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12/29/08
BOCA RATON NEWS
Published December 21, 2008
A new door into the job world for people with disabilities has opened in Boca Raton.
The new work opportunities arise from the recent partnership of Stand Among Friends, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities to live with independence and success, and Call 4 Health, a medical call center that specializes in enhancing the caller experience and improving communications between healthcare providers and their customers.
Since January 2008, Stand Among Friends, housed at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, has been offering an employment program aimed primarily at graduating FAU students and others with disabilities.
Shawn Friedkin, president and founder of Stand Among Friends, said "people with disabilities have far higher unemployment rates than the rest of the population, even though they are fully capable and qualified."
With a grant from Able Trust, the employment program has served nearly 200 individuals and placed more than 50 people with disabilities in jobs paying above the living wage, Friedkin said.
"We work with organizations such as Call 4 Health to help the HR departments with recruitment efforts and connect them with the best candidate."
"This is a perfect fit for us," said Joe Pores, co-founder of Call 4 Health. "Since the inception of our company, my business philosophy has been to provide compassionate customer service with an empathetic understanding of patient needs. Partnering with Stand Among Friends has enabled our company to tap into a pool of qualified candidates."
"Most importantly, it has helped us recruit people that have an understanding, and the initiative, to be sensitive to the needs of patients seeking healthcare," he added.
This partnership with Call 4 Health will put talented individuals with disabilities on a fast track into the workforce at Call 4 Health, Friedkin said. "We are deeply grateful to Joe Pores for his interest in this untapped talent pool."
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