Recognizing Josephine Benson

Floor Speech

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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the unique contributions made to our community by one of my constituents, Josephine Benson, who is a member of the Pasco County Senior Leadership Team. In June of 2023, in order to avoid disruption of services for vulnerable seniors in Pasco County, the county stepped up to the plate to provide state and federally funded essential case management and services to seniors via three major programs: Community Care for the Elderly (CCE), Home Care for the Elderly (HCE), and the Alzheimer's Disease Initiative (ADI). When the former lead agency was unable to continue it that capacity, Pasco County Senior Services Leadership Team acted swiftly because they understood the importance of ensuring seamless continuity of services to seniors. As such, the team spent hundreds of hours researching and writing a 750-page grant that they did not have experience writing, preparing services that they had never offered, and standing up a new team to complete the services, whereby, almost doubling the size of its current Division. They did so while continuing their normal services to seniors throughout the county. In the end, the county was awarded the honor of becoming the new ``Lead Agency.'' This ensured that over 500 at-risk seniors in Pasco would not go without critical care. The Pasco County Senior Services Leadership Team also took on new duties and extra challenges during the transition period. All Program Coordinators took specific parts of the new grant or accompanying duties to learn and provide feedback on or they took on extra work to allow other team leaders to do so. This team truly collaborated with each other and several other departments to make this Lead Agency bid a reality. Taking on this new tier of services demonstrates how this team exemplifies the term ``Heroes Among Us.''

It is clear that Ms. Benson and the Pasco County Senior Leadership Team has made a profoundly positive impact on our community, and I am grateful for their service.

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