Mosaic of Ellsworth has a new executive director.

Denise Thomas started as executive director in Ellsworth June 19. She will oversee the services Mosaic provides to its clients, which currently number 23 throughout Ellsworth County.

“I absolutely love it,” she said. “Everybody here has been very welcoming. I think it’s a great little town and I love the atmosphere.”

Former Executive Director Mike Jones took a new job opportunity recently to be closer to family.

In addition to Ellsworth, Thomas is also executive director for Northeast Kansas. She commutes back and forth and will be in Ellsworth every other week.

Thomas has worked in various aspects of serving people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities for 30 years.

“This will be my second time with Mosaic,” she said. “I was with them from 2009 to 2013.”

She worked for the Missouri State Department of Health and Disabilities for 10 years before accepting an opportunity in 2022 to come back to Mosaic.

Thomas said Mosaic is following the initiative of the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services called the Final Rule.

She said the Final Rule is a project to unbundle congregate (brick and mortar) setting services such as day services and group home living, and move toward a shared living project, which Mosaic calls Mosaic at Home.

Thomas said shared living, in a nutshell, is when a person or family want to open their home to an adult individual and ask them to come live with them.

“We provide all training and oversight,” she said.

The process involves what Thomas refers to as “a profile matching level of service.”

“Some people thinks it’s a foster care system for adults — it’s not like that,” Thomas said. “We really take the time to match the family to the person and service so that they have a common interest and level of support.”

Thomas said Mosaic is currently affiliated with DPOK (Disability Planning Organization of Kansas), but is moving into the DSNWK (Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas) area as well to open and build a shared living program.

“We welcome all persons to interview and apply to be a shared living person,” Thomas said. “We have individuals who are coming off of the wait list (some have been on the wait list since 2013). They have opened the wait list and there are hundreds of people across the state with need for services.”

Along with its shared living program, Thomas said Mosaic is looking to venture out and grow its community integration program through volunteerism and employment opportunities, working with several of the local communities and vendors so everyone can work together to support the individuals Mosaic is servicing and connect them to the future.

Thomas said Mosaic’s day center in Ellsworth is open for right now.

“We are looking to expand this into more of community-based integrated (personalized) services as opposed to the congregate setting (everyone coming into the same place),” she said, “but for right now, the day center is open.”

Thomas said Mosaic’s group home in Ellsworth is not closed.

“We are still working to support two individuals to make a choice for a different shared living option,” she said.

Finally, Thomas emphasized Mosaic is not leaving Ellsworth.

“We are very much part of this community,” she said. “I do know Ellsworth was the beginning of Bethphage almost 27 years ago. Mosaic is celebrating the 20th anniversary as Mosaic this year. and the 110th anniversary of services of Martin Luther and Bethphage Homes, so we are here to stay.”