STEUBENVILLE — The Jefferson County Board of Developmental Disabilities has released its three-year strategic plan as a roadmap to guide its work into the foreseeable future.

In his introduction, Superintendent Michael Zinno stated that the 10-page plan extends from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2028, and identifies the program’s greatest strengths, most pressing challenges, and opportunities to keep with its mission of “Building a Community of Belonging.”

“Our plan is grounded in a renewed mission — Building a Community of Belonging — and a vision that challenges us to ‘Recognize Ability,'” Zinno added. “Together with our shared values — encourage creativity, work together, grow continuously, communicate honestly, respect everyone, build connections, and advocate for others — these guiding principles will shape every decision we make and every service we provide.”

He said the plan highlights the many strategic advantages JCBDD already has in place, such as fiscal responsibility, dedicated staff, supportive board leadership, and strong partnerships within the community, while also acknowledging challenges which must be confronted, including workforce shortages, succession planning, and the growing demand for diverse and specialized services.

However, it also identifies significant opportunities to strengthen organizational workforce satisfaction, expand services for children and transition youth, increase housing and recreational opportunities, and leverage technology to improve efficiency and outcomes.

“This strategic plan is more than a document, it is a commitment to the individuals and families we support, to our staff and partners, and to the community we serve. By aligning our resources, strengthening our workforce, and deepening our partnerships, we are confident that JCBDD will not only meet today’s needs but also prepare for the future with vision and purpose. We invite you to join us as we take this important step forward. Together, we will continue to build connections, expand opportunities, and recognize the abilities of every individual in Jefferson County,” he stated.

JCBDD officials obtained input from key customers and stakeholders during the process and cited individuals served by the county board, families and guardians, providers, county board members, employees, community members and partners, and school districts, while the information was used to identify strategic advantages, challenges, and opportunities for the organization and supported the new “strategy map” that will move JCBDD into the future.

It also includes a strategy map which utilizes objectives, initiatives, measures and targets for fiscal sustainability and improving customer satisfaction, operational efficiencies and infrastructure.

Among the financial advantages are that JCBDD is committed to ensuring fiscal responsibility to the community and individuals it serves, plus it continues to meet and exceed all the local, state, and federal regulatory requirements.

Other positives include centralizing facilities to better serve the individuals it supports and the community; providing quality services, information, and education to a wide range of customers and community partners; and having positive relationships with community partners, individuals, families, and county board staff. More highlights range from leadership’s commitment to continuous quality improvement and actively seeking feedback from its workforce to focusing on continuous improvement, streamlining operations, and increasing customer satisfaction and continuing to expand its use of social media to communicate with customers about the county board’s programs and services.

JCBDD also has active board members who are supportive and inclusive and it offers competitive compensation, an attractive benefits package, and workplace flexibility to its workforce and prospective new employees. Additionally, JCBDD continues to invest in technology to support the workforce and people served by the board, has open-minded, compassionate, and dedicated staff committed to providing person-centered services, and continues to improve county board assets, such as property, facilities, and vehicles.

Officials also outlined their challenges, noting that JCBDD faces complicated federal, state, and local financial decisions that may negatively impact the board financially, plus they must address the increasing costs of waiver and non-waiver services in the organization. More factors include limited funding and staffing to increase services for youth ages 3 to 5 years old and transition youth; limited resources outside of day programming for individuals who have the potential to work in the community; and limited availability of providers willing to support individuals with complex and high-intensity needs.

Regarding its internal process, JCBDD found needs to modernize record-keeping to increase operational efficiency and decrease organizational costs, plus officials must assess recent school program changes to identify changes needed to better support the local school districts. Leaders indicated difficulty identifying available resources outside of the county board program, including high-quality behavioral and mental health services; a lack of organizational consistency across various departments; a need to streamline the onboarding process to improve organizational efficiencies; and a need to continue evolving the processes for communicating both internally and externally.

As the organization continues to learn and grow, leaders note that IT solutions are underutilized by the workforce, which leads to inefficiencies in daily operations; that JCBDD has difficulty with recruiting new workforce members and is facing upcoming retirements in key positions that require extensive succession planning. Subsequently, it struggles to engage the entire workforce, which impacts an organization’s ability to create meaningful changes.

However, officials will continue to seek opportunities for additional revenue streams to support financial sustainability as well as community partnerships to increase service offerings for individuals and families served by the board. It will also explore opportunities to improve resources for natural supports and opportunities to partner with provider organizations to meet the high-intensity needs of individuals.

Further ideas include partnering with local school districts to develop the vision for the future of the School of Bright Promise; expanding recreational opportunities through Special Olympics and Unified Champion Schools; analyzing how to best utilize the four open ICF beds; and continuing to evaluate assistive technology to increase services and support for individuals served by the board.

JCBDD will continue to focus on improving its organizational consistency across the workforce and benefit from developing a systematic process for data collection and analysis to drive organizational improvements. Meanwhile, it intends to address gaps in services for children, continue to explore options to increase residential housing needs, explore options to improve the desired workforce training needs, and use technology to increase operational performance and efficiency. Other plans include benefitting from developing a comprehensive succession planning process; focusing on improving its ability to attract and retain a highly skilled and engaged workforce, and benefiting from improving its human resource processes to increase employee engagement and retention.

“JCBDD will begin to determine the long and short-term action plans that need to be developed to address the initiatives identified in the strategy map,” the report concludes. “Periodic progress reports and annual reports updates will be provided to the board and the JCBDD staff, addressing initiatives, key performance measures, and targets.”