationships with partners and other nonprofits).
“This is a way to provide accountability,” Gustin said, “and to provide a consistent measurement tool.”
The chapters are rated on different grading scales, depending on size, she said.
Chestnut Ridge scored high in community disaster education and provision of CPR and lifesaving training, Gustin said, and recipients reported high satisfaction with the training.
The Westmoreland County chapter was recognized for having high client satisfaction, Gustin said, along with significant lifesaving skills training.
Executive Director Donna Pacella credited the chapter’s volunteers for its top performance.
“They’re the only reason we can meet all of these standards,” Donna Pacella said.
“Probably our biggest things here are our blood program and our disaster program,” Pacella said.
The chapter, which includes portions of Fayette and Washington counties, collects platelet donations on a daily basis and blood donations twice a week.
A chapter goal is to see all 120,000 chapter households prepared for disaster, with supplies for at least 72 hours and an evacuation plan residents have practiced.
Dan Stevens, Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety spokesman, said the Red Cross helps out with everything from presentations to municipal officials to responding to emergencies.
“We have an excellent relationship with the Red Cross,” he said. “They do a fantastic job. When a major disaster hits our county, they all (numerous chapters and units) work together.”
Emergency workers, Stevens said, take care of the immediate response, while the Red Cross handles the aftermath.
“That’s one less thing the fire chief or EMS has to worry about,” he said. “They are trained to give that compassion. That’s any Red Cross agency I’ve ever had a chance to deal with.”
Kathleen Pino, executive director of the Indiana County chapter, said the new standards provide chapters with a performance report card.
Gustin said the chapter was rated high on financial standards, which translates to community support, and scored well on disaster training and education programs.
Pino said the chapter’s board of directors is “visionary.”
She pointed to their determination to find a suitable facility for the chapter, which had outgrown its longtime offices. Last winter, directors found a single-story building on Kolter Drive, in Indiana borough, with three times the space and free parking. With the addition of a kitchen and showers, Pino said, it may serve as a shelter in the future.
“We’re very pleased,” Pino said of the high-performance designation. “We know we’re good. Now everybody else knows.”