Advancing Care Through Smarter Solutions

At The Arc Mercer, innovation is about rethinking how we serve, support, and empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Each day, our dedicated staff rise to the challenge of enhancing the lives of those we support through bold thinking, problem-solving, and compassion. The last several months have been no exception.

Whether it’s improving medical access, introducing new emotional support tools, or sharpening emergency preparedness, we’ve implemented meaningful improvements that are already producing measurable impact. Here are just a few of the innovations shaping our progress this quarter:

Smart Scheduling Keeps Routines—and Spirits—Intact

For individuals with IDD, predictability and routine play a vital role in emotional well-being. When standard medical appointments began to disrupt daily program attendance for many of our consumers, our team took swift action to rethink the approach.

The result? A revised care model that ensures consumers get the medical attention they need—without sacrificing their daily structure or access to services. By streamlining appointments around program hours, we’ve minimized disruptions and upheld one of our core values: preserving consistency in the lives of those we support.

It’s a small shift with a big impact. Consumers report greater satisfaction, staff report fewer incidents of distress, and our interdisciplinary teams are better able to support individuals holistically.

Emotional Support Goes High-Tech with AI Companions

This quarter also marked the early success of our new AI-based pilot program—an innovative approach to providing emotional and behavioral support.

The Arc Advocate, a conversational AI companion, was introduced to select consumers as part of a targeted initiative to reduce after-hours behavioral calls and enhance day-to-day emotional well-being. The early results have exceeded expectations:

• Emergency support calls reduced by 50%

• Over 11 hours of staff time saved in just one month

• Increased consumer confidence in expressing needs during live sessions

The AI companion provides individuals with a safe, private outlet to process their thoughts between therapy or clinical appointments, reinforcing their coping skills and helping staff allocate their time more efficiently.

While still in its early stages, this program reflects our commitment to forward-thinking solutions that blend technology and human care in ethical, responsible ways.

Crisis Readiness: Training for the Moments That Matter Most

Even with robust systems in place, emergencies can happen. That’s why The Arc Mercer continues to lead in realistic, high-impact training simulations for residential and program staff.

Most recently, our Quality Assurance, Training, and Behavioral Health departments collaborated on a series of high-pressure crisis response drills. These scenarios tested staff responses to medication administration during behavioral escalations—a true test of their composure, clinical judgment, and teamwork under stress.

Our staff exceeded expectations at every turn. While the simulations were intense, they revealed the power of preparation: communication was seamless, protocols were followed, and staff maintained control throughout the exercise.

These simulations reinforce why The Arc Mercer has become a statewide leader in medication safety:

• 510,490 doses administered over the past year

• Medication error rate of just 0.000029%

• Over 120,000 times safer than the national average

Far from routine practice, these drills are part of a larger strategy to foster confidence, accountability, and crisis-readiness across our entire workforce.

A Culture That Drives Progress

What ties all these initiatives together is a culture of ownership and care. Many of the innovations implemented this quarter were driven directly by staff observations and consumer feedback. From residential team members flagging disruptions in medical scheduling, to behavioral staff imagining new ways to extend emotional support, our progress continues to be powered by those closest to the work.

Innovation at The Arc Mercer doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it’s built on deep relationships, trust, and a shared belief that our consumers deserve the very best.

With every improvement, we get closer to our vision: a world where individuals with IDD are not only supported, but empowered to thrive.