Congressman Dave Loebsack (far right) in a dialogue with COC staff and family members of people served by COC

Only two weeks before the Nov. 4 general election, United States Congressman Dave Loebsack visited Pella’s Christian Opportunity Center on Tuesday for a guided tour of the facilities and a discussion of issues.

COC Executive Director Rod Braun opened the sharing with a brief history of COC and updated Congressman Loebsack on COC’s current services.

Regional Director Jodi Tukker and Vocational Manager Christian Ray provided the congressman with a tour of COC’s Pella Plant and discussed the Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act of 2013 and the benefits of sheltered employment.

Following the plant tour, Regional Director Mickey Edwards provided a tour of the East Broadway home and discussed new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations on community integration for Medicaid waiver homes and COC’s current community integration efforts.

The reception concluded with a dialogue between Congressman Loebsack and Human Resources Director Angela DeCook in regards to COC’s challenges with staff recruitment and retention and to provide competitive compensation to direct support professionals.

Founded in 1969, COC provides residential and vocational support and services to 250 people with disabilities in Marion, Mahaska, Warren and Polk counties. For more information visit https://christianopportunity.org/ or connect with Christian Opportunity Center on Facebook and IowaCOC on Twitter.